Sri Lanka Waives ETA Fee for Visitors from 40 Countries

Sri Lanka’s Committee on Public Finance approved regulations on 7 May 2026 to waive the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) fee for nationals of 40 countries. The move is designed to stimulate arrivals after a softer April and May and forms part of a broader package of measures to hit the government’s 3 million visitor target for 2026.

What changes for travellers

The fee waiver eliminates the standard USD 20 single-entry ETA cost for eligible nationalities. The online pre-travel application remains mandatory — visitors must still apply through the official portal at eta.gov.lk before departure. The authorisation itself, granting 30 days’ stay on arrival, continues to be issued in the same way.

As of publication, no implementation date has been announced. The regulations were approved under the Immigration and Emigration Act and are expected to run for one year, with a built-in six-month review to assess whether the programme should continue.

Which 40 countries qualify

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

Broader context

The ETA fee waiver sits alongside two other significant policy changes already in effect for 2026: a new 180-day extended tourist visa (up from 90 days) and a digital nomad visa for remote workers earning a minimum of USD 2,000 per month. Together, these measures represent the most substantive overhaul of Sri Lanka’s entry framework in years.

Sri Lanka recorded 904,855 tourist arrivals between January and early May 2026 — strong overall but with a noted slowdown during April and May linked to global travel uncertainty. The free ETA is a direct response to that dip.

We will update this article as soon as an official implementation date is confirmed. In the meantime, travellers from eligible countries should continue to budget USD 20 for the ETA fee until the waiver takes effect.

For full details on how to apply and what to bring at the border, see our Sri Lanka visa and ETA guide. For flight options into Colombo, visit our flights to Sri Lanka guide and Colombo airport guide.