Sri Lanka ETA for Bangladeshi Citizens

Bangladeshi passport holders: the practical answer

Bangladeshi citizens planning a short holiday, family visit or sightseeing trip to Sri Lanka can normally complete the Tourist ETA process before departure. The application price through this website is $39. Choose Bangladesh from the passport-nationality field even when you work or study elsewhere.

A relative in Colombo may arrange the hotel or pay for the journey, but the application still belongs to the traveller. Keep the host address, phone number and first-night plan ready. If meetings or paid work form part of the visit, check the appropriate business route.

Prepare the Bangladeshi passport and travel file

• Current Bangladeshi passport and clear identity-page image
• Recent portrait and arrival date after the final connection
• First hotel or family address in Sri Lanka
• Accessible email, onward plan and payment method

Read the passport number character by character; a zero and the letter O can be easy to confuse. Check validity from the intended arrival date. If renewal is planned, use the new document rather than linking the application to an old passport. Copy the printed name fields. Do not shorten a name to match a ticket without checking the document.

Apply from Bangladesh without avoidable payment problems

1. Select Bangladesh as the nationality of the travel passport.
2. Choose Tourist ETA only for a genuine tourist or private visit.
3. Copy name, birth date and document number from the passport.
4. Enter the real accommodation and reachable contact details.
5. Review the complete $39 price and submit once.
6. Save the reference and inspect the decision.

A Bangladeshi card may require international transactions or bank authentication. A USD charge can be converted into taka by the card provider. After a decline, check the bank message and application status before repeating payment. A receipt confirms a transaction; it is not the immigration decision.

Dhaka departures, family groups and connections

Flights from Dhaka may involve a regional or Gulf connection. Use the date the itinerary reaches Sri Lanka, not the date the first flight leaves Bangladesh. Separate tickets can require baggage collection or permission in the connecting country. Sri Lankan permission does not replace transit rules elsewhere.

For a family group, compare every approval with its own passport. Children and adults need separate checks even when one person pays. Give files clear private names so similar family names do not lead to the wrong approval at the airport.

Questions from Bangladeshi travellers

Can I apply while living abroad?

Yes. Record current residence where requested, while keeping Bangladesh as nationality when travelling with that passport.

What is the displayed price?

The standard Tourist ETA application price shown here is $39.

Source review

Reviewed 18 September 2026 against the Sri Lanka ETA service and Department of Immigration and Emigration. Conditions can change; inspect the approval before departure.

Family visits arranged from Bangladesh

A private visit often begins with a relative sending a Colombo, Kandy or suburban address through a messaging app. Copy the full address into a private travel note before applying. Confirm who will meet the traveller, where the first night will be spent and which telephone number works in Sri Lanka. The person funding a ticket does not automatically become the applicant, and a shared family itinerary does not remove the need to check every passport separately.

When parents apply for children, compare birth dates and passport expiry dates one child at a time. Avoid copying the lead passenger’s information into repeated browser tabs. Keep one folder for each traveller and attach the final decision to the corresponding passport.

Dhaka departure and transit decisions

A Dhaka departure may be sold as a single journey even when it contains more than one operating airline. Read the baggage line and connection airport on the ticket. If bags are not checked through, the traveller may need permission to enter the transit country. A Sri Lankan ETA cannot solve that requirement.

Write down the scheduled landing date in Sri Lanka after all time-zone and overnight changes. This is more reliable than guessing from the Bangladesh departure date. Keep the airline’s latest schedule, first accommodation and local contact available without internet access.

When the tourist route is unsuitable

A holiday, family occasion or sightseeing visit can fit a tourist purpose. Paid employment, an assignment for a Sri Lankan organisation or a trip centred on commercial meetings needs a category that matches the real activity. Selecting tourism only because its application appears simpler can create a problem later. Decide the purpose before payment.