Your eTA Canada is valid for a maximum of five years. If the passport you used to apply expires or if you start to use a new passport, your eTA will not be valid anymore. The eTA allows you to travel to Canada an unlimited number of times. Your stay may last up to six consecutive months each time.

Your eTA is linked to your passport

Immediately after you pay the cost of your eTA Canada, your application will be forwarded to the Canadian Inmigration Department. Your eTA application will be processed in an average of 3 days. As soon as your eTA will be granted, you will be allowed to travel to Canada. Your airline can check if you have a valid eTA on the basis of your passport number. Thus, you don't need to print your eTA and take it with you on your trip.

The eTA permits a long stay, thanks to which you will have plenty of time to explore Canada

Your eTA is valid for a maximum of five years

A valid eTA will allow you to travel to Canada for a period of five years, unless the passport you used to apply for your eTA expires earlier. If you take up a new passport during the validity period of your eTA, you will have a new passport number. You can no longer use your eTA in that case. Therefore, if you want to travel to Canada with this new passport, you must first apply for a new eTA.

Your eTA allows you to stay in Canada for six months

The eTA Canada allows you to travel to Canada during a period of five years. This does not mean that you are allowed to stay in Canada for five years, though. Upon arrival, a stamp will be put on your passport with the date by which you must leave the country at the latest. This is usually six months from your day of arrival. In some situations, the allowed length of stay can be shorter:

• If you only left Canada briefly to bypass the maximum length of stay
• If you do not have enough financial resources to stay in Canada for six months
• If you are not able to justify what you will do during your stay in Canada

Extending the validity of the eTA Canada

If you want to stay in Canada for more than six consecutive months and you are already in Canada, you can apply for an extension of your length of stay. This is called a visitor record. However, there is no guarantee that this application will be approved. If you know already know before your departure that you want to stay in Canada for more than six months, you should better apply for a visa to Canada. Applying for a visa takes more time and effort. However, it is the best way to guarantee that you will be allowed to stay in Canada for more than six months.

Is the validity of your eTA Canada about to expire?
In this case, you can submit a new application. However, you must be outside Canada to do this. Your old eTA will then be automatically overwritten, and a new 5 year validity period will start.
Submit a new application for a valid eTA

How else can the validity of the eTA expire?

Travellers who want to travel to Canada with an eTA must meet a number of requirements. First, you must not pose a risk to Canada's security. Even if you already have a valid eTA, it can be revoked. This can happen if Canadian immigration authorities are no longer sure that you meet all the requirements. This will happen, for example, if you fail to comply with an immigration or visa-related law in any country.

If you realise that you have made a mistake when entering your passport details in the eTA form, you need to apply for a new eTA Canada. If your application is approved, your old eTA will be overwritten immediately. If your new application is rejected or not processed at all, for example because you do not meet the conditions, you can always try to apply for a visa for Canada.