If you are travelling to Canada by plane, you probably will not need a visa, but you do need an eTA. This travel permit for Canada can easily and quickly be applied for online and is usually granted quite quickly. If, after 3 days, your application is still pending, you can read here what you can do in that case.
Applying for an eTA; only travel and passport details are required
If you can travel to Canada without a visa, but you do need an eTA, you only need your passport details and several travel details to submit an eTA application. When you need to apply for this travel authorisation for any other travellers, you will need these details from them as well. You do not need to have booked any flight tickets or accommodations when you submit an application. You even do not need to know on which day you will arrive in Canada. In the application form, you only have to enter an expected arrival date. It is no problem if you eventually arrive at a different date. You do not need to inform anyone of this change once your application is approved.
Submit the application on time
Some eTA applications take more time than usual. Presently, the average delivery time for a standard application is 3 days. Even though it is possible for travellers to submit an urgent application, it is recommended to make sure this is not required. In the case of an urgent application, the eTA is usually granted within 45 minutes. However, do not submit your application at the latest possible time. Unfortunately, delivery times can never be guaranteed.
Sometimes an eTA application is submitted for a random check by the Canadian immigration service or additional documentation is required. In that case, the process of an eTA application can take longer than usual. If you submitted your application through this website and want to contact us about the delivery time, keep in mind that the first five days following your application are required for the immigration service to process your application. Only after those five days can the Canadian immigration service react to any questions that e-Visa.ie might have regarding your application.
Filled in your second nationality or country of birth incorrectly?
Do you have a second nationality? Keep in mind that in order to apply for an eTA, you must correctly indicate any other nationalit(ies) in addition to your country of birth. If you fail to do so, it can cause delays in processing your eTA application. If you have any doubts about whether you have a different nationality, you have to check whether this is the case before submitting your application.
It is not possible to apply for an eTA if you have resided in Canada but have never deregistered from the population register. If you do so afterwards, you will still be able to submit an application.
What if my eTA application takes longer?
If you have submitted your eTA Canada through this website and are waiting for approval for more than five days, e-Visa.ie can offer assistance by making inquiries with the Canadian immigration service on your behalf. This is not possible for an ongoing application that was submitted elsewhere. In some cases, this will be followed by a request from the Canadian immigration service to provide additional information. If that is the case, you will be informed about it.
If you have been waiting for more than five days but have not received an email with the request to submit additional information, you can still decide to wait. In many cases, the eTA will still be granted. You can also choose to apply for a Canada visa instead of an eTA. You can do so at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). If you are eligible for the eTA, it is recommended that you use this travel permit unless you want to stay in Canada for more than six months. Applying for a visa is usually only recommended if you are not eligible for the eTA.
Please note: this news article about the eTA for Canada is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the eTA for Canada.