Sri Lankan tourist visas are now free for these 49 countries

As part of a major strategy to revive its tourism sector, Sri Lanka has taken a decisive step by introducing, as of May 25, 2026, a completely free tourist visa for citizens of approximately forty target countries worldwide.

This incentive now allows eligible travelers to stay on the Indian Ocean island for free for up to 30 days, thus eliminating a significant financial barrier for globetrotters.

Among the fortunate beneficiaries of this fee exemption are France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, alongside other key tourism markets such as Germany, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, China, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Thailand. Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

However, free does not mean no formalities: local authorities firmly remind travelers that the waiver of payment does not exempt them from the requirement to obtain a visa beforehand.

Thus, all travelers from this list of 40 countries, as well as citizens of the Maldives, Seychelles, and Singapore, remain strictly required to obtain their Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) on the official online platform before boarding, thereby ensuring smooth immigration checks upon arrival in Sri Lanka.