Sri Lanka Transit Visa: How to Get the Free 48-Hour ETA for a Colombo Stopover from Hong Kong

In January 2024, the Sri Lankan government announced a streamlined electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system, allowing citizens of over 40 countries—including Hong Kong SAR passport holders—to apply for a free 48-hour transit visa. This policy shift is part of a broader push to revive the country’s tourism sector, which saw arrivals reach 1.48 million in 2023 according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, still below the pre-pandemic peak of 2.3 million in 2018. For Hong Kong travellers flying Cathay Pacific or SriLankan Airlines on the increasingly popular Colombo route—CX operates daily flights from HKG to CMB—this means a viable, cost-free stopover option that turns a 7.5-hour layover into a proper mini-trip. The catch: the process isn’t clearly signposted on the official ETA portal, and many travellers accidentally apply for the wrong visa category, paying USD 20-50 unnecessarily. Here is exactly how to get the right one.

What the Sri Lanka Transit Visa Actually Covers

The 48-hour transit ETA is not a tourist visa. It permits two entries—one on arrival, one on departure—and allows you to leave the airport transit zone to explore Colombo or the surrounding area. You cannot extend it, and you must hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country within 48 hours of your landing time. The clock starts ticking the moment your inbound flight touches down at Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB).

Eligibility: Who Can Apply

Hong Kong SAR passport holders qualify automatically. So do holders of passports from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, most EU countries, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. If your passport is from mainland China, India, or Pakistan, the free transit ETA is not available—you must apply for a standard tourist ETA (USD 50) or an on-arrival visa (USD 60). The Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration’s official ETA portal (eta.gov.lk) lists the full eligibility matrix, updated as of March 2025.

What the 48 Hours Get You

You can exit the airport, take a taxi or the airport express bus into Colombo (about 45 minutes to the city centre), and visit sites like the Galle Face Green, the National Museum, or the Pettah Market. You can eat at Ministry of Crab (a 40-minute drive from the airport, expect HKD 400-600 per person for dinner). You can sleep at a hotel overnight. What you cannot do is travel beyond the Colombo district—no trips to Kandy, Galle, or Yala National Park within that 48-hour window. The visa is strictly for a city stopover, not a regional tour.

How to Apply: Step-by-Step from Hong Kong

The application is entirely online, takes about 15 minutes, and costs zero dollars if you select the correct category. Do it at least 24 hours before departure—same-day applications sometimes get delayed and you may end up stuck in the transit zone.

Step 1: Access the Official ETA Portal

Go to eta.gov.lk. This is the only government-operated site. Third-party agents (like SriLanka-Visa.com or ETA-SriLanka.com) charge handling fees of USD 10-30 and often submit the wrong visa type. The official site has a .gov.lk domain and a green banner at the top. Do not use Google’s sponsored results—they are nearly all third-party resellers.

Step 2: Select “Transit ETA” Not “Tourist ETA”

The portal’s main page has four options: Tourist ETA, Business ETA, Transit ETA, and Conference ETA. Click “Transit ETA.” If you accidentally select “Tourist ETA,” you will be charged USD 50 and the system will not refund it. I have seen this happen to two separate travellers at HKG check-in counters—Cathay Pacific ground staff caught the error and made them reapply at the airport kiosk, costing time and HKD 390 for the on-arrival visa.

Step 3: Fill in Your Details

You will need your passport number, flight number, arrival date and time, departure date and time, and a hotel booking confirmation if you plan to stay overnight. The form asks for an address in Sri Lanka—enter your hotel name and address. If you are not staying overnight (i.e., you plan to explore during a long layover and return to the airport), you can write “Transit passenger, no accommodation.” This is accepted.

Step 4: Submit and Wait for Approval

Approval is usually instant—within 5 minutes, you receive an email with a PDF attachment. Print it or save it to your phone. At HKG check-in, Cathay Pacific will ask to see it. At CMB immigration, present the printed copy or the PDF on your phone. The immigration officer stamps your passport with a “Transit” endorsement valid for 48 hours.

What Happens at Colombo Airport

CMB is not Changi. It is a single-terminal airport with two concourses, functional but uninspiring. The transit zone has a few duty-free shops, a food court with KFC and a local rice-and-curry outlet, and a sleeping lounge with recliners near Gate 5. The airport WiFi is free but slow—expect 2-3 Mbps. If you are transiting for less than 6 hours, staying airside is fine. For anything longer, the 48-hour transit visa becomes worth the paperwork.

Exiting the Airport

After immigration, you walk through a narrow arrivals hall. Taxis are metered but drivers will quote a flat rate of LKR 3,000-4,000 (about HKD 80-110) to Colombo city centre. Uber works at CMB—download the app before you land, as the airport WiFi is unreliable for the initial connection. The airport express bus (route 187) costs LKR 150 (HKD 4) and runs every 30 minutes to the Colombo Fort bus station. It takes 60-90 minutes depending on traffic.

Re-entering for Your Onward Flight

You must be back at the airport at least 90 minutes before your departure. Security and immigration lines at CMB are generally short—15-20 minutes on most days—but during peak hours (6-8 PM, when multiple Middle Eastern carriers arrive), the queue can stretch to 45 minutes. Factor that into your return timing.

Practical Considerations for the Colombo Stopover

A 48-hour stopover in Colombo is not a beach holiday. The city is hot (28-32°C year-round), humid, and traffic-heavy. The best use of time is a focused, curated visit rather than an attempt to see everything.

Where to Stay

The best option for a short stopover is a hotel near the airport or in the Colombo 3 district (Kollupitiya). The Cinnamon Grand Colombo (from HKD 600/night) is a reliable choice—clean, air-conditioned, with a decent pool and a buffet breakfast that includes hoppers and string hoppers. For something cheaper, the Colombo Court Hotel & Spa (from HKD 350/night) is a 10-minute walk from Galle Face Green. Avoid the backpacker hostels in Pettah unless you are on a strict budget—they are noisy and the air conditioning is often weak.

What to Eat

Colombo’s food scene is the stopover’s main attraction. For a quick, authentic meal, head to Upali’s (in Colombo 7) for a lunch buffet of rice and curry with 10-12 side dishes—expect HKD 80-100 per person. For a splurge, Ministry of Crab (in the Old Dutch Hospital) serves massive Sri Lankan mud crabs in pepper or garlic butter sauce; a full meal with sides and drinks runs HKD 400-600 per person. Book a table at least two days in advance—it is consistently packed.

What to See in 24-48 Hours

If you have 24 hours: take a tuk-tuk from your hotel to the Gangaramaya Temple (free entry, donations welcome), walk through Viharamahadevi Park, and end at Galle Face Green for sunset. If you have 48 hours: add a morning trip to the National Museum (HKD 20 entry, excellent collection of Kandyan artefacts) and an afternoon at the Pettah Market for the chaos—spices, textiles, and electronics sold from cramped stalls. Do not attempt the zoo or the Dehiwala Botanical Gardens; they are too far and too time-consuming for a stopover.

Key Takeaways

• Apply for the free 48-hour transit ETA at eta.gov.lk at least 24 hours before departure from HKG—select “Transit ETA,” not “Tourist ETA.”
• The visa allows two entries and 48 hours total from landing, but you cannot travel beyond the Colombo district.
• Print the ETA approval PDF or save it to your phone—Cathay Pacific check-in at HKG will ask to see it.
• Use Uber or the airport express bus (route 187) to get into Colombo; taxis are metered but will quote a flat rate of HKD 80-110.
• For a 24-hour stopover, prioritise Gangaramaya Temple, Galle Face Green, and a rice-and-curry lunch at Upali’s; for 48 hours, add the National Museum and Pettah Market.