Sri Lanka ETA is FREE for Indians through 2026, full guide

Sri Lanka's Cabinet extended the free-ETA program for Indian passport holders through 2026, confirmed in the April 2026 Cabinet decision. The fee waiver, originally a Oct 2024-Mar 2025 tourism push, has now been extended multiple times; a further extension into 2027 is widely expected but not yet ratified.

Current rules (May 2026, valid through end of 2026): - Fee: FREE (was $50 USD before Oct 2024) - Duration: 30 days per entry - Entries: Double-entry (can leave and return within 30 days) - Processing: Usually instant, under 5 minutes for most applications - Validity: ETA approval valid for 90 days from issue date - How to apply: eta.gov.lk, official portal only

The clone-site scam:

Search Google for "Sri Lanka ETA" and the first 3 Google Ads results are almost always clone sites charging $40-80 for the FREE government service. They are technically legal (they file the same application with the government on your behalf) but the markup is pure profit.

To avoid: 1. Type eta.gov.lk directly in the address bar, never click an ad 2. The fee field should say $0 USD for "India" as nationality 3. If a payment screen appears asking $50+, close the tab, you're on a clone

Documents needed (none on the application, but carry to immigration): - Passport (≥6 months validity) - Return ticket within 30 days - Hotel booking (first 1-3 nights minimum) - Recent passport photo (digital, for ETA upload)

Common rejections (rare): 1. Past Sri Lanka overstay (>5%) 2. Damaged passport 3. Filing wrong photo size (50×50 mm standard)

At Colombo / Mattala immigration:

ETA holders get a fast lane. Show passport + ETA email + return ticket. Stamp issued in 2-5 minutes. Officers may ask "first time in Sri Lanka?", answer honestly; previous visits work in your favor.

Why Sri Lanka kept ETA free for so long:

The original Oct 2024 fee waiver was a 6-month tourism recovery push. India is Sri Lanka's #1 source market (≈400K Indian tourists in 2025). The free-ETA pushed arrivals up 40% YoY. Tourism revenue more than offset the $20M in lost ETA fees, so the program got extended multiple times, current ratified extension runs through 2026, further extension widely expected.

What changes if the extension lapses:

Likely return to $50 paid ETA, same rules otherwise. Current ratified window runs through 2026; budget travellers should plan within this window in case the 2027 extension is delayed.

Pair with our Sri Lanka 10-day template, pre-filled itinerary covering Colombo → Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella → Galle for the architect. Country page at the Sri Lanka destination guide, the full Sri Lanka visa page, and the AI Trip Architect for a custom plan.

Source: Visa-extension announcement by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (April 2026), eta.gov.lk current fee page, VisaHQ Sri Lanka extension brief.