Canada eTA Visa Waiver
The Canada eTA is a mandatory online travel authorization for visa-exempt visitors. Apply now with HandyVisas for a fast, error-free approval.
This page was written and reviewed by the HandyVisas Expert Team of immigration consultants and visa specialists. Last updated: August 27, 2025.
Canada eTA Information
Canada introduced the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) in 2015. It allows eligible travelers from visa-exempt countries to enter Canada by completing a quick online form before departure.
The eTA is a visa waiver that permits multiple entries for tourism, business, or transit, with each stay lasting up to 6 months.
An eTA is required if you are from a visa-exempt country and traveling to Canada by air, either to visit or to transit through a Canadian airport.
The authorization is valid for 5 years or until the passport you registered with expires, whichever comes first.
Getting the eTA for Canada
The Canada eTA application is fast and straightforward. Simply fill out the online form with personal and passport details, contact information and a few security and medical questions
Once approved, your eTA is electronically linked to your passport, meaning no paperwork or stamps are needed.
Note: If you already hold a valid Canadian visa, you do not need an eTA. If you plan to study or work in Canada, you must apply for the appropriate visa through your nearest Canadian Embassy or Consulate.
Highlights
Multiple-entry authorization with up to 6-month stays
Valid for 5 years or until your passport expires
Valid for tourism, business, and transit travel
Apply online in minutes no consulate visit needed
HandyVisas Service fee includes
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Rapid turnaround
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Skilled assessment
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Customer support
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High success rate
eTA processing time 1-2 days
Canada government fee 6 USD
Our service fee from 63 USD
- Embassy Registration
- Priority Service (12H)
- Express (1H)
TOTAL From 69 USD
How to apply for a Canada ETA
To apply for a Canadian eTA, you must have:
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Passport from an eTA eligible country -
Valid credit or debit card to pay the Canada eTA fee -
Valid current email address to receive your travel authorization
In some cases, the government of Canada may request additional documentation before processing your online application.
It’s essential to enter Canada with the same passport or travel document used during your application.
Canada eTA Exemptions
Aside from US citizens, nationals and and permanent residents, and citizens permanent residents of Canada, the following persons are exempt from having to obtain a Canada eTA:
- Holders of a visa for Canada
- Flight crew members
- Members of the Canadian royal family
- Visiting armed force members from a designated state
- Holders of diplomatic acceptances
- French citizens residing in Saint Pierre and Miquelon who enter Canada directly from the territory
- A person who is conducting inspections of flight operation procedures or cabin safety of a commercial air carrier operating international flights, who holds valid documentation
- Those with a valid study, work, or temporary resident permit for Canada who will only visit the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, provided that they return to Canada before their period of authorized stay expires
- Holders of a valid Canadian refugee travel document
Additionally, passengers on a flight that has made an emergency landing in Canada do not need an eTA, nor do travelers on a flight that originated from or travels to the United States and has stopped in Canada for refueling.
Countries eligible for Canadian ETA
Citizens from the countries listed below are eligible to apply online to enter Canada
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda*
- Argentina*
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Brazil*
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Chile
- Costa Rica*
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Morocco*
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Panama*
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines*
- Poland
- Portugal
- Republic of Cyprus
- Romania
- Saint Kitts and Nevis*
- Saint Lucia*
- S.V. and Grenadines*
- Seychelles*
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand*
- Trinidad and Tobago*
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay*
- Vatican City
Note*: Citizens of these countries are only eligible to apply for the eTA if they have held either a Canadian visa in the last 10 years, or currently hold a United States non-immigrant visa. If this does not apply, you must make an embassy visa application.
eTA Canada Online Application Steps
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Submit the online application form for eTA
You can complete the Canadian eTA online application in just a few minutes by filling in your basic personal data passport details, and contact information. You also need to answer a few simple health and security questions.
Before submitting the form, you should check that all the details provided are correct and match your passport information, in order to avoid any unnecessary processing delays.
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Verify your payment for the Canada eTA
As the final step in submitting your application, you must make the payment for eTA processing. You’ll be prompted to enter your credit or debit card details in the secure form.
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Get the approved eTA for Canada via mail
You’ll receive an email response with a decision on your application within 1 to 3 days. Most people hear back within 24 hours.
Once approved, your eTA for Canada is digitally linked to your passport, so you don’t need to print a paper copy. You can simply present your eTA-linked passport to immigration authorities in Canada.
Frequently asked questions about Canadian eTA
Consult the Visa Policy of Canada
On this page, you can check the visa policy of Canada for your nationality and discover the requirements you need to meet to travel to the country.
Check Canadian visa options for passport holders of your country by browsing the boxes below. The Canadian visa policy determines who needs a visa or travel authorization to enter and who may enter the country without a visa.
The Canadian immigration policy currently states that citizens of over 50 countries around the world are able to visit Canada visa-free for short stays as a tourist. The majority of these travelers are required to register for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) online before departure if entering Canada by air.
Citizens or permanent residents of the United States are not required to obtain an eTA or visa to travel to Canada.
All travelers who are not visa-exempt must apply for a visa from a Canadian government diplomatic office in their country of residence.
This may be a Canadian visitor visa for tourism, a business visa, work visa, student visa, or transit visa to pass through on the way to an onward destination.
Visa-exempt travelers are required to apply for an embassy visa to travel to Canada for longer periods or purposes such as work or study.
Below you will find a full list of travel and visa restrictions for Canada. Browse the list to discover the requirements for your nationality. You can also check this page periodically to keep track of any Canadian immigration policy changes.
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The Canada visa policy states that there are currently over 130 nationalities who are required to obtain a Canadian embassy visa in advance of travel, no matter the intended purpose and duration of the stay in Canada.
These citizens are required to apply for a visa from a Canadian Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence well in advance of their intended arrival, to allow for sufficient processing time for the visa.
You must make an appointment at a government diplomatic office of Canada and attend with supporting documentation depending on the visa type required. The validity period of an approved embassy visa depends on the purpose of the travel.
Depending on your nationality, it may be possible to submit an application online without having to visit an embassy. All applicants must submit biometric data (fingerprints and a recent photograph).
Visitors are eligible for tourist visas if they are in good health, have evidence of ties with their home country (job, home, financial assets, or family), and have sufficient financial means for their stay. In some cases, a medical exam or a letter of invitation may be required.
Browse the list below and discover if you need an embassy visa for Canada to travel to the country.
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Eswatini
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Macau
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestinian Territory
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
CAN+ Program and other Visa Programs
Travelers of some nationalities who have visited Canada in the last 10 years or who possess a valid US visa are eligible to participate in the program known as CAN+. The CAN+ program was introduced by the Canadian government in order to make it easier and faster for foreign citizens who have ties to Canada to obtain a visa for the country.
Eligible citizens are able to apply for a visa through CAN+ at select Canadian diplomatic offices. The program greatly simplifies the process of obtaining a visa for Canada, as applicants are required to present less supporting documentation than for a traditional Canadian embassy visa.
Applicants who meet the criteria of CAN+ do not need to provide financial documents with their application submission, and will also qualify for expedited processing.
In order to apply for a Canada visa through CAN+, the applicant is only required to supply proof of travel to the US, or Canada in the last 10 years or a valid US visa.
Additionally, parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents are able to apply for a parent and grandparent super visa for Canada. This visa type permits the holder to spend up to a maximum of 5 years in Canada without having to renew their status. Super visa provides multiple entries for a period up to 10 years.
US permanent residents and citizens of a Canada visa-exempt country are also able to apply for a visa through these programs, but will not be given a visa label in their passport. Instead, you must also apply for a Canada eTA after your visa application has been approved.
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Permanent resident of the U.S. do not need an eTA to travel to Canada, or to transit through a Canadian airport. Nationals of the United States can enter and stay in Canada for up to 6 months within a 1-year period without having to apply for a travel authorization. They simply have to show some proof of US citizenship or nationality.
This also applies to foreign citizens lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who possess a valid US Permanent Resident Card (Green card) or a valid Alien Documentation Identification and Telecommunication (ADIT) stamp.
You must show proof of your U.S. permanent residence status as well as your passport or another acceptable travel document to cross a Canadian land border from the USA.
All travelers from the US must be in good health, and have strong ties in their country of residence and sufficient financial means for the stay. In some cases, a medical exam or a letter of invitation may also be required to gain entry to Canada.
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The document you need to transit through Canada depends on several factors, such as the mode of travel (by air, land, sea), how long you will be in Canada, the nationality of your passport, and other factors.
Visa required nationalities
You need a transit visa if you’re from a visa-required country and:
- your international flight stops at a Canadian airport on its way to another country
- you’ll be connecting between 2 international flights at a Canadian airport
- you’ll transit through Canada in 48 hours or less
- you don’t have a valid visitor visa
Visa exempt nationalities
All visa-exempt travelers, except U.S. nationals and permanent residents, are required to have an eTA for transit if arriving by air.
Nationals of the United States and US permanent residents are eligible to transit through Canada without a visa or eTA, regardless of the final destination and mode of transport used.
Transit visa exemptions
Under the Transit Without Visa Program (TWOV) and the China Transit Program (CTP), select non-visa-exempt nationalities traveling to and from the United States who meet certain criteria are also exempt from a consular Canadian transit visa. To be eligible, it is necessary to meet all the following conditions:
- Have a valid US embassy visa
- Travel on an approved airline (Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air China, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Westjet, Xiamen Airlines, or on Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz Air, Sky Regional Airlines, or Air Georgian)
- Transit through a participating Canadian international airport
- If arriving from outside the United States, clear US immigration and customs at the airport during Canadian Border Patrol preclearance operating hours on the same calendar day
Additionally, individuals eligible for these programs must remain in the designated international transit area when arriving in Canada from the US, or the post-preclearance area when arriving from a third country, after clearing US immigration and customs.
In order to clear US immigration and customs when traveling to the United States, Canada transit visa-exempt citizens must be in possession of a valid, unexpired US visa.
Nevertheless, it is possible to use an expired US visa for transit when traveling from the United States to a third country, if the passenger is not under a removal or deportation order and has not overstayed their authorized period in the USA.
This content has been reviewed by
Ekaterina Powell
US Immigration Attorney
Ekaterina Powell is a U.S. attorney licensed in the State of California, working in the area of U.S. immigration law for over 12 years. She has been featured as one of the top immigration lawyers in her state and city several times and has contributed to notable industry publications.