Canada eTA FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

The eTA is generally valid for 5 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. If you change passports, you will need to obtain a new eTA.

The eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) is a simplified electronic travel authorization for citizens of visa-exempt countries (for example France, Belgium, Switzerland) traveling to Canada by air. A visa is a more comprehensive document, required for citizens who are not visa-exempt, and generally requires a more thorough review.

Most applications are processed within minutes, and within 72 hours at the latest. In some cases, processing can take several additional days due to further checks carried out by Canadian authorities.

If refused, you will generally receive an explanation by email from Canadian immigration authorities (IRCC). Depending on the reason for refusal, a new application can be submitted, or a traditional visa can be applied for instead.

With a valid eTA, you can enter Canada as many times as you like during its validity period, as long as each stay does not exceed the authorized length of stay (generally up to 6 months).

Canadian and U.S. citizens do not need an eTA. Also exempt are travelers who already hold a valid Canadian visa, as well as those entering Canada exclusively by land or sea.

Yes. Since the eTA is electronically linked to your passport number, it automatically becomes invalid as soon as you get a new passport. In that case, a new eTA must be requested.

Minor changes, such as a new email address, can be updated later through our customer service. For significant changes (for example a new passport), a new application is required.

Yes, if you hold a passport from a visa-exempt country. The airline checks your authorization before you board your first flight, whether or not you leave the airport in Canada. A connection in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver on the way to another country counts as an arrival by air. See transit and layovers.

No. The eTA is required for arrival by air only. A visa-exempt traveller arriving by road from the United States, by train or by sea needs a valid passport but no eTA. The requirement applies again as soon as any part of the journey involves a flight into Canada.

Yes. Every traveller needs their own authorization on their own passport, infants included. A parent or legal guardian completes the form on the child’s behalf. There is no family eTA. See applying as a family.

Yes. A relative or a representative can complete the application for you, provided the form declares that they are doing so. The answers must still be yours and must be accurate, including on the background and medical questions.

No. The authorization is linked electronically to your passport and the airline finds it from your passport number. Keep the confirmation email on your phone anyway: it contains your application number, which is useful if anything needs checking at the airport.

Usually up to six months per visit, but the border officer decides on arrival and can set a shorter or longer period, sometimes writing a specific date in your passport. That date, not the validity of your eTA, determines how long you may stay. See validity and length of stay.

No. The eTA covers tourism, visiting family or friends, business meetings and transit. Working or studying requires a separate permit. When a visa-exempt national is granted a permit, an authorization is generally issued alongside it so that they can fly.

No. Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, cannot apply for an eTA on their other passport. You must fly to Canada on a valid Canadian passport. If you do not have one, apply for it well before your trip, as it takes much longer than an eTA.

No. Lawful permanent residents of the United States, whatever their nationality, travel to Canada with a valid passport and their green card. US citizens need neither a visa nor an eTA. See who needs an eTA.

Possibly. A conviction anywhere in the world can make a traveller inadmissible to Canada, but this depends on the offence, the sentence and the time that has passed. Declare it accurately on the form and apply well in advance, since the file will usually be reviewed by a person. See refusals and rehabilitation.

First check the spam folder of the exact address you entered, and confirm that the address was typed correctly. A mistyped email address is a frequent cause of a decision that never seems to arrive. If your file is under review, a request for documents may also be waiting for a reply. See processing times.

No. eta-ca.online is an independent, privately operated service and is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. We help you prepare your application, check it before it is transmitted and follow it until a decision arrives. Our terms are set out in our Terms and Conditions.