Sri Lanka promises visa-free travel for 40 countries – but for now, it's business as usual!

On July 25, Sri Lanka once again became the center of attention in travel news: the foreign minister Vijitha Herath announced the intention to expand the program of exemption from ETA visa fees from the current seven to forty countries. This statement was made at the opening of Hotel Show Colombo 2025 and immediately caused a wide resonance in the media and social networks. Many perceived this news as if the reform had already taken effect, and rushed to announce the imminent visa-free entry for citizens of thirty-three new countries. However, in reality, the situation has not changed — no official decree followed, the Sri Lankan immigration service website was not updated, and the authorities did not announce a specific date for the initiative to take effect.

As of today, the rules remain the same: entry into the country still requires an ETA electronic permit and a fee of 50 US dollars. The document is valid for six months from the date of issue, allows two entries and a stay of up to thirty days with the possibility of extending up to ninety days online or another ninety on application to the immigration service.

Currently, only citizens of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and Thailand are exempt from the visa fee. These countries are officially listed on the portal of the Sri Lankan immigration service as participants in the existing visa-free regime. If the initiative is legally formalized, thirty-three more states will be added, among them Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Switzerland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others.