Burundian passport holders need an ETA in hand before starting the two-stop journey from Bujumbura to Colombo. It gives 30 days and two entries at the standard government rate, and the form is completed in English.
30 days
Stay on a tourist ETA
Double
Entries permitted
6 months
Passport validity needed
3 options
Tourist, Business, Transit
100% online
No embassy visit
Important for Burundian citizens
Burundi is not covered by the waiver that removed Sri Lanka's tourist ETA government charge for 40 nationalities. Burundian applicants pay the standard rate; see the live prices shown on this page.
Overview
Sri Lanka is not a destination many Burundians consider, and the distance from Bujumbura explains part of that. Yet the two countries share the texture of daily life in a tea-growing highland: estates on steep slopes, small farms, drums at the heart of ceremony. Travellers who have watched the royal drummers of Gishora will find Kandyan drumming a fascinating counterpart.
Anyone holding a Burundian passport must arrange an Electronic Travel Authorisation before visiting. French speakers searching for a visa pour le Sri Lanka will find the same thing under the names e-visa and ETA. It is requested through an online form, and the result arrives by email with no appointment needed.
This page is written for the practical realities of applying from Burundi. The form is in English, which may be a third or fourth language. Burundian names do not divide neatly into surname and forename. Payment requires a card that works internationally. And the trip itself takes at least two connections. Preparing for each of these makes the process straightforward.
At a glance
Eligibility
Burundians have no route into Sri Lanka as tourists other than with an approved ETA. Get it before departure day: the airline operating your first flight out of Melchior Ndadaye International will want confirmation that you may enter your final destination.
With regard to the charge, Burundi is treated like most of the world. It is absent from the 40-country waiver list, so the standard government rate is payable by Burundian adults, in addition to the service fee for our help. Look at the live prices on this page for the present total.
The tourist category is for holidays, visits to family or friends living in Sri Lanka, medical treatment, and cultural or sporting events. Business meetings, conferences, seminars and short training courses have their own business option. Journalism, political activity and NGO work cannot be done on either without prior government approval.
No Burundian traveller is too young to need an ETA. Children are included in the application alongside adults, and those under 12 are spared the government fee on a tourist stay of up to 30 days.
Stay & validity
A Burundian visitor may remain in Sri Lanka for 30 days from first arrival. The authorisation allows two entries, so leaving briefly for a neighbouring country is possible. Re-entry has to occur within the initial 30 days and yields only the balance of that time.
From its date of issue the ETA can be used for six months. Given how far ahead a multi-stop trip from Burundi has to be planned, applying a month or two early is reasonable. The terms stated on your approval are the ones immigration will apply.
Check your passport's expiry before anything else. Sri Lanka expects it to be valid for six months beyond the day you arrive, and transit countries on the way may apply their own checks. The ETA is bound to the passport number, so a Burundian who renews afterwards has to reapply.
Pricing
Live fees for Burundian passport holders, shown all-in — any government charge that applies to your passport and our service fee together, with nothing added later.
Your nationality is pre-selected as Burundi
Requirements
Everything Burundian passport holders need before starting an application. The first five items apply to every applicant; the rest are specific to your nationality.
Passport valid for at least six months from the date you arrive in Sri Lanka — the same passport you will travel on
A clear image of the passport bio-data page, with every corner visible and no glare over the photograph
A working email address, which is where the approval is sent and which you should be able to open while travelling
A credit or debit card for online payment
Your intended arrival date and an address in Sri Lanka, such as your first hotel
Simple process
Four steps, entirely online, with one form per traveller and a full review before you pay.
Pick the Tourist, Business or Transit option that matches the real purpose of your trip, and add every traveller in your party to the same application.
Give each traveller's details exactly as printed on the passport, plus the intended arrival date and an address in Sri Lanka. Entries are made in English.
Check every name, date and passport number on the review screen before paying. Corrections are simple at this stage and difficult afterwards.
The approval is linked electronically to your passport number. Keep a copy on your phone and a printout with your travel documents for check-in and arrival.
A decision on a Burundian application typically comes within one or two days, though this is an expectation and not a promise. Because the journey is long and tickets are costly to change, apply well beyond the usual minimum of three to five days before travel.
The grandes vacances from July to early September are when Burundian families and students are freest to travel. December is the other common window and is Sri Lanka's peak. For either, submitting three or four weeks ahead gives time to fix a problem without touching your flights.
Bujumbura is three and a half hours behind Colombo. Internet connections can be uneven, so complete the form somewhere with a stable line and have the passport image saved on the device beforehand. If the session drops before payment, start again and re-enter the details carefully.
On arrival
An approved ETA gets you on the plane. This is what happens once you land, and how to make the arrival as quick as possible.
Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake, about 30 kilometres north of Colombo, handles nearly all international arrivals. Follow the signs to immigration and join the foreign passport queue.
The officer retrieves your ETA from the passport number. Have the approval email to hand as a backup, on paper or saved offline, since airport connectivity is not guaranteed.
You may be asked where you are staying, how long for and when you leave. A hotel confirmation and your return ticket answer all three in a few seconds.
Your passport is endorsed with the date you must leave by. Read it at the counter — that date, not the length of your booking, is what counts if your plans change.
Getting there
Travelling from Burundi to Sri Lanka normally means two changes of aircraft. The first leg goes from Bujumbura to a regional hub, Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airlines or Nairobi with Kenya Airways, and the second to the Gulf or India. A final flight then reaches Colombo. Booking the whole trip on one ticket protects you if a connection is missed.
Best time to go
Burundi's main dry season, from June to August, coincides with the school holidays and with fine weather on Sri Lanka's east coast. Beaches near Trincomalee and Pasikudah are calm and warm, a very different swim from Lake Tanganyika at Saga Plage. The western side of the island is under monsoon cloud at that time.
If you travel in December or January, reverse the plan. Colombo, Galle and the south coast are sunny, the hill country is clear, and whale-watching boats leave from Mirissa. Prices and crowds are highest then, so reserve accommodation before you apply and use that address on the form.
The rainy months in Burundi, roughly February to May, do not map tidily onto Sri Lanka. February and March are still excellent in the south-west. By May the rain has arrived there and the Vesak festival lights up towns across the island with lanterns for the Buddha's birthday.
After such a long journey, plan a gentle first two days. The time difference is modest, but two overnight sectors are tiring. Sri Lankans observe Poya each full moon as a public holiday with no alcohol on sale, and visitors are expected to dress respectfully at temples.
Avoid these
Problems are rare, and almost always technical rather than substantive. These are the ones that come up most often on applications from Burundi — worth a minute now rather than a new application later.
The application is in English, and terms such as given names, surname and date of issue do not always correspond obviously to prénoms, nom and date de délivrance. Compare each field with the bilingual labels on your Burundian passport before typing, and ask for help if unsure.
Burundians usually carry a Kirundi name chosen by their parents and a given name, not a shared family surname. Siblings often have different names. Enter them as the passport does, and do not borrow a parent's name to fill the surname box.
French given names with é, è or ç are common in Burundi. The machine-readable lines at the foot of the photo page print them without accents, and the ETA should follow that version. Typing the accented form can produce a mismatch.
A two-stop itinerary may pass through Kenya, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar or India. Staying airside is normally simple, but separate tickets or a long layover can trigger that country's own entry requirements. Confirm them when you book, alongside the Sri Lankan ETA.
Passport number mistyped
The authorisation attaches to the number you enter. One wrong character produces an ETA that does not match the passport handed over at the counter, and a paid application cannot be edited afterwards.
Passport with under six months left
Sri Lanka expects six months of validity counted from the day you arrive, not the day you apply. A passport that falls short is refused at check-in regardless of the ETA.
The wrong ETA type
Attending meetings or a conference on a tourist ETA is outside its conditions. Choose the option that matches what you will actually do in the country.
Conditions
These conditions are set by Sri Lanka's Department of Immigration and Emigration and do not vary by nationality.
Sri Lanka requires an Electronic Travel Authorisation for short visits by all foreign nationals, and it should be approved before you travel. Even where the government charge is waived, the authorisation itself is still required.
The authorisation is recorded against the passport number you enter. If that passport is lost, replaced or renewed before you travel, the ETA does not move across and a new application is needed.
A tourist ETA allows two entries. The stay period runs from your first arrival, so a second entry is granted only the balance of that period rather than a fresh allowance.
A tourist ETA covers holidays, family visits, medical treatment and cultural or sporting events. Business meetings, conferences and short training need the business option, and a stopover of up to two days uses the transit option.
Immigration officers at the port of entry may ask for a confirmed return or onward ticket and evidence that you can support yourself for the length of your stay.
An approved ETA lets you travel to Sri Lanka. The decision to admit you is made by an immigration officer on arrival, and the conditions printed on your approval govern your stay.
Consular services
Sri Lanka has no embassy or consulate in Bujumbura or Gitega, and Burundi is handled through its regional missions in Africa. This does not affect tourists from Burundi, whose ETA is processed online. For matters beyond a short visit, the High Commission in Nairobi is the closest office to approach for guidance.
FAQs
The questions Burundian passport holders ask most often about travelling to Sri Lanka.
Yes. Burundian citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, known informally as a Sri Lanka visa, approved before they travel. It is requested online and allows a Burundian tourist 30 days with two entries.
There is no Sri Lankan mission in Burundi, and none is needed for a tourist ETA. Burundians apply online from home. The nearest High Commission is in Nairobi, for matters the ETA does not cover.
Yes, the standard rate, because Burundi is not on the 40-country waiver list. Burundian children under 12 are not charged it. Check the live prices on this page for the amount that applies today.
Entries are made in English using Latin letters. For a Burundian applicant this mostly means copying names, numbers and dates from the passport, whose labels appear in both French and English.
Expect two connections, for example via Addis Ababa and an Indian city, or via Nairobi and a Gulf hub. Travel time from Bujumbura is commonly 16 to 22 hours.
Three to five days is the general minimum, but with a long multi-stop trip from Burundi it is wiser to apply three or four weeks ahead. Most approvals arrive in a day or two.
Thirty days from the first arrival. A Burundian wanting more time must seek an extension from the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla before the period ends.
It is necessary but not the only check. Airlines also look at passport validity and any transit requirements, and Sri Lankan immigration makes the final entry decision when a Burundian traveller arrives.
Your nationality is already set to Burundi. Complete the form in around ten minutes, review every detail, and receive your ETA by email.
Other nationalities
Charges, routes and the practical details differ by passport. Here are the guides for other nationalities.
