Visa requirements for Sri Lankan citizens

Visa requirements for Sri Lankan citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Sri Lanka.

As of 2026, Sri Lankan citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 39 countries and territories, ranking the Sri Lankan passport 91st in the world according to the Henley Passport Index. This has hampered the ability of Sri Lankan business people to travel and connect with peers and maintain a globally competitive outlook.

Although Sri Lanka is an upper middle-income country, successive Sri Lankan governments have made little or no efforts to improve the standing of the passport. The Sri Lankan passport continues to rank in the bottom 10% of Henley's Annual Passport Rankings.

Sri Lanka has limited personal or business contacts with the ASEAN, a region with which it shares significant historical and cultural relations. Within the SAARC region, the Sri Lankan government has made little effort to encourage religious tourism from countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Sri Lanka and Thailand signed a Free Trade Agreement in February 2024, and agreed to enable visa-free travel.

Sri Lankans are unable to travel to Hong Kong, India (e-Visa), China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines, six of the world's most important markets, without a complex visa application process with a hefty visa fee.

The inability to access the financial markets of Hong Kong has been especially detrimental to the growth of businesses in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is also one of the very few countries that requires an electronic visa for Malaysia.

It is also one of a handful of countries that requires a visa to transit through major airports in the Schengen Area, UK, Canada, USA, and Colombia.

Despite demands from citizens and civil society groups, Sri Lanka has largely been unsuccessful in expanding visa-free travel for its citizens.

In July 2024, Sri Lanka announced it will issue biometric passports to its citizens in order to address the poor standing of the passport. The process, however, has been delayed due to procurement inconsistencies.

The Sri Lankan state has made statements from time to time that it wishes to enhance links within the Indian Ocean littoral but has largely struggled to convert these statements into reality.

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