Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

Background

The government of Canada requires certain foreign nationals who are from visa-exempt countries to provide an electronic travel authorization(eTa) upon entry to Canada by air.

After you complete your eTA forms, an automated screening system will process the application for approval. If an answer on the form is unsatisfactory, flags may be raised and the application could be escalated to a human operator and he/she will make a judgment call and it may take longer than most cases.

What

The Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is a mandatory requirement for entering Canada from a visa-exempt country(see the list below). The eTA is linked with the traveller’s passport electronically and is valid for up to 5 years or when your passport expires, whichever comes first. If you obtain a new passport, you will also need to apply for a new eTA.

• See below for a list of visa-exempt and required countries.

An eTA will allow you to travel to Canada for up to 6 months during every visit. For travel within Canada, an eTA is not necessary.

Along with your eTA, you will need to provide other documents such as your passport and accompanying documents and convince the officer that you are eligible to travel to Canada. (not fo sure )

Why

In order to enter Canada, you must have an eTA if you are from one of the visa-exempt countries and you do not have a visitor visa. You may not even be able to board your flight to Canada without an eTA.

Who

• Travellers requiring an eTA
  • Foreign nationals travelling from visa-exempt countries need an eTA to transit or entry through a Canadian airport.
  • Permanent residents of U.S.(green card holders) with non-US passport also need an eTA.
• Travellers who may be eligible for an eTA
  • Visitors from select visa-required countries may be eligible to apply for an eTA instead of visitor visa to travel to Canada by air.
• Travellers exempt from the eTA requirement
  • US citizens
  • Travellers coming by car, bus, train or boat (just not air)
  • Foreign nationals with official Canadian documents*****
  • Diplomats accredited by the Government of Canada
  • Members of the Armed Forces of a country designated under the Visiting Forces Act coming to Canada to fulfill official duties
  • Flight crew, civil aviation inspectors, accident investigators who are or will be working while in Canada
  • Foreign nationals who make an unscheduled stop in Canada
  • Travellers transiting through Canada through the Transit without visa program or China transit program
  • Citizens of Saint Pierre and Miquelon who are flying directly to Canada

Where

The Government of Canada website is the only website authorized to give you an eTA.

Here is the link.

How

1. You will need a valid passport from a visa-exempt country, a valid e-mail address and one of the acceptable forms of payments to pay for the $7 CAD

1. Receive a confirmation decision e-mail for your eTA application. You can receive an approval as short as a few minutes

OR

you may need to submit additional required documentation (depending on which   country you are from) in order to be approved. If this describes you, you will need to wait up to 72 hrs before receiving an e-mail with further instructions.

NOTE: Since your eTA is electronically linked to your passport, it is important that you input the correct passport number or you will have problems flying to Canada.

The following countries are qualified to apply eTAs.

• Andorra
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belgium
• British citizen
• British National (Overseas)
• British overseas citizen (re-admissible to the United Kingdom)
• British overseas territory citizen with citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in one of the British overseas territories of:
  • Anguilla
  • Bermuda
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
  • Gibraltar
  • Montserrat
  • Pitcairn Island
  • Saint Helena
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
• British Subject with a right of abode in the United Kingdom
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Chile
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, must have a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR.
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel, must have a national Israeli passport
• Italy
• Japan
• Republic of Korea
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Papua New Guinea
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan, must have an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal identification number
• United States, lawful permanent resident of
• Vatican City State, must have a passport or travel document issued by the Vatican.

The following are visa-required countries, which means you will need to apply Visitor Visa before you come to Canada, no eTA will be issue to these countries.

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Belarus
• Belize
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Brazil (note: some Brazilian citizens may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements)
• British subjects, subject to control
• Burkina Faso
• Burma (Myanmar)
• Burundi
• Cambodia
• Cameroon, Republic of
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• China, People’s Republic of
• Colombia
• Comoros
• Congo, Democratic Republic of
• Congo, Republic of
• Costa Rica, Republic of
• Cuba
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• East Timor
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Fiji
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel, must have a valid Israeli “Travel Document in lieu of National Passport”
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Korea, North
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Macao Special Administrative Region
• Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives Islands
• Mali
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Micronesia, Fed. States
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nepal
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Palestinian Authority
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Russia
• Rwanda
• Sao Tomé e Principe
• Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sri Lanka
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent)
• Sudan
• Surinam
• Swaziland
• Syria
• Taiwan, must have a passports other than ordinary passports issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that include their personal identification number
• Tajikistan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Togo
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Yemen
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe