Frequently Asked Questions About The Sri Lanka eTA

Sri Lanka eTA is an online travel authorization issued to international travellers who wish to enter Sri Lanka for short stays with the aim of fulfilling different purposes such as:- tourism, business and transit. Generally, this eVisa is issued electronically through a web-based eTA system which grants legal permission to non-residents of Sri Lanka to stay in the country temporarily to fulfil various purposes of visit. The Sri Lanka eTA is currently issued to the passport holders of over 100+ nationalities.

The main purpose of a Sri Lanka eTA is to facilitate thirty-day trips to Sri Lanka for international visitors through a digital eVisa system which eliminates the need for the travellers to visit an Embassy for the purpose of obtaining a valid Visa for Sri Lanka. The eTA is generally obtained before the journey to Sri Lanka starts. Therefore, it facilitates the traveller's entry into the country as they will not have to apply for a Visa on Arrival after arriving in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka eTA was introduced on 1st January, 2012. The department of immigration and emigration of Sri Lanka made the eTA active since 2012 so that international visitors could get a valid Visa for Sri Lanka online without going through the hassle of applying for a Visa in-person at the Embassy or consulate office.

The different types of Sri Lanka eTA available are as follows:-

• Sri Lanka Tourist eTA

  The Sri Lanka Tourist eTA allows travellers to fulfil tourism related motives in the country. With the Tourist eTA, the visitor can indulge in various travel and tourism related activities such as:- sightseeing, trying the Sri Lankan cuisine, visiting friends and family members, etc.

• Sri Lanka Business eTA

  The Sri Lanka Business eTA is tailored for all international business people who aim at entering and staying in Sri Lanka for a short period to indulge in various business related activities such as:- attending business meetings, workshops and conferences, etc.

• Sri Lanka Transit eTA

  The Sri Lanka Transit eTA is granted to those travellers whose main motive of entering Sri Lanka is transit. A Transit eTA is required if the traveller is transiting from a Sri Lankan airport and wants to explore Sri Lanka for more than 08 hours.

The basic eligibility criteria for the Sri Lanka eTA are as follows:-

• The most basic eligibility criteria to obtain a Sri Lanka eTA is that:- The traveller should belong to an eTA eligible nation such the United Kingdom and/or all the EU nations are eligible.
• The applicant should be in possession of a valid passport that has a minimum validity of 06 months. The passport's validity will be calculated from the date on which the traveller arrives in Sri Lanka.
• When the applicant is submitting an application for the Sri Lanka eTA, they should be in possession of a return ticket. Or an onward journey ticket.
• The purpose of visit of the applicant should be related to either tourism, business or transit. Working or studying in Sri Lanka with the eTA is not allowed.

Yes. If a traveller is planning a short trip to Sri Lanka and if they are eligible to apply for an eTA, then they will have to compulsorily obtain an eTA. This is majorly because no entry will be given to a traveller who does not have a valid travel permit (Visa or eTA) to enter Sri Lanka. An eTA should not be obtained if a traveller belongs to the following nations:-

• The Republic of Singapore.
• The Republic of Maldives.
• The Republic of Seychelles.

The total validity of a Sri Lanka eTA, regardless of the type applied for, is 180 days. The duration of stay allowed on an eTA is 30 days. Please note that the Tourist eTA and Business eTA for Sri Lanka allows 30-day stays in the country. On the other hand the Transit eTA for Sri Lanka will allow a 2-day stay in the country.

The number of entries provided on a Sri Lanka eTA is highly dependent on the type of eVisa obtained by the applicant. Here are the number of entries provided on each eTA type:-

• Tourist eTA:- On each Tourist eTA, double entries are provided.
• Business eTA:- On each Business eTA, multiple entries are provided.
• Transit eTA:- On each Transit eTA, a single entry is provided.

Here is the complete step-by-step process to apply for a Sri Lanka eTA online:-

• Fill-out the digital Sri Lanka eTA application form. Make sure that all details filled in the application questionnaire are 100% correct. Then, upload the necessary documents.
• Review the filled application and double-check all details filled. Then, choose an appropriate electronic medium of payment for the eTA and pay the fees.
• Receive the approved Sri Lanka eTA in the email inbox. The eTA will be sent in a pdf format. Print out the eTA and take it with you on the journey to Sri Lanka.

When filling out the Sri Lanka eTA application form, travellers will have to provide information/details for various questions in different question sections such as:-

• Personal details:- In this section, the applicant will have to fill out their correct full name, DOB, nationality, gender, etc.
• Contact information:- In this section, the applicant will have to fill out their correct email address, phone number, residential address, etc
• Passport details:- In this section, the applicant will have to fill out their correct passport number, passport date of expiry, passport date of issue, etc.
• Travel itinerary information:- In this section, the applicant will have to fill out some general travel itinerary and travel plan related questions such as:- flight details, details, purpose of visit to Sri Lanka, etc.

The documents required to apply for a Sri Lanka eTA are as follows:-

• A valid passport. This passport should have a minimum validity of six months from the date on which the traveller plans to arrive in Sri Lanka. Most personal and passport details must be filled out from the passport.
• A valid email address. Since the approved eTA will be sent in the email inbox of the applicant, providing a frequently used email ID is extremely important.
• A valid credit card or debit card. This form of payment will be needed to make a payment of the eTA fees online.
• A digital photograph which was recently taken.
• Return ticket or onward journey ticket.
• Travel and health insurance.
• Proof of sufficient funds to cover the entire trip to Sri Lanka. This can be in the form of bank statements, etc.

Ideally, all applicants should apply for a Sri Lanka eTA at least three to five days in advance. This is simply because the general processing time of an eTA is three business days. Applying in advance will ensure that the applicant will surely receive their approved eTA before the planned date of their arrival in Sri Lanka even if the processing period is delayed.

Some common mistakes committed while applying for a Sri Lanka eTA are as follows:-

1. Entering false or incorrect details. This can be associated with entering the wrong full name or wrong DOB, etc.
2. Leaving question fields empty in the eTA application form. Please note that all question fields in the eTA application questionnaire are compulsory. Thus leaving any question field empty will lead to the eTA rejection on the grounds of incomplete information on the application form.
3. Using an in-eligible passport to apply for a Sri Lanka eTA or using dual passports. Since the Sri Lanka eTA will be granted on eligible passports only, if an applicant with dual citizenship uses the ineligible passport to fill out the application form, the application will most probably get rejected. This applies to using different passports for applying for an eTA and entering Sri Lanka.

After the applicant has applied for a Sri Lanka eTA, they can expect their eVisa to be processed within 03 working days. In rare cases, this processing period may be delayed. That's why it's advisable for all applicants to apply for an eTA well in advance.

After the applicant has applied for an eTA, they can expect a response about the same in their email inbox. Once approved, the Sri Lanka eTA will be sent to the applicant's email address that they had mentioned on the application form. This eTA document, which is sent in a pdf format, should be printed out. Please note down that the Sri Lanka eTA gets electronically linked to the applicant's passport.

There are many reasons as to why a Sri Lanka eTA application may get rejected. Unfortunately, if an applicant is notified about the denial or rejection of their eTA application, they should first learn the reasons for rejection. After that, the applicant should re-apply for an eTA and should make sure that they are not committing the same mistakes as they had committed in the previous application.

To enter Sri Lanka successfully with the eTA, the applicant should be in possession of the following documents:-

• A valid passport.
• Evidence of adequate funds to cover all expenses of the Sri Lanka trip.
• A printed copy of the Sri Lanka eTA.

Travellers can enter Sri Lanka with their eTA through two main POE which are:-

• Bandaranaike international airport.
• Mattala Rajapaksa international airport.

• Galle Harbour
• Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa port.
• Trincomalee Harbor
• Kankesanthurai Harbor
• Talaimannar Pier
• Norochcholai Pier

No. Holding a Sri Lanka eTA does not provide guarantee or assurance that a traveller will surely get permission to enter Sri Lanka. A Sri Lanka eTA is mainly a legal requirement without which a legal entry into the country will not be possible. This does not guarantee entry as the final decision about the admission of a traveller in Sri Lanka is made by the Sri Lankan authorities at the immigration/border control department.

Generally, the eTA is issued to a traveller as an entry requirement which will facilitate their entrance into the country. The eTA is granted to a visitor before they start their journey to Sri Lanka so that they can expedite their entry into Sri Lanka and does not have to worry about applying for a Visa upon Arrival. The main use of the eTA is during arrival in Sri Lanka when the traveller has to present their passport along with the printed eTA which will allow them to legally enter the country.

If a traveller wants to know if their eTA is still valid for use, they will have to visit the website through which they have applied for an eTA. On the website of application, the traveller can simply get in touch with the customer support team and inquire about the status of their eTA validity.

No. If a traveller is in possession of a Residence Visa or other multiple-entry Visas, then they will not be able to apply for a new Sri Lanka Visa which is an eTA. It is important that before the traveller starts applying for a Sri Lanka eTA, they can either wait for the other Visa to expire or cancel.

Yes. Applying for Sri Lanka is safe and secure in general. If the applicant manages to apply for an eTA on a reliable and trustworthy website, then they do not have to worry about the safety and security of their personal information.

No. Applying for a new eTA while being in Sri Lanka is not possible. This is regardless of if the previous eTA has expired or not. All the traveller will have to do is wait for their current eTA to expire and then apply for a new one while being outside Sri Lanka as an eTA is typically obtained before commencing the journey to Sri Lanka.

Yes. Travellers can surely extend the validity of their Sri Lankan eTA if they wish to stay in the country for a longer period. Please note that if a traveller wants to extend their eTA validity, then they will have to apply for an extension well in advance from the date on which their eTA expires. To extend the validity of a Sri Lankan eTA, the traveller can visit the electronic Visit Visa extension portal. There they can apply for an eTA extension for up to 180 days.

No. Travellers will not get their processing fee back if their eTA application was rejected/unsuccessful. This is mainly because the traveller will be making a non-refundable and non-transferable payment for the eTA. Thus it is advised to all travellers to make sure that they create a perfect application in the first go as re-applying for an eTA will require them to pay the processing fees again.

Making a mistake on the Sri Lanka eTA application form cannot be fixed most of the time. Once the applicant submits the application form and pays the processing fee, it is quite impossible to do anything about it besides wait for a positive response.

Therefore it is extremely important for all travellers to double-check and review the filled eTA application form before they submit it. The best way to prevent this situation is that:- the traveller should use an online website for applying for an eTA which will thoroughly review the application form before submitting it to the Sri Lankan authorities.