Guides list a 35 × 45 mm photo for Sri Lanka. Where does that come from?

From the general visa rules, which some long-stay categories use. The short-visit ETA that nearly everyone from Singapore applies for does not.

What about the Sri Lankan passport renewal in Singapore?

A different document. Since 2015 the photo must come from an authorised studio, not the applicant — see its page.

Do I need a photo for the Sri Lanka ETA?

TL;DR No. The Department of Immigration & Emigration's ETA application form has no photograph field anywhere on it, and the port-of-entry list is a passport valid six months, a confirmed return ticket and sufficient funds. Singapore nationals do need the ETA, issued online, without a photo.

How it was checked

The Department's own ETA application form, in full, searched for "photo", "image" and "picture": no matches. The ETA website's how-to page describes submit, acknowledgement, approval — no upload. That is a stronger basis than a landing page that merely fails to mention a photo, which is why this site says "no" for Sri Lanka and only "unconfirmed" for Turkey and Egypt.

What a Singapore resident actually needs

An ETA before arrival — it is required for Singapore nationals — a passport with six months' validity, a return ticket and funds. A longer stay or a residence visa is a separate process with its own checklist at the High Commission.

Sri Lanka's two documents

Document	Size	Head in frame (as we compose it)	Background	Max age	Source
Sri Lanka visa	35 × 45 mm	60–80%	plain white	6 months	www.eta.gov.lk
Sri Lanka passport	35 × 45 mm	70–80%	plain light — white, light blue or light grey	6 months	www.immigration.gov.lk

A real case

A family of four had photos taken for their Sri Lanka trip on the strength of a guide. The ETA form never asked. The photos went unused; the ETAs arrived by email the same afternoon.

Common questions

Guides list a 35 × 45 mm photo for Sri Lanka. Where does that come from?: From the general visa rules, which some long-stay categories use. The short-visit ETA that nearly everyone from Singapore applies for does not.
What about the Sri Lankan passport renewal in Singapore?: A different document. Since 2015 the photo must come from an authorised studio, not the applicant — see its page.

Sources

Read on the issuing authority's own pages on the dates shown on each document page:

Sri Lanka visa: www.eta.gov.lk (read 2026-09-06)
Sri Lanka passport: www.immigration.gov.lk (read 2026-09-02)

SGfoto is independent — not affiliated with or endorsed by any government or issuing authority — and does not guarantee acceptance. Requirements change; the authority's page is the one that counts. Rebuilt 2026-09-06.