๐ฑ๐ฐ Sri Lanka visa requirements for British citizens
British citizens can get a visa on arrival when entering Sri Lanka โ no embassy visit needed beforehand.
Entry rules for United Kingdom passport holders
British travelers can obtain their visa directly at the border or airport when arriving in Sri Lanka. Bring a passport with at least six months' validity, passport photos, and the visa fee (often payable only in cash). Lines can be long at peak times, so check whether Sri Lanka also offers an e-visa to skip the queue.
Entry rules can change at short notice. Always confirm current requirements with the official Sri Lanka immigration authority or your nearest embassy before booking.
How this compares
The British passport ranks #20 worldwide, opening 162 destinations without a visa arranged in advance (118 visa-free, 36 with a visa on arrival and 8 with an eTA). Sri Lanka is one of them.
This is not reciprocal โ traveling the other way, Sri Lankan citizens need to arrange entry to United Kingdom in advance (visa required).
Across Southern Asia as a whole, 5 of 9 destinations are open to British travelers without arranging a visa in advance.
About Sri Lanka
- Capital
- Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
- Region
- Southern Asia
- Currency
- Sri Lankan rupee (Rs เถปเท)
- Languages
- Sinhala, Tamil
Planning a trip to Sri Lanka?
- Travel insurance โ
- Tours and activities โ
- Airport transfers โ
- Claim flight compensation โ
- Rent a car locally โ
- City attraction passes โ
Some links above are affiliate links โ booking through them supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Do British citizens need a visa for Sri Lanka?
British citizens can get a visa on arrival when entering Sri Lanka โ no embassy visit needed beforehand.
What currency is used in Sri Lanka?
The currency in Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan rupee (Rs เถปเท). The capital city is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
Is this information up to date?
Current status: Visa on arrival for British citizens traveling to Sri Lanka. This page is built from the open Passport Index dataset, which was last updated on 2025-01-12. Visa rules can change between dataset updates, so always confirm with the Sri Lanka embassy or immigration authority before booking.
More of Asia for British passport holders
- ๐ฆ๐ซ Afghanistan โ visa required
- ๐ฆ๐ฒ Armenia โ visa-free ยท 180 days
- ๐ฆ๐ฟ Azerbaijan โ e-visa
- ๐ง๐ญ Bahrain โ visa on arrival
- ๐ง๐ฉ Bangladesh โ visa on arrival
- ๐ง๐น Bhutan โ e-visa
- ๐ง๐ณ Brunei โ visa-free ยท 90 days
- ๐ฐ๐ญ Cambodia โ visa on arrival
- ๐จ๐ณ China โ visa required
Popular destinations for British travelers
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia โ eta required
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil โ visa-free ยท 90 days
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada โ eta required
- ๐จ๐ณ China โ visa required
- ๐ซ๐ท France โ visa-free ยท 90 days
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany โ visa-free ยท 90 days
- ๐ฎ๐ณ India โ e-visa
- ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia โ visa on arrival
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy โ visa-free ยท 90 days
Going the other way? United Kingdom visa requirements for Sri Lankan citizens โ
Source data last updated 2025-01-12.