Sri Lanka ETA Documents Required for Indians 2026: Complete Checklist

This checklist is a companion to the complete Sri Lanka ETA guide and the step-by-step application walkthrough. For the current ETA fee, see the Sri Lanka ETA fee guide.

The Sri Lanka ETA application requires only a handful of documents — but each one has specific requirements. A wrong photo format, a passport with under 6 months validity, or a name that doesn’t match the ticket will either delay approval or trigger a rejection. This checklist ensures your clients — and your agency — never hit those walls.

Documents Required for Sri Lanka ETA (Indian Nationals)

1. Valid Indian Passport

Minimum validity: 6 months beyond the date of entry into Sri Lanka

Page requirement: At least 2 blank pages for entry and exit stamps

Condition: No torn pages, heavy water damage, or missing bio-data information

Which passport types are accepted:

Regular Indian passport (maroon booklet) ✅
Official Indian passport (white booklet) ✅ — Business ETA recommended for government officials
Diplomatic Indian passport (blue booklet) ✅ — Separate entry protocol may apply
Emergency Certificate of Identity ❌ — Not accepted for ETA; contact Sri Lanka High Commission

Action for travel agents: At the time of booking, ask every client to WhatsApp a photo of their passport bio-data page. Check the expiry date immediately. If it expires within 7 months of the trip date, flag it and advise renewal before booking flights.

2. Digital Passport Photograph

This is the document that causes the most ETA upload failures. Follow these specifications exactly:

Specification	Requirement
Format	JPEG (.jpg)
Background	Plain white — no patterns, shadows, or off-white
Face coverage	70–80% of the frame
Expression	Neutral, mouth closed
Eyes	Open, looking directly at camera
Glasses	Not permitted
Head coverings	Only for religious reasons (must show full face)
Recent	Taken within the last 6 months
Size	35mm × 45mm at 300 DPI recommended
File size	Under 1 MB (most portals)

What doesn’t work:

Selfies taken against a wall (background is rarely white enough)
Cropped WhatsApp profile photos
Photos with visible shoulders in a casual outfit (formal or plain shirt preferred)
Scanned prints of old photographs

3. Passport Bio-Data Page Scan / Photo

A clear image or scan of the passport’s main information page (the page with the photo, name, date of birth, passport number, and expiry date).

Requirements:

All four corners of the page must be visible
No glare, blur, or shadows covering any text
Full colour (not black and white)
File format: PDF or JPG accepted
File size: Under 2 MB typically

Common error: Clients send a photo taken at an angle in low light where the MRZ (machine-readable zone — the two lines of text at the bottom) is partially obscured. The MRZ must be fully readable.

4. Travel Dates (Confirmed)

The ETA application requires:

Intended arrival date in Sri Lanka
Intended departure date from Sri Lanka

These should be based on confirmed flight bookings. For agents: Pull these directly from the flight PNR. Do not guess or estimate dates.

5. First-Night Accommodation Details

Full address of where the client is sleeping on Night 1 in Sri Lanka:

Hotel / guesthouse / Airbnb name
Street address
City
Postal code (if available)

A booking confirmation is not uploaded during the ETA application — only the address is entered in the form. However, the immigration officer at the airport may ask for the booking confirmation, so your client should carry it.

6. Payment Method (Not a Document, But Critical)

The fee is paid during the application. What works:

Visa credit card (international) ✅
Mastercard credit card (international) ✅
Amex ✅
Debit card with international transactions enabled ✅ (sometimes declined)
Indian domestic-only cards ❌ — often fail for international transactions

Travel agent best practice: Use a company credit card with international transactions enabled. Maintain a spreadsheet of ETA costs per client and invoice them as part of the package.

Documents NOT Required for Sri Lanka ETA

For Indian clients, you do not need:

❌ Bank statements (not uploaded for tourist ETA)
❌ Income tax returns
❌ Invitation letter from a Sri Lankan resident
❌ Employment letter
❌ Hotel booking confirmation (not uploaded — only address is entered)
❌ Travel insurance certificate (not required, but strongly recommended)
❌ Return flight ticket (not uploaded — only travel dates entered)

However, clients should carry their return ticket and hotel booking when travelling, as immigration officers sometimes ask.

Documents Needed at the Airport (Not for ETA Application)

Passport — same one used for ETA application
ETA approval email — printed or downloaded offline on phone
Return flight ticket — printout or screenshot
Hotel booking confirmation — first night especially

Special Cases: Additional Documents

Minors Travelling with One Parent

Carry a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the absent parent
Ideally notarised; immigration may or may not request it
Better to have it than face an avoidable complication

Travel Agent Pre-Submission Checklist

[ ] Passport valid for 6+ months beyond travel date?
[ ] Passport has at least 2 blank pages?
[ ] Passport photo: white background, recent, no glasses, JPEG format?
[ ] Passport scan: all 4 corners visible, no glare, full colour?
[ ] Name on application matches passport EXACTLY (character by character)?
[ ] Date of birth in correct format?
[ ] Arrival and departure dates match confirmed flight PNR?
[ ] First night accommodation address complete and accurate?
[ ] Port of entry correct (Colombo = Bandaranaike; not Mattala)?
[ ] Payment card ready with international transactions enabled?
[ ] Client email / agency email confirmed (for receiving approval)?
[ ] Application submitted at least 7 days before departure?

Related Sri Lanka ETA Guides

FAQ

Can I use a photo from my client’s old visa for the Sri Lanka ETA?

Only if the photo meets the current specifications and was taken within 6 months. An old photo that shows visible ageing or doesn’t meet the white-background requirement will likely cause an upload error.

What file size is accepted for passport scans on eta.gov.lk?

The portal typically accepts files under 2 MB. A high-resolution scan may need to be compressed before upload.

My client’s passport has a different name from their ticket — what should I do?

This is a serious issue. The passport name is the legal name. If the airline ticket was booked under a nickname or shortened name, contact the airline to correct the ticket name before applying for the ETA. Submit the ETA application with the exact passport name only.

Does the ETA photo need to be the same as the passport photo?

No — it just needs to be a recent, compliant passport-specification photo. It doesn’t have to be the same image as the one in the passport itself.

Conclusion

The Sri Lanka ETA document requirement is genuinely simple — a passport, a photo, and a few details. But simple doesn’t mean forgiving. A mismatched name or a rejected photo upload is a 2-day delay and a stressed client. Building a proper document collection workflow is what separates professional agents from those who end up making panicked calls from departure terminals.

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Sri Lanka ETA Documents for Indians 2026: Complete Checklist