Canada eTA: who needs it and who needs a visa instead

Citizens of eTA-required countries need an eTA and a valid passport to fly to Canada or change planes there; arrivals by land or sea do not, except by boat from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. US citizens are exempt, and US green card holders have been exempt since 26 April 2022 if they carry their passport and proof of US status. Canadian permanent residents travel on a PR card, and dual Canadian citizens must use a Canadian passport.

Citizens of visa-required countries generally need a visa, not an eTA. Seventeen visa-required countries, among them Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand and, since 26 May 2026, Indonesia and Malaysia, may use an eTA for air travel if their citizens held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years or hold a valid US non-immigrant visa when applying. For other visa-required nationalities a US visa changes nothing. A dual citizen who also holds an eTA-eligible passport, for example from an EU state, may apply and fly on that passport.

Apply only on the Government of Canada eTA page. The English or French form cannot be saved halfway, and the non-refundable CAD 7 fee is paid by card right after it. One application covers one person, so parents file separately for each child. The passport number must match the data page exactly; a wrong number means applying again.

Most decisions arrive by email within minutes; if IRCC needs documents, it sends instructions within 72 hours and the decision can take days, so apply before booking flights. An eTA is valid for up to 5 years or until the passport expires, whichever is first, for any number of trips; a new passport needs a new eTA.

The airline checks the eTA electronically at check-in, so no printout is needed. A border officer then decides on entry; most visitors may stay up to 6 months, or the period the officer records. Children travelling alone or with one parent should carry a consent letter. Work or study needs a separate permit.

An eTA does not guarantee entry, and false answers lead to refusal. There is no internal appeal: IRCC names judicial review at the Federal Court, through a lawyer, as the only route. Travellers who are not eligible and refused travellers apply for a visitor visa (CAD 100 plus CAD 85 biometrics) or a free transit visa.