Foreign personnel employed at a bank, including eligible dependants.
Can bring: spouse, dependants, children
Eligibility: 2Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Southern Asia · Immigration
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka sits in Southern Asia. Its immigration system runs 39 distinct routes — led by family, work and short stays and visits, each set out in official law. All 39 cite an official government source, shown on the route with the date we last read it. Who actually qualifies depends on your full profile.
4 further routes are recorded for Sri Lanka but not shown here — their details are still under review.
- Immigration routes
- 39across 13 route categories, each set out in official law
- Source-cited routes
- 39 of 39cite an official government source, with the date we last read it
- Largest category
- Family9 of the 39 routes — see them under Family below
- Region
- Southern Asia
- Capital
- Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
- Population
- 21,756,000
- Official language
- Sinhala, Tamil
- Currency
- LKR
- Time zone
- UTC+05:30
Source-cited pathways
Immigration routes
All 39 routes, grouped by purpose — 39 of 39 cite an official government source directly.
Work
7 routes
Expatriate personnel employed in a project under the Board of Investment, including eligible dependants.
Can bring: spouse, dependants, children
Eligibility: 2Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Residence for personnel employed in Colombo Port City.
Eligibility: 2Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 4
Professional personnel required for a government-approved project.
Can bring: spouse, dependants, children
Eligibility: 2Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Residence for personnel attached to an international non-governmental organization.
Eligibility: 2Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Residence for personnel attached to a non-governmental organization.
Eligibility: 2Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Foreign personnel employed by a registered private-sector company or institution.
Can bring: spouse, dependants, children
Eligibility: 2Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Investment
3 routes
Long-term residence for investment through a Golden Paradise Foreign Currency Account.
Savings from USD 200,000Can bring: spouse, dependants
Eligibility: 4Documents: 2Process & costs: 2Report facts: 5
Residence while managing a qualifying Sri Lankan investment of at least USD 100,000.
Savings from USD 100,000Can bring: spouse, dependants
Eligibility: 4Documents: 2Process & costs: 1Report facts: 4
Residence while managing a qualifying Sri Lankan investment of at least USD 200,000.
Savings from USD 200,000Can bring: spouse, dependants
Eligibility: 4Documents: 2Process & costs: 1Report facts: 5
Study
3 routes
Residence for study at an educational institution approved by the government.
Eligibility: 2Documents: 2Process & costs: 6Report facts: 3
Residence for a foreign internship holder.
Eligibility: 2Documents: 2Process & costs: 6Report facts: 2
Residence for study at a Sri Lankan university.
Eligibility: 2Documents: 2Process & costs: 6Report facts: 2
Family
9 routes
Residence for a child of a Sri Lankan parent or parents who holds foreign nationality or a foreign passport.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Residence for the dependent child of a qualifying non-Sri Lankan spouse of a Sri Lankan citizen.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 6
Residence for the spouse or dependant of a qualifying Digital Nomad principal applicant.
Income from USD 500/mo
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 7
Residence for the spouse or dependent child of a qualifying former Sri Lankan citizen.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 6
Residence for the non-Sri Lankan spouse of a Sri Lankan citizen.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 5
Residence with employment approval for a foreign spouse of a Sri Lankan citizen after at least ten years' continuous residence.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 7
Residence for one guardian accompanying a student under 16 at an approved educational institution.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 7
Residence with employment approval for a foreign spouse living separately who has a child below 18.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 7
Residence with employment approval for a foreign spouse of a deceased Sri Lankan who has not remarried.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 7
Living from your own income
1 route
Renewal-only residence for an existing My Dream Home visa holder.
Savings from USD 15,000Can bring: spouse, dependants, children
Documents: 2Process & costs: 4Report facts: 8
Remote work and digital nomads
1 route
— No eligibility summary published for this route yet
Income from USD 2,000/moCan bring: spouse, dependants
Eligibility: 4Documents: 1Process & costs: 5Report facts: 5
Long-term residence
3 routes
Residence for a registered Indian covered by the 1954 Indo-Lanka Agreement.
Can bring: spouse, children
Eligibility: 3Documents: 2Process & costs: 4Report facts: 3
Renewal-only residence for an existing investor-category Resident Guest.
Savings from USD 250,000
Eligibility: 3Documents: 2Process & costs: 4Report facts: 3
Renewal-only residence for an existing professional-category Resident Guest.
Income from USD 2,000/mo
Eligibility: 3Documents: 2Process & costs: 4Report facts: 3
Culture, faith and volunteering
2 routes
Residence for a member of the clergy or a foreign religious worker.
Eligibility: 1Documents: 2Process & costs: 1Report facts: 8
Residence for an approved volunteer placement.
Eligibility: 1Documents: 2Process & costs: 1Report facts: 8
Short stays and visits
4 routes
Short visit for a business purpose, with single, double or multiple journeys as authorized.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 3Report facts: 7
Free 30-day tourist ETA for nationals of the 40 countries listed by the Department from 25 May 2026.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 3Report facts: 6
Tourist ETA for Maldivian nationals under the bilateral reciprocal arrangement.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 3Report facts: 6
Short visit for tourism, holidays, friends or relatives, short medical treatment, arts, music, dance or sport.
Documents: 1Process & costs: 3Report facts: 6
Ancestry and return
1 route
For a person of non-Sri Lankan nationality whose Sri Lankan citizenship has ceased and who can prove that former status; a spouse and dependants may be included.
Can bring: spouse, dependants
Eligibility: 1Documents: 2Process & costs: 6Report facts: 6
Medical treatment
2 routes
Residence for one medical assistant or a dependant linked to a medical-visa holder.
Income from USD 1,500/yr
Process & costs: 3Report facts: 7
Residence for a person undergoing medical treatment in Sri Lanka.
Process & costs: 3Report facts: 6
Transit
1 route
Admission incidental to a journey through Sri Lanka to another destination.
Process & costs: 2Report facts: 4
Special cases
2 routes
Residence for diplomats and officials attached to foreign missions and their dependants.
Eligibility: 1Documents: 1Process & costs: 4Report facts: 3
Residence category administered in connection with the Colombo Port City Commission.
Eligibility: 1Process & costs: 1Report facts: 1
Official sources
See which Sri Lanka routes you actually qualify for.
Take the free 3-minute check for your verdict, country by country — then unlock the full report.