Sri Lanka Digital Nomad Visa

January 22, 2023
Digital Nomad Visa, Residency
BowTiedMara
Last modified: January 27, 2023

Sri Lanka said it would issue a Sri Lanka Digital Nomad Visa in 2021. Unfortunately, it has not yet been implemented (probably due to the turmoil in that same year).

Digital nomads and foreign nationals who want to operate remotely in Sri Lanka can apply for a 30-day Sri Lanka ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization), instead of an official digital nomad visa. There is no minimum monthly income requirement yet.

More about staying without the Sri Lanka digital nomad visa

If you want to stay longer than 30 days, Sri Lanka offers a variety of tourist visa extensions to digital nomads. Visa extensions are classified as follows:

A 30 – 90 day extensions
A 90-180-day extension
A 180-270-day extension

The Sri Lankan government has revealed intentions to implement the Digital Nomad Visa program and a new tourist visa with longer validity. This type of visa allows internationals to live and work in Sri Lanka while working remotely for firms or clients from elsewhere.

The implementation of such a visa intends to bring attract digital nomads and a huge number of extended tourist visa applicants to the country, which will also assist the tourism sector recover from the virus’s devastation and deliver numerous financial benefits to the country’s economic sector.

The Advantages of the Sri Lanka Digital Nomad Visa

The advantages of working as a digital nomad in Sri Lanka include:

Tax exemption. Digital nomads are not considered a tax residents in Sri Lanka. Non-residents are subject to taxation in Sri Lanka if their income is sourced from the country. As a result, remote workers will not be subject to income tax.
Beautiful scenery. Many digital nomads seek to work in attractive natural settings in order to escape the stress of city life. Sri Lanka has stunning landscape and national parks with various fauna for digital nomads. Because Sri Lanka is a small country, all of its magnificent nature is close to each other, and you will not have to travel far as a digital nomad.
A variety of coworking spaces. Sri Lanka has a variety of low-cost coworking facilities for digital nomads. The majority of these areas are in Colombo or Mirissa. Several of these co-working spaces are housed in high-rise structures to simulate an office environment, while others are positioned on lower grounds in natural settings. If you desire a change of scenery, switching between upper and lower floors isn’t too difficult.
Delicious food. Sri Lanka’s food culture has evolved over the course of decades of colonization and foreign influences. It’s no secret that Sri Lankans love spicy, flavorful meals, as well as deep-fried, delectable snacks. Fish curry with mixed rice, deviled sweet and sour curry, chili fish curry, and young jackfruit curry are among the most popular dishes (polos).

How Can Digital Nomads Apply for a Sri Lanka ETA?

The one-year Sri Lanka digital nomad visa has not yet been introduced. As a digital nomad, you can however, apply for a 30-day ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) to operate as a digital nomad in Sri Lanka for up to 30 days by completing these steps:

Fill out an online application for a tourist ETA. Fill out all of the relevant information boxes completely.
Pay your ETA charge. A single or double-entry visa to Sri Lanka (ETA) costs $35 and a multiple-entry visa costs $40.
Await confirmation of the ETA. The application is processed in fewer than five business days. You will receive an email confirmation.
Travel to Sri Lanka. You can go to Sri Lanka once you have received your ETA. This permit is valid for 30 days starting from the date of admission.

Important note: 21 countries must apply at Sri Lankan embassies to obtain a Sri Lanka visa (ETA). Afghanistan, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Syria, and Uganda are among the countries involved.

Apply for an ETA Extension in Sri Lanka for Digital Nomads.

With ETA, you can stay for up to thirty days from the day of your arrival. You must extend your stay to stay longer. There are two ways to apply for a visa extension:

Online at the Sri Lanka Immigration website’s e-service if you are from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Greece, Sweden, Hungary, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Estonia, Mauritius, Iceland, and Cuba.

After submitting an application for a Sri Lankan ETA/tourist visa extension, you must:

Pay the extension fees. The fees are determined by the length of your stay. The cost of a 30-90-day extension is $100; a 90-180-day extension is $150; and a 180-270-day extension is $200.
Wait for approval. The application is handled in roughly 24 hours.
Get your visa extension. When your visa is approved, you will be notified through email (if you applied online). Others can obtain it from the Immigration Services Center or have it mailed to them for a small cost.