Lebanese nationals travel to Colombo with one stop, usually in Doha, Dubai or Istanbul, and need an ETA approved beforehand. It allows a 30-day tourist stay with two entries, at Sri Lanka's standard government rate.
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
Overview
Lebanese travellers are used to visas. The passport opens fewer doors than its holders' appetite for travel deserves, and most trips begin with a consulate appointment and a folder of bank statements. Sri Lanka is a welcome contrast: one online form, no interview, and an island of beaches, jungle and mountains at the end of it.
The document is called an Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA. Lebanese travellers and agencies in Beirut tend to say Sri Lanka visa or e-visa, and the meaning is the same. Every foreign national needs it before arriving, and it is issued electronically against the passport number, with no sticker involved.
Lebanon does not appear on the list of 40 countries for which Sri Lanka waived its government charge in May 2026. Lebanese citizens therefore pay the standard government rate for a tourist ETA plus our service fee; the live prices shown on this page have the current figures. Lebanese residents of the Gulf or West Africa apply on their Lebanese passport all the same, wherever they live.
At a glance
Eligibility
Yes, without exception. Sri Lanka asks every Lebanese citizen for an approved ETA, whether the visit lasts three days or thirty. Airlines check for it in Beirut before the first flight, and again in some cases at the connecting airport.
A large share of Lebanese hold a second nationality, and this is the point where it becomes relevant. The ETA follows the passport you enter and travel on. A Lebanese-French, Lebanese-Canadian or Lebanese-Australian dual national who applies and travels on that other passport is treated as a national of that country, each of which is on the waiver list. Use one passport consistently from application to arrival.
The tourist ETA allows 30 days for holidays, visits to friends and family, Ayurveda, yoga and medical treatment, and for attending sporting or cultural events. Lebanese traders and professionals going for meetings, negotiations, conferences or short training should choose the business option.
Children are included in the requirement. Under-12s are not charged the government fee on a tourist ETA of up to 30 days, which reduces the cost for a Lebanese family, but each child still has to be entered with their own passport.
Stay & validity
A Lebanese passport holder is given 30 days from the first arrival. The ETA is good for two entries inside that window, with the second admitted for the balance only. It can be used for travel during the six months after issue, on the conditions printed on the approval.
Passport validity needs particular care in Lebanon. General Security issues passports for terms of different lengths, and many people hold shorter-term ones. Sri Lanka requires six months beyond the date of arrival, and a passport with less falls short of the rule however recently the ETA was approved.
Renewal is the other trap. The ETA belongs to a passport number, the government charge paid for it is non-refundable and non-transferable, and a replacement passport means applying and paying again. If your passport is close to the line, renew first and apply afterwards.
Pricing
Live fees for Lebanese 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 Lebanon
Requirements
Everything Lebanese 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 day or two is the usual wait for Lebanese applicants. It can be longer, and we suggest applying at least three to five days before your flight. Given that the fee is not returned if something goes wrong, giving yourself a week is the more comfortable choice.
Payment is where Lebanese applications most often stall. Cards issued on local accounts do not always authorise international online payments, and a declined transaction leaves the application unsubmitted. Test the card on another foreign site beforehand, or have a second card ready.
Demand rises around Christmas and New Year, Easter, both Eids and the summer months when the diaspora returns and families travel onward together. Lebanon's mix of holidays means there is nearly always a long weekend approaching, so apply as soon as your dates are firm.
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
No airline flies nonstop between Beirut and Colombo. The journey takes one connection, most conveniently through the Gulf and sometimes through Istanbul, and schedules from Beirut can change at short notice, so keep some slack between flights. Lebanese living in Dubai, Doha, Riyadh or Kuwait can fly direct from there.
Best time to go
Lebanon has real seasons, with snow on the mountains from December to March. Those are the months when Sri Lanka's south and west are dry and hot, and a week on the beach at Unawatuna or Tangalle makes an obvious winter escape. Christmas and New Year are the island's most crowded fortnight.
From May to September the weather moves to the east coast. Lebanese surfers and divers will find Arugam Bay and Trincomalee in season, while the south-west is wetter. July and August also bring the Kandy Esala Perahera, a procession of drummers, dancers and elephants that is one of the island's great spectacles.
Easter, whichever calendar your family follows, often lands in the weeks around the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in mid-April. Expect closures and busy roads for a few days, but also a festive atmosphere. The hill country around Nuwara Eliya has its own busy season then.
The time difference is three and a half hours in winter and two and a half in summer, because Lebanon changes its clocks and Sri Lanka does not. Bear that in mind when working out connection times and the arrival date you put on the application, since eastbound overnight flights land the following day.
Avoid these
Problems are rare, and almost always technical rather than substantive. These are the ones that come up most often on applications from Lebanon — worth a minute now rather than a new application later.
Dual nationals often keep both passports in the same wallet. If the ETA was issued against the Lebanese one and you present the French or Canadian one, or the reverse, there is no authorisation attached to the document in the officer's hand. Decide which passport you will use and stay with it throughout.
Lebanese passports commonly render names in a French manner: Chahine, Gemayel, Abou Jaoude. Writing Shahin or Abu Jawdeh because the form is in English creates a different name. Reproduce the passport's Latin line without converting it.
An application is not lodged until payment succeeds. Local card restrictions are a frequent cause of failed attempts, and repeated declines waste days. Sort out a card that works for international online payments before you start the form.
Shorter-term Lebanese passports reach the six-month threshold sooner than holders expect. Check the expiry date against your arrival date in Colombo, not against today's date. If it falls short, renew before applying so that you pay the government charge only once.
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's embassy in Beirut serves the Sri Lankan community in Lebanon and deals with matters outside the online system. A Lebanese traveller applying for a tourist ETA does not need to book an appointment there or submit documents in person.
FAQs
The questions Lebanese passport holders ask most often about travelling to Sri Lanka.
Yes. Lebanese citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, usually called the Sri Lanka visa, approved before travel. Unlike most visas Lebanese travellers apply for, it is done online with no consulate visit, and it grants a 30-day stay.
Yes. Lebanon is outside the 40-country waiver, so the standard government rate applies, together with a service fee for our assistance. We do not print amounts in the text because they change; the live prices shown on this page are current.
Either, but only one. Sri Lanka treats you according to the passport on the application, and France is on the list of countries whose government charge is waived while Lebanon is not. Whichever you choose, book, apply and travel on that same passport.
A passport valid for six months from arrival, a clear image of its photo page, an email address, a card that accepts international online payments, your arrival date and your first address in Sri Lanka. At the border you may be asked for a return ticket and proof of funds.
Usually a day or two, though no time can be promised. Apply at least three to five days ahead, and earlier around Christmas, Easter, Eid and the summer.
Ask your bank whether the card is enabled for international online transactions, or pay with a different credit or debit card that is. Until payment succeeds nothing has been submitted, so trying again with another card does not create a duplicate.
No. Travellers from Beirut connect once, typically in Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul, and should allow ten to twelve hours overall. Leave a generous connection, as departures from Beirut are sometimes retimed.
No. The tourist ETA rules out paid and unpaid employment and self-employment. Short business visits use the business option, and media or NGO work requires approval from the Sri Lankan government before travel.
Your nationality is already set to Lebanon. 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.
