Information about the eTA Canada

Do I need an eTA for my trip to Canada?
You will need to apply for an eTA if you are travelling to Canada by aeroplane for a holiday, business trip, a visit to friends or family or a transit to another country. Minors must also have their own eTA. You do not need to apply for an eTA Canada if you have a visa or a Canadian or US passport, nor if you arrive by train, car, bus or (cruise) ship.

If you wish to stay in Canada for more than six months or if you do not meet the eTA requirements, you will need to apply for a visa. This is more complicated and expensive than applying for an eTA. An eTA is also granted faster than a visa, on average within 3 days, and when selecting "urgent application" within 45 minutes on average.

What is an eTA Canada?
The abbreviation eTA stands for "electronic Travel Authorisation". An eTA Canada is not a physical document, but an electronic authorisation that allows you to fly to Canada without a visa. Each application is assessed by Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC). If you are not expected to pose a security risk, your application will most likely be approved. Your airline will use your passport number to verify that you have a valid eTA at check-in. This way, undesirable persons can be excluded so that air traffic remains safe.

Requirements and validity period of the eTA Canada

An overview of all rules can be found on the eTA Canada requirements page. In addition, some restrictions apply to persons wishing to work or study in Canada. Applying for an eTA Canada is only permitted if you meet these requirements:

• You have the nationality of the United Kingdom, of an EU country, or one of these countries
• You are travelling to Canada for a holiday, to study, on a business trip or a transit
• You do not pose a risk to Canada's safety or public health
• You comply with the Canadian coronavirus prevention rules
• You have never committed a crime and you have never violated any immigration or visa-related law
• You can convince the CBSA upon arrival that you and your family members meet all the requirements

Your eTA Canada is valid for a maximum of five years
The validity period starts from the moment your application is approved. The validity period expires as soon as the passport you used to apply for your eTA expires. If you are using a new passport, you will also need to apply for a new eTA visa. Your eTA only needs to be valid at check-in and upon your arrival in Canada. Your passport needs to be valid during your entire stay in Canada.

Each stay can last up to six months
Within the validity period of the eTA, you can travel to Canada an unlimited number of times. Each stay can last up to six consecutive months.

Applying for the eTA Canada

You should preferably apply for your eTA before you book your trip to Canada. You do not need to know your arrival date when applying. You can apply for your eTA Canada on your computer, tablet or smartphone. To do so, open the online eTA form. You can fill in this application form for yourself, but also for another traveller or for an entire travel group at once. Make sure you have the passport of each traveller that you want to include in the application at hand. The form contains clear explanations at each entry field. You can complete the form within ten minutes.

After completing the application form, you can pay the cost of the eTA, which amounts to £29.95 per person. This can be done securely and easily with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Trustly or PayPal. The average delivery time of the eTA Canada is 3 days. If you wish to travel to Canada at short notice, you can submit an urgent application. Note that a surcharge of £17.50 per person applies. The average delivery time is then 45 minutes, even during weekends, on public holidays and at nights. Bear in mind that applications could take longer to process than the average delivery time. The Canadian authorities might perform a random extended background check, which could lead to delays.

As soon as your application has been approved, you will be notified by text message and email. From then on, you can check in directly on your flight to Canada. It is not necessary to print your eTA. If you have any questions, you can find more information on the page with frequently asked questions.