Sri Lanka visa for UK nationals in 2026

For most UK tourists, entry to Sri Lanka runs on an ETA: an Electronic Travel Authorisation you arrange online before you travel. It is not a sticker visa, and you should not rely on sorting it 'on arrival' — apply ahead so the approval is in hand when you check in for your flight.

The ETA covers tourism, which includes a safari trip. If you are travelling for any other reason, the rules differ and you should check the official guidance for your situation.

Apply at the Sri Lankan government's official ETA portal, eta.gov.lk. That is the one address that matters. A search for 'Sri Lanka visa' will surface a row of polished third-party sites that submit the same application for you and charge £30–50 for the favour.

Those sites are not criminal scams — they usually do deliver — but you are paying a needless markup for a government service that costs around $20. Go to eta.gov.lk, check the address bar, and ignore the rest.

The tourist ETA costs roughly $20 USD. Processing is usually quick — often near-instant, sometimes within 24 hours, and the official guidance allows up to 72 hours, so do not leave it to the airport.

A standard tourist ETA gives you a 30-day stay from arrival and is issued for double entry, which helps if your itinerary dips into the Maldives or India and comes back. If you need longer, extensions are possible once you are in the country.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates. Check this early, because renewing a UK passport takes time you may not have close to departure.

The mistake I see most often is applying too early. An ETA is valid from its date of issue, not your date of travel, so an approval obtained months in advance can lapse before you fly. Apply within three months of departure and you stay comfortably inside the window.

Entry rules, fees and health requirements change, sometimes at short notice. Before you book, and again shortly before you fly, read the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sri-lanka.

Treat this guide as a planning checklist, not the final word. The FCDO page and eta.gov.lk are the two official sources that override anything written here.