Complete Documentation Requirements
What you need for each ETA category, and the specifications that actually get checked - passport validity, name matching, onward travel and funds.
Required for every applicant
Passport valid 6+ months
Validity must extend at least six months beyond your intended departure from Sri Lanka, with at least one blank page for the entry stamp.
Return or onward ticket
A confirmed booking leaving Sri Lanka within your permitted stay. A held reservation without ticketing is not reliably accepted.
Accommodation address
The address of your first night - a hotel booking confirmation or a host's residential address.
Working email address
The approval is delivered by email only. There is no postal or collection option.
Proof of sufficient funds
Roughly USD 50 per day of stay is the commonly cited benchmark. Bank statements or card access satisfy this if asked on arrival.
Payment card
Credit or debit card for the fee - unless your nationality is on the free list or you are applying for a transit ETA.
Additional documents by category
| Category | Additional documents | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist ETA | None beyond the standard set | Free for 40 nationalities, otherwise USD 50 |
| Business ETA | Invitation letter from the Sri Lankan host, plus a letter from your employer | USD 55 (USD 30 SAARC) |
| Transit ETA | Onward flight details showing departure within two days | Free |
| Children under 12 | Included on a parent's application or applied for individually | Free |
Specifications that get checked
- Name matching. Enter names exactly as they appear in the machine-readable zone of your passport, including the order of surname and given names.
- Passport number. Character for character. Watch for 0/O and 1/I confusions.
- Six-month rule. Measured from your departure date from Sri Lanka, not your arrival date.
- Onward ticket. Must show you leaving Sri Lanka - a ticket to a third country counts, it does not have to be a return home.
- Blank pages. At least one, for the entry endorsement applied on arrival.
The tourist application is a form, not a document upload - you enter details rather than attaching scans. Carry the underlying documents with you, because immigration can ask to see them on arrival. Business applications do require uploads.