New Delhi: In a major visa haul, Sri Lanka has introduced a digital nomad visa for the first time, allowing remote workers to legally live in the country while working online for companies or clients based outside Sri Lanka. The visa is valid for 365 days, with renewal options available, and costs $500 for the first year.
To be eligible for the digital nomad visa, applicants must be at least 18 years old and employed as remote workers, freelancers, or business owners whose companies are not registered in Sri Lanka.
They must meet a government-defined minimum income threshold, demonstrate proof of sufficient salary, and earn income exclusively from overseas sources. Although visa holders cannot take up local employment, they are permitted to rent property, open local bank accounts, enroll children in private schools, and access local services and co-working spaces.
The application process requires approval from the Ministry of Digital Economy, completion of medical clearance after arrival, and final processing by immigration authorities. Visa holders are also required to limit their work activities to representing their overseas company and promoting their services while in Sri Lanka.
Tourist visa extended to 180 days
Alongside the nomad visa, Sri Lanka has expanded its tourist visa validity from 90 days to 180 days, making longer stays easier without repeated extensions. Travellers can apply through the Tourist Mobile App under the Online Electronic Tourist Visa Activation System. Tourists remain strictly prohibited from taking local jobs, although limited remote work connected to overseas employers is allowed under certain conditions. The extended tourist visa costs approximately $70 for SAARC nationals, $85 for non-SAARC travellers, and $50 for visitors from Singapore, Maldives, and Seychelles under bilateral agreements.
The government clarified application details and launched online processing in an update issued 4 February, marking the transition from policy announcement to implementation. Officials say the reforms are part of a broader push to modernise immigration systems, align with global remote-work trends, and attract long-staying visitors who contribute to the local economy without competing for domestic jobs.
Why Sri Lanka is making these changes
Sri Lanka has rolled out these changes to attract long-stay travellers and remote professionals, signalling a shift in how the island nation is positioning itself within the global tourism and remote-work economy. The move comes as the country continues rebuilding its tourism sector and seeking foreign income following the economic crisis that triggered unprecedented levels of inflation in 2024.
With these changes, Sri Lanka joins a growing list of countries offering digital nomad visas as hybrid and remote work become more common worldwide. More than 50 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa now offer digital nomad visas that allow remote professionals to live and work legally while earning income from overseas clients.
Many of these programmes emerged between 2020 and2025, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic as countries looked to attract long-stay, high-spending visitors. Estonia was the first country to launch one of the world’s earliest dedicated digital nomad visas in June 2020, followed soon after by Barbados’ ‘Welcome Stamp’ in July 2020.
Countries such as Croatia and Dubai/UAE introduced similar long-stay remote work schemes in 2021, while Portugal and Spain created tailored visas for freelancers and non-EU remote workers in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
More recent entrants include Japan and Thailand that launched the digital nomad visa in 2024, alongside newer programmes in countries like Italy with a visa designed for highly skilled, non-EU remote workers, reflecting how governments are adapting immigration systems to global remote-work trends. Most digital nomad visas require applicants to prove a stable income from non-local employers or clients, ensuring that visitors contribute economically without competing in domestic job markets.
For travellers, freelancers, and remote professionals, the new rules offer longer stays, simplified visa processes, and clearer legal frameworks for remote work. For Sri Lanka, the expectation is that longer-term visitors will spend more locally and help sustain the country’s tourism-led recovery in the years ahead.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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