All about the eTA Canada

Do I need an eTA to travel to Canada?
You will need and eTA if you are traveling by plane to Canada for a holiday, a visit to friends or family, a business trip or a transfer to another country. Minors must also have their own eTA. If you hold a Canadian visa or if you are traveling to Canada with your Canadian or U.S. passport, you will not need to apply ofr an eTA Canada. You won't need to apply for an eTA if you arrive in Canada by train, car, bus or (cruise) ship.

If you are planning to stay in Canada longer than six months, or if you don't meet the eTA requirements, you will have to apply for a visa for Canada.. Applying for an eTA is easier and cheaper than applying for a visa. Also, eTA applications are granted a lot faster, in most cases within 3 days or in 45 minutes on average if you submit an urgent application.

What is the eTA Canada?
The abbreviation eTA stands for electronic Travel Authorization. The eTA Canada is not a physical document, but a digital authorization that allows one to fly to Canada without a visa. Each application is reviewed by the Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship departement of Canada (IRCC). If the IRCC estimates that you do not pose a security risk for Canada, your application will most likely be processed and approved quickly. When you check in on your flight to Canada, your airline will use your passport number to verify that you have a valid eTA. This is how Canadian immigration authorities try to avoid the entry of unwanted persons in the country and ensure in this way the safety of the flight and their country.

Conditions and validity of the eTA Canada

On the page about the ETA Canada requirements you will find an overview of all rules regarding the eTA. Bear in mind that stricter conditions apply to individuals who whish to work or study in Canada. You can only travel to Canada with a valid eTA if you meet the following conditions:

• You are national of an EU country, such as the United Kingdom, or one of these other countries
• You are traveling to Canada for a vacation, visit to friends/family, a short course, a business trip or a transfer
• You are not employed by a Canadian organization
• You do not pose a risk to Canada's security or public health
• You have never been convicted for a crime nor violated any immigration or visa-related law
• When you arrive to Canada you should be able to prove to the Canadian immigration authorities that you and your family members meet all the requirements

Your eTA Canada has a validity of up to five years
The validity period of you eTA starts when your application is approved. If the passport used to apply for your eTA expires, your eTA will not be valid anymore. If you are using a new passport and you wish to travel to Canada by air, you will need to apply for a new eTA, even if your old passport was linked to a valid eTA.

Maximum stay of up to six months
During the validty period of the eTA, you may travel to Canada an unlimited number of times. Each stay cannot exceed six consecutive months. .

Applying for the eTA Canada

You don't need to indicate your exact arrival date in the application form (a rough estimate is enough). For this reason, you are advised to apply for you eTA before booking your flight. You can easily fill out the eTA application form on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can fill out the application form for yourself, but also for other travelers at the same time. Keep each traveller's passport at hand in order to apply for their eTA. The application form includes clear explanations on each entry field. You will need around ten minutes to complete the entire form.

After completing the application form, you will need to pay the cost of the eTA, which amounts to € 29,95 per person. You can pay safely and easily with creditcard, Trustly, Google Pay, Apple Pay or PayPal. The average delivery time of the eTA Canada is of 3 days. If you are travelling to Canada shortly, you are advised to submit an urgent application, which has a surcharge of € 17,50 per persoon. The average delivery tieme in this case is only of 45 minutes. In rare cases, for instance if the Canadian Immigration Agency conducts a manual check, applications may take longer than average to process.

Once your application is processed, you will receive an SMS and email notification. As soon as your eTA will be approved, you will be able to check in for your flight to Canada. You don't need to print your eTA. If you still have questions, you can check the Frequently Asked Questions page.