Colombo transit for Indian passport holders

Before you book a connection through Colombo

1. 1Ask SriLankan Airlines whether your connection is airside and whether Timatic shows any document requirement for it.
2. 2Apply online for the free transit ETA if there is any chance you will pass immigration, for example on a long layover.
3. 3Keep both flights on one SriLankan booking so bags are checked through.
4. 4Check the entry rules of your final destination, such as the Maldives’ requirement for a prepaid hotel booking.
5. 5Apply for the tourist ETA instead if you will stay in Sri Lanka for more than two days.

What Sri Lanka’s official pages say

Sri Lanka runs its visa system through the ETA website. Its fee table lists a “Transit visa (for 2 days only)”, marked “Free of charge”. Since 25 May 2026 a separate tourist ETA has been free for nationals of 40 countries, and India is number 13 on that list. The ETA site still says all foreign nationals must obtain an ETA, apart from listed exceptions.

What the site does not do is describe an exemption for passengers who never leave the transit area. That is the point this page cannot settle. In the absence of an official statement, ask SriLankan Airlines, or have your airline check Timatic, the IATA database used at check-in.

Why the free transit ETA is the safe choice

Because both the transit visa and the tourist ETA are free for Indians, there is little reason to gamble. If your layover is long, your flights are on different bookings, or you may want to leave the airport, apply for the transit ETA online before you fly. If the stop turns into a short holiday, the free 30-day tourist ETA covers it.

The tourist ETA is reported to allow double entry, which suits travellers who stop in Colombo on the way out and again on the way back.

SriLankan Airlines and onward routes

SriLankan Airlines flies to Colombo from many Indian cities, and Air India and IndiGo also serve the route. From Colombo, travellers continue to the Maldives, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe; the onward network was not checked in detail for this page.

Travellers continuing to the Maldives should note its own rules. Its tourist visa is free on arrival, but the itinerary must include “confirmed return journey tickets” and a “prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility”. A reservation held without payment does not meet the prepaid accommodation rule.

A Colombo connection on a flight reservation

A flight reservation is an airline booking held without payment. A route through Colombo on a single SriLankan Airlines booking, for example from an Indian city to Colombo and on to Southeast Asia or Australia, shows a straightforward connection in a visa application. Keep the layover realistic and on the same booking.

For arrival in the Maldives itself, you need the confirmed return ticket and prepaid hotel that its immigration rules ask for, not a held reservation.

Each airline decides how long it holds a reservation, so it varies. Order it for the day you submit.

Colombo Bandaranaike (CMB) questions, answered