Do Indians need a visa for Sri Lanka?

Short answer: Indian passport holders do need permission to enter Sri Lanka, but it is a free online ETA, not a paid visa. The Department of Immigration and Emigration’s official ETA site says Indian nationals can get the tourist ETA free of charge for 30 days, with double entry inside that period. Apply online before you fly. The steps and the traps are below.

Exchange basis: 1 USD = INR 95.04 and 1 USD = LKR 332.0 (open.er-api.com, 24 October 2026), so LKR 100 = about INR 28.6. Rupee amounts are rounded estimates.

Sri Lanka visa for Indians at a glance

Question	Answer	Source
Do Indians need to apply before travel?	Yes, an ETA before arrival	Official ETA site
Cost for the tourist ETA	Free of charge	Official ETA notice, effective 25 May 2026
Stay	30 days from first arrival	Official ETA notice
Double entry	Allowed within the 30 days from first arrival	Official ETA notice
Longer than 30 days	Extension on payment of the applicable visa fee	Official ETA notice
On-arrival option	None described; all foreigners must get an ETA before arrival	Official ETA notice
Official site	eta.gov.lk	Department of Immigration and Emigration; linked from the High Commission site

Is Sri Lanka visa free for Indians? (Sri Lanka visa free hai kya?)

Sort of: there is no fee, but there is still an application. Two official notices on the ETA site matter:

• 27 September 2024: a free visa regime was announced for nationals of seven countries (China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan), “with immediate effect”, with a 30-day stay and double entry permitted within 30 days of first arrival.
• 25 May 2026: nationals of 40 countries, India included, became eligible to obtain the tourist visa (ETA) free of charge for 30 days. ETA fees paid by applicants before that date are non-refundable.

Neither notice states an end date for the scheme. We cannot say how long it will run, so if you are booking far ahead, glance at the official ETA site again before you travel, or ask the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi.

How to apply for the ETA (Sri Lanka visa apply online)

1. Go to eta.gov.lk. This is the Department of Immigration and Emigration’s own site, and the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi links to it from its Consular Services page.
2. Choose the tourist ETA and fill in the form with details exactly as in your passport. The site lists the documents and passport requirements, and those are the ones to follow.
3. Because the ETA is free for Indians, there should be nothing to pay for a standard tourist stay. If a screen asks for a fee for a basic 30-day tourist ETA, stop and check where you are.
4. Save the approval notice as a PDF and keep a printed copy.
5. Apply before you buy non-refundable bookings if you want to be safe. We could not find an official processing time.

Beware of look-alike ETA sites

Search results for “Sri Lanka visa”, “Sri Lanka ETA” and “Sri Lanka visa online” are full of agent websites that look official and charge service fees. For Indians the standard tourist ETA is free, so a charge on one of these sites is a sign you are in the wrong place.

• The address should be eta.gov.lk, nothing longer or different.
• Reach it from the High Commission’s website or the Immigration Department’s website if you want to be sure.
• Only pay for a service you need (such as a visa extension), and only on the official site.

What about visa on arrival?

The official ETA notice says all foreign nationals, including those of the 40 free-ETA countries, are required to obtain an ETA prior to arrival. It describes no on-arrival visa option for Indian travellers, so do not plan to sort it out at the airport.

Staying longer than 30 days

The official notice says visitors with the free visa who want to stay beyond 30 days can apply for an extension by paying the applicable visa fee. The amount is not given on the pages we could read, so check it on the official ETA site or with the Department of Immigration and Emigration.

A 5-day Sri Lanka plan (assembled from public information)

This is a compact route, not a diary. It crosses the island, so it is a lot of travel for five days. Add a day if you can.

Day 1: Arrive in Colombo

Land at Bandaranaike International Airport, take a taxi or ride-hailing transfer to the city and check in. Evening: Galle Face Green at sunset, and street snacks nearby.

Day 2: Colombo to Kandy

Drive or take a train to Kandy. In the afternoon visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic (cover shoulders and knees, and remove shoes) and walk around Kandy Lake. A cultural dance show in the evening is a popular option.

Day 3: Scenic train to Ella

The Kandy to Ella railway is one of the best-known train rides in Asia, and a long one. Book seats in advance through the official railway channels, since the popular classes sell out. Settle in Ella for the evening.

Day 4: Ella, then south

Morning at the Nine Arch Bridge, the colonial-era viaduct in the jungle, and a walk up Little Adam’s Peak. Then drive towards the south coast, aiming for Galle. It is a long road day, so start early.

Day 5: Galle Fort and flight home

Walk the ramparts and lanes of Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for a few hours. Then take the expressway back to Colombo for your flight, allowing generous buffer for traffic and check-in.

Cost of a 5-day trip (INR, estimates)

Item	Cost (per person)	Where the number comes from
ETA (tourist, 30 days)	INR 0	Official ETA notice
Hotels, 4 nights, private room shared by 2	INR 8,000 to 24,000	Our planning range
Food, 5 days	INR 3,500 to 7,000	Our planning range
Train, car with driver, ride-hailing	INR 4,000 to 10,000	Our planning range
Entry tickets and activities	INR 3,000 to 8,000	Our planning range
SIM or eSIM, small extras	INR 1,000 to 2,500	Our planning range
Total without flights	about INR 19,500 to 51,500

These are budgeting ranges, not quotes. Flights depend on your city and the season: plug your own numbers into our trip cost calculator. To compare with other places Indians can visit without a visa, see our visa-free countries for Indians tool.

Vegetarian food in Sri Lanka

Vegetarian travellers do fine. Sri Lankan rice and curry usually comes with several vegetable and dal curries, and there are many vegetarian-only restaurants in Colombo and Kandy, plus South Indian places around Pettah and Wellawatte. Ask for “no meat or fish” and check for Maldive fish (a dried fish flavouring) in sambols and some curries. Jain travellers should carry a printed note in English about no onion, garlic or root vegetables.

Quick checklist before you fly

• ETA approved on the official site (eta.gov.lk) and saved offline
• Confirm your passport validity and documents against the requirements shown on the ETA site
• Return or onward ticket and hotel bookings printed or saved
• Do not pay a third-party site for a standard tourist ETA
• Travel insurance (strongly recommended)

Planning a longer Asia run? See our Malaysia visa guide and our Thailand visa guide.