Sri Lanka’s Digital Nomad Visa asks for USD 2,000 a month remitted for the main applicant, charges USD 500 a year for each person, lasts one year and is renewed yearly with proof of Sri Lankan tax registration. It requires a recommendation from the Ministry of Digital Economy, international health insurance covering care in Sri Lanka, and clearances. Everything below is from the Department of Immigration and Emigration’s own category document (file metadata January 2026), read on 3 Oct 2026. The document gives no processing time.
The rules as published
| Item | What the document says |
|---|---|
| Who | Foreign nationals aged 18 or over, plus spouse and dependants |
| Work | Remote employment, freelancing or owning a business not registered in Sri Lanka, serving clients outside Sri Lanka |
| Income | USD 2,000 a month remitted for the main applicant; USD 500 more a month for dependants once there are more than two |
| Fee | USD 500 a year for the main applicant, USD 500 for the spouse and USD 500 for each dependant |
| Duration | 1 year; renewed annually |
| Renewal | The renewal application must include proof of tax registration with the Inland Revenue Department |
| Insurance | International health insurance that covers medical care in Sri Lanka |
| Documents | Application form, request letter, passport valid at least 6 months, two photographs, marriage and birth certificates, security clearance form, medical clearance report, police clearance not older than 3 months, Ministry of Digital Economy recommendation, proof of the monthly remittance |
| Where | Department of Immigration and Emigration, Residence Visa Division (Battaramulla); the endorsement goes in your passport |
| Benefits listed | Bank accounts, property leases, enrolling children in international or private schools, utilities and telecoms, coworking and ICT events |
| Conditions | No local employment; income from foreign sources only; report changes in employment, income or dependants within 30 days; breaches can cancel the visa |
| Ending the visa | Applicant gives 2 months’ written notice, or 14 working days’ notice when leaving permanently; the Department can end it for failing the income or compliance rules or on a legal or security finding |
What it costs in a year: a worked example
All figures are dollars as printed in the document; the totals are our arithmetic and do not include insurance, the medical or police reports, or flights.
| Household | Visa fees a year | Income to remit each month |
|---|---|---|
| One adult | USD 500 | USD 2,000 |
| Couple | USD 1,000 | USD 2,000 |
| Couple and 2 children | USD 2,000 | USD 2,000 if the spouse is not counted as a dependant (two dependants); USD 2,500 if the spouse counts and only the third person adds USD 500; USD 3,500 if every dependant adds USD 500 once the count passes two |
How it compares with the neighbours
| Scheme | Income bar | Duration | Government fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | USD 2,000 a month | 1 year, renewable | USD 500 a year each |
| Malaysia DE Rantau | USD 24,000 a year on the tech route | see record | see record |
| Thailand DTV | THB 500,000 in savings | 5 years, 180 days per entry | set by each embassy |
| Indonesia E33G | USD 60,000 a year | see record | see record |
On income, Sri Lanka’s USD 24,000 a year equals the Malaysia tech route and sits well below Indonesia. See the full ranking of lowest-income visas and the Asia comparison.
Tax
The document makes tax a condition: you must comply with Sri Lankan tax obligations, and renewal needs Inland Revenue registration. It does not say whether the visa makes you a tax resident or how foreign income is taxed. We could not read a Sri Lankan residency test from a tax authority or a big-four summary, so the tax residency table has no residency-test row for Sri Lanka. Get advice before you rely on the stay.
What is not stated
- Processing time and the application channel beyond the Residence Visa Division.
- The criteria for the Ministry of Digital Economy recommendation.
- Whether the USD 2,000 is gross or net, and how remittances are evidenced beyond “proof”.
Method
Read the whole PDF on 3 Oct 2026; its file metadata shows creation in January 2026, and it carries no other date. Nothing was taken from aggregator sites, which repeat each other. Fees and income are in US dollars as printed; no conversion is used. Re-checked every 30 days. This is general information, not immigration advice.