Sri Lanka entry requirements for Chinese citizens

How long you can stay

Up to 30 days per visit.

What you need

• Passport valid for not less than 6 months from the date of arrival in Sri Lanka
• Approved Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) obtained before arrival (keeping a copy of the ETA approval notice is advised)
• Confirmed return ticket
• Sufficient funds to meet expenses during the stay

Good to know

Sri Lanka requires an ETA for all foreign visitors. China ('CHINA') is one of the 40 countries whose nationals, with effect from 25.05.2026, 'are eligible to obtain tourist visa (ETA) free-of-charge for a period of 30 days' (diplomatic, official, service and ordinary passports). ETA fees paid before 25.05.2026 are non-refundable. The ETA gives a 30-day tourist visa with double entry: the second entry must fall within the 30 days from first arrival, and only the balance of those 30 days is granted on the second visit. Extension: the DI&E 'How to Extend Short Visit ETA' page says a short visit visa can be extended up to a maximum of 270 days from arrival (30 days on entry, 60 days at the first extension, 90 days at the second and third), applied for at the Visa Section of the Department of Immigration & Emigration head office (Battaramulla) or via the online e-Visa Extension portal (eservices.immigration.gov.lk) 'for extension up to 6 months'; the 'How to submit an ETA application' page instead says the ETA 'can be extended for up to six months' — the two DI&E pages conflict, so the safe reading is up to 6 months unless the department confirms more. Extension fees are charged even for holders of a free ETA. Other ETA rules from DI&E: an ETA holder must enter within three months of the ETA's issue (the FAQ separately says an ETA 'is valid for six months' — a conflict on the same site); you cannot obtain a fresh ETA while inside Sri Lanka; fees are non-refundable. A visa on arrival is also listed in the fee table (US$60 tourist for non-South-Asian nationals), but DI&E states all foreign nationals 'are required to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to their arrival', so apply in advance. Beware lookalike paid ETA sites — the only official portal is eta.gov.lk. Children under 12 of any nationality get a free 30-day tourist ETA. Documents and extension rules are from the same eta.gov.lk site: visainfo/apply.jsp (port-of-entry requirements), visainfo/extsheta.jsp (extensions), visainfo/center.jsp and visainfo/faq.jsp.

Source Fees — Online Visa Application (ETA), Department of Immigration & Emigration, Sri LankaChecked against the source on 2026-10-09