Sri Lanka visa (ETA) and arriving by air

The ETA in plain English

Almost every visitor needs an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA): permission to enter, applied for online before you fly. The tourist ETA lets you stay 30 days from arrival, and it’s double-entry, so a side trip to the Maldives or India and back is fine within that window.

On 25 May 2026 Sri Lanka made the tourist ETA free for citizens of 40 countries. Everyone else pays: US$50 online for most nationalities, US$20 for some South Asian (SAARC) countries, and a little more if you get it on arrival. Children under 12 don’t pay. Apply only on the official site, eta.gov.lk: look-alike agency sites charge extra for the same form.

Want to stay longer than 30 days? Apply for an extension with the Department of Immigration and Emigration before your ETA expires, and pay the extension fee. Overstaying can mean a fine and deportation.

Flying in: four international airports

Nearly everyone lands at Bandaranaike International (CMB) at Katunayake, the hub of the national airline, SriLankan Airlines. Long-haul flights arrive from the Gulf, Europe and East Asia, and short hops come from India and the Maldives.

• Mattala Rajapaksa International (HRI) opened in 2013 in the far south, near Hambantota, and is handy for Yala when flights serve it.
• Jaffna International (JAF), about 13 km from Jaffna town, began as a Second World War airfield.
• Ratmalana (RML), 15 km south of Colombo, opened in 1934 as the city’s first airport and now handles mostly domestic and light aviation.

From CMB, Cinnamon Air runs small Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft, some on floats, from its own terminal to lagoons, lakes and airstrips around the island. A hop to the south coast or the hill country can replace most of a day on the road.

Landing to hotel, step by step

1. Immigration: passport plus your approved ETA (on your phone or printed).
2. Baggage and customs: declare anything above your duty-free allowance.
3. Cash: ATMs and exchange counters are in the arrivals hall. In mid-2026, US$1 bought roughly LKR 330.
4. SIM card: Dialog, SLT-Mobitel and Hutch all sell tourist SIMs; bring your passport.
5. Into town: the airport taxi counter has published fixed fares; PickMe and Uber also pick up at the airport; the route 187 bus runs to Colombo Fort. The E03 expressway covers the 35 km in about 40–50 minutes, longer at rush hour (7–9am and 4–7pm).

Heading straight out of Colombo? Many visitors go direct from the airport to Negombo (close by), the Cultural Triangle or the south coast. Check our transport guide before planning around the train.