How To: Apply for Tourist Visa to Sri Lanka for Philippine Passport Holders

Philippine passport holders are allowed to enter Sri Lanka for 30 days as tourists by getting either visa on arrival (VOA) or electronic visa (e-visa). The difference is that getting a VOA is paid and issued upon arrival at the airport in Sri Lanka while an e-visa is applied and paid online, which is my preferred visa application whenever available. This article discusses the steps on how to get an e-visa to Sri Lanka.

1. Go to Sri Lanka's Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) website

The official website is https://www.eta.gov.lk.

Tip: As a general rule, check the URL to make sure you're accessing a legit e-visa issuing website. It should have the country’s abbreviation. For example, Sri Lanka's abbreviation is lk and so its government websites have .lk in the URL. Note that fake e-visa websites can be everywhere, being an easy way to milk money because people are willing to pay to get an e-visa.

2. Begin at the main page

Once you access the main page, popup window will appear with a notification from ETA. Simply click OK.

Next, click your preferred language on the left side.

Lastly, click Apply.

3. Accept the Terms & Conditions

A new window will open for the Terms & Conditions. After reading them, tick I Agree. It will automatically go to the next page.

4. Choose your e-visa type

If you’ll apply as a tourist, click Apply for an individual on the left panel.

5. Fill up your personal information

Before you continue, make sure you to prepare your passport information, intended arrival date in Sri Lanka, flight details, and accommodation address in Sri Lanka. These information will be required in this page.

Make sure all necessary fields are filled. Once done, click Next.

6. Review the information you provided

The next page will give a summary of all fields you entered.

Also, it will indicate the e-visa fee. For individual tourist visa, it costs USD 35.

Once you confirm that all information are correct, click Confirm.

7. Pay the e-visa fee

Enter your credit card information. Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards are accepted.

Once your card is accepted, a payment acknowledgement will be sent to your email address. It serves as the receipt of the application and payment:

Note: This isn't the e-visa approval notice yet.

8. Wait for the ETA notice

The ETA notice provides information on whether the e-visa is approved or denied. It's sent in a separate email similar to this:

This is usually sent within 24 hours, but in my case, surprisingly I only waited for 5 minutes to get it. Yes, it was that quick!

IMPORTANT: Make sure to bring a printed / hard copy of this ETA approval notice during your trip to Sri Lanka. This will be presented upon arrival at the Sri Lanka airport.

That’s it! As you can see, getting an e-visa to Sri Lanka is easy and quick. I usually prefer getting an e-visa than a VOA for being hassle free. Plus, I’m more at peace to plan my trip knowing I have an approved e-visa already.

Have you traveled Sri Lanka? Share your experiences in Sri Lanka below!

Shelly Viajera Travel