Canada transit visa for airport connections

You need one if you are from a visa-required country, your international flight stops at a Canadian airport on the way to another country or you connect between two international flights, the transit lasts 48 hours or less, you do not hold a valid visitor visa, and you are not eligible for an eTA. If you want to visit Canada, even for less than 48 hours, or cross by bus, car, train or boat, you need a visitor visa.

US citizens and US green card holders may transit without a visa. Passport holders of China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan can do so under conditions on routes to or from the United States, and eTA-required nationals need an eTA. Other visa-required travellers need a transit or visitor visa even for a short airside layover.

Three uploads are mandatory: the itinerary, a national identity document (such as a national identity card) and the passport. Optional ones include the destination visa, an employer letter and proof that the trip is funded. Family members travelling with you are listed in the application.

The visa is free and IRCC charges no biometrics fee for it. Applicants aged 14 to 79 usually still give fingerprints and a photo in person, with the instruction letter and passport, at a visa application centre listed in IRCC's centre finder. US visa holders transiting through Canada are exempt. Book early, since processing times exclude biometrics.

Apply online before travelling; paper forms are only for applicants with a disability or a refugee or stateless travel document. In the IRCC portal choose the visitor or transit visa option, confirm the form says transit visa, answer the background questions, upload the documents, sign the declaration and skip the payment page.

Incomplete files are returned unprocessed. Most applications are decided in a few weeks or less, though the office may ask for a medical exam, police certificate or interview. An approved visa is placed in your passport for one or two entries and must be used before it expires.

IRCC explains a refusal in writing. There is no formal appeal: reapply only with significantly changed circumstances or new information, or seek judicial review at the Federal Court of Canada if the decision seems unreasonable or unfair. A visitor visa (CAD 100) also covers transit.