Does the Sri Lanka ETA need a photo? No, the official site says so
No. The official Sri Lanka ETA application at eta.gov.lk explicitly states that no passport copies, documents or photographs are required. You enter passport and travel details online, pay the fee, and receive an approval notice by email; nothing is uploaded and nothing is endorsed in your passport. If a website is asking you to upload a photo for a Sri Lanka ETA, you are on a third-party agency site, not the government portal.
What the official application asks for
The ETA is processed entirely online at eta.gov.lk with form fields only: your passport details, travel information and payment. The official guidance also notes that no endorsement is placed in the passport; you simply carry a copy of the ETA approval notice to present on arrival.
Why some sites ask you for a photo anyway
Search results for the Sri Lanka ETA are crowded with commercial agency sites that add their own photo and document requirements pages, partly to look thorough and partly to justify a service fee. Their photo checklists describe their service, not the government's. Applying directly at eta.gov.lk skips the photo question entirely and costs only the official fee.
Where a real Sri Lankan photo spec does exist is consular and residence visa applications through embassies, which use standard 35 x 45 mm biometric rules. That is a separate process from the tourist ETA.
Frequently asked questions
Do I upload a photo or passport copy for the Sri Lanka ETA?
No. The official portal states that no passport copies, documents or photographs are required. The application is form fields and payment only.
A visa website is asking me for a photo for Sri Lanka. Is it a scam?
It is a third-party agency adding its own requirements and fees. The official application at eta.gov.lk has no photo upload step.
What do I show on arrival in Sri Lanka?
Your passport and a copy of the ETA approval notice. The ETA is electronic; nothing is stamped or glued into the passport in advance.
Some sites say the Sri Lanka ETA needs a 35 x 45 mm photo. Which is right?
That size comes from third-party visa-agency sites, not the government portal. The official eta.gov.lk application has no photo upload step at all, so there is no official size to meet. A site asking you to upload a photo with specific dimensions is running its own paid service, not the free government ETA.
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