Sri Lanka approves free visa facility for travellers from 40 countries to boost tourism

Sri Lanka’s Parliament has approved new regulations under the Immigration and Emigration Act allowing nationals of 40 countries to receive a free visa facility for one year, in a major move aimed at reviving the island nation’s tourism sector.

The measure, cleared on May 7, follows Cabinet approval granted in late March. While the policy has now received parliamentary backing, authorities are yet to announce an official implementation date.

Free visa, but ETA still mandatory

Under the new framework, eligible travellers will be able to obtain a free 30-day visit visa.

However, Sri Lankan authorities have clarified that this does not mean complete visa-free entry.

Travellers will still be required to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before departure. The only change is that the usual ETA visa fee will be waived for eligible nationals.

Officials said retaining the ETA process is necessary for security screening and border control.

Expansion from 7 to 40 countries

Until now, Sri Lanka’s free-visa program covered seven countries — India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia and Thailand.

The newly approved regulations significantly expand the scheme to 40 countries as part of an aggressive tourism recovery strategy.

Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament that the policy is expected to generate a major economic boost despite short-term revenue loss.

According to government estimates, waiving visa fees could result in a direct loss of nearly $75 million.

However, authorities project the move could attract an additional 247,000 tourists and generate $317 million in fresh tourism revenue, resulting in a net economic gain of around $242 million.

Countries eligible for Sri Lanka’s free visa facility

The 40 eligible countries are:

Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

The list includes major tourism source markets from Europe, Asia, the Gulf and North America.

One-year trial period

The program is expected to run for one year, with an official review after six months to assess its effectiveness.

Earlier government communications had indicated a possible six-month duration, but the latest parliamentary approval confirms a one-year rollout.

Travellers will need to monitor Sri Lanka’s official ETA portal for updated procedures once implementation begins.

What travellers should know

For eligible nationals, the main benefit will be the waiver of the visa or ETA fee for short-term visits of up to 30 days.

The online ETA application process will remain compulsory, and travellers must continue to meet all standard entry requirements.

Sri Lanka hopes the initiative will significantly increase tourist arrivals and offset lost visa revenue through greater visitor spending across hotels, transport, dining and local businesses.