Top Reasons Why Sri Lanka ETA Get Denied

Updated on Sep 24, 2024 | Sri Lanka e-Visa

When traveling to Sri Lanka for tourism, business, or transit, Sri Lanka ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) is a great way to get an e-visa. You can apply for ETA for Sri Lanka from your home, as the entire process is online. It is a fast, easy, and highly efficient process. While most of these ETA applications get approved within 2 days, some of them can be denied.

To avoid such a scenario, here are the top reasons why an application for Sri Lanka ETA might get denied.

Reasons Why a Sri Lanka ETA Application Is Denied

There are 3 basic reasons for application rejection:

You Made Mistakes in Your Application.

If you make any mistake in your application, it will be denied. You need to fill out the form carefully and double-check that all the data related to your passport matches perfectly.

You need to ensure that the name you fill in exactly matches the name on your passport and that the passport number is accurate. Any kind of spelling difference or mistake in numbers can lead to rejection. Before you submit the form, double-check all the information once again.

Your Passport is Ineligible for the ETA.

One of the eligibility criteria for ETA for Sri Lanka is that your passport must be eligible for the country. You need to provide the expiry date of the passport in your application form. The validity period needs to run for six months after the day you arrive in Sri Lanka.

Your application will be rejected if this requirement is not met.

You Did Not Fulfill Some Other Eligibility Requirements.

Before you apply for the ETA for Sri Lanka, you must know all the eligibility criteria and fulfill them. There are security requirements that you need to fulfill as well.

Also, you can apply online only for transit visa, tourism visa, or business visa to travel to Sri Lanka. If you have filled a purpose other than these three, your application will be rejected. You must submit an application for a standard visa for other purposes.

If you already have a Sri Lankan residence permit or entry visa, you cannot apply for ETA until the previous visa expires. In this case, your request will be denied.

What to Do If Your Sri Lanka ETA Visa Is Denied?

If your Sri Lanka ETA application has been denied, you will be informed about it through email with the reason for rejection.

  • If the rejection was because of some mistake, you can correct it and reapply.
  • If the reason is that your passport is not valid, you'll have to fix the issue or wait for your visa to expire.
  • If your ETA is rejected because of the invalid purpose of travel, you cannot reapply. You must apply for a standard visa.

It is extremely important to be aware of all the eligibility criteria before you fill out the form to avoid rejection. To get your Sri Lanka ETA, go to the Online Sri Lanka Visa website and apply.


Check Eligibility for Sri Lanka e-Visa and apply for Sri Lanka e-Visa 3 days in advance of your flight. Citizens from Thailand, Canada, Germany, Japan and Greece can apply online for Sri Lanka e-Visa.