Sri Lanka has made a new travel rule for tourists from 40 countries including India. Under this, now Sri Lanka can be visited without any fees through ‘Electronic Travel Authorization’ (ETA) for 30 days. With this new rule, Indian passengers will save time at the airport and the process will become easier.
A big good news has come from Sri Lanka for Indian tourists. Sri Lanka has made a new travel rule for tourists from 40 countries of the world including India. Now people from these countries can visit Sri Lanka through ‘Electronic Travel Authorization’ (ETA) for 30 days without any fees. This new rule has come into effect from today itself. Tourists traveling through ETA will not require a separate visa to enter Sri Lanka. However, they will have to obtain approval through the Digital Electronic Travel Authority before starting the journey. Now citizens of selected 40 countries can apply online for this without any charge. Earlier, people from SAARC countries had to pay US$20 for a 30-day double-entry tourist visa, while travelers from other countries were charged US$50. Now this fee has been completely abolished.
Visa validity and entry rules
Under this new scheme, travelers from eligible countries will get a tourist visa for up to 30 days from the date of first arrival in Sri Lanka. The special thing is that they can enter Sri Lanka twice in this 30 day period. Those who want to stay in Sri Lanka for more than 30 days can apply to extend their visa by paying a fixed fee.
What will be the benefit to Indian tourists?
This new rule will make the travel procedures much easier for those who have an Indian passport. According to the Henley Passport Index updated in February 2026, Indians till now had the facility of ‘Visa on Arrival’ in Sri Lanka. This facility was good, but for this, many formalities had to be completed at the airport after deboarding the flight.
But now with the implementation of the new ETA system, Indian travelers can complete all this process online by visiting the official website even before starting the journey. This will speed up checking at the airport and will also save their valuable time.