Avoiding the Most Common Mistakes When Applying for the Canada eTA
Most problems encountered when applying for an eTA can be avoided. Here are the most common mistakes — and how to avoid them.1. Typos in passport details
A single wrong letter or a transposed digit in the passport number can cause your eTA not to match your passport, resulting in a refusal of entry. Always double-check this information.2. Incorrect or inaccessible email address
Since the authorization is sent exclusively by email, a typo in the email address will prevent the confirmation from reaching you. Also check your spam folder after submitting your application.3. Passport with too little remaining validity
Since the eTA is linked to your passport, it must remain valid for at least the entire duration of your trip. A soon-to-expire passport can cause problems upon entry.4. Incomplete or contradictory information
Questions about your previous stays, criminal record, or health must be answered accurately and completely. Any contradiction or gap can trigger a manual review and delay processing of your application.5. Submitting your application through unreliable third-party sites
Make sure the provider clearly states that it is a private service and not the official government website, and that what you are agreeing to is set out clearly before you confirm anything.6. Applying too late before your trip
Even though many applications are approved within minutes, processing can, in some cases, take several days. Don’t wait until you’re at the airport to apply for your eTA — apply early enough before departure.7. Confusing the eTA with a visitor visa
Not everyone needs an eTA — some citizens must instead apply for a traditional visitor visa. Check beforehand which document applies to you (see our article on the difference between the eTA and a visa).An error-free eTA
Before applying, check the eTA requirements in our detailed guide: read more here. We check the consistency of your information before it is submitted, precisely to avoid these sources of error. Start your application here.Why these particular errors keep happening
The eTA form is short, which is exactly what makes people careless with it. A visa application takes an afternoon and gets an afternoon’s attention. An authorization that takes seven minutes gets seven minutes of attention, and the fields that matter most are the ones that look most trivial.
Three more that cost journeys
- Using the name everyone calls you. Middle names omitted, a married name used where the passport still shows a maiden name, an accent dropped or added. The authorization is matched to the document, and the document does not know your preferences.
- Applying on the wrong passport. Dual nationals routinely apply on one passport and travel on the other. Whichever document you will hand over at check-in is the one the application must be made against.
- Assuming a confirmation email is an approval. A message saying your application was received is not a message saying it was granted. Read which one you have before you set off for the airport.
How to check your own work
- Open the passport next to the confirmation and compare the document number character by character.
- Check that the surname and every forename match the machine-readable zone, not the way you normally write your name.
- Confirm the passport expiry date falls after your return date.
- Confirm the email address on the confirmation is one you can actually open.
- If your itinerary includes any Canadian airport at all, confirm you applied — a connection counts as an arrival.
If you find an error after submitting
An authorization attached to a wrong passport number cannot be edited. A fresh application against the correct document is the route, and it is far better to discover this a week out than at the gate. Where the error is in your name rather than the document number, the same applies: the match has to be exact.
Related reading: what to prepare before applying, what a refusal means, and start your application.
Six more errors we see regularly
Answering “no” to every background question by reflex
The background questions are not a formality. A traveller who ticks “no” to everything without reading, despite a past refusal or an old conviction, creates a misrepresentation problem far more serious than the original fact. Read each question to the end, and answer the question actually asked.
Forgetting a refusal from another country
The question about previous refusals covers every country, not only Canada. A visa refused by the United States or the United Kingdom years ago must be declared if the question asks about it.
Confusing issue date and expiry date
Both dates sit next to each other on the photo page and look alike. Entering one in place of the other produces an application that does not match the document.
Confusing nationality and country of birth
A person born in one country who holds the passport of another enters the passport’s country as nationality and the actual place of birth separately. Mixing the two up is common among naturalised citizens.
Choosing the wrong document type
The form asks what kind of document you hold. An ordinary passport, a diplomatic passport and a refugee travel document are not interchangeable, and the wrong choice creates a mismatch.
Not checking the spam folder
Decisions, requests for documents and procedural letters arrive by email, and automated messages are often filtered. A request left unanswered because it went to spam usually ends in a refusal.
The pre-submission checklist
| Check | How |
|---|---|
| Passport number | Character by character against the photo page |
| Names | Against the machine-readable zone, every given name included |
| Dates | Birth, issue and expiry each in its own field, day and month not swapped |
| Nationality | The passport’s country, not your country of birth if different |
| Read backwards to catch typing errors | |
| Background answers | Each question read in full and answered on its own |
| Itinerary | Any Canadian airport in the routing means you need an eTA |
Lookalike websites
Several websites offer help with the eTA application, including ours. A trustworthy one states clearly that it is a private service, not affiliated with the Government of Canada, explains what it does and does not do, and sets out its terms before you commit to anything. If a website implies that it is the government, or hides what you are agreeing to until the last step, go elsewhere.
Errors that cannot be corrected
Once an application has been submitted, its information cannot be edited. If the passport number, a name or a date of birth is wrong, the remedy is a new application with the correct information. The sooner you spot the error, the less it matters, which is why we read every file before it is sent and write to the applicant if anything looks inconsistent.
Common questions
I spelled my name slightly differently from my passport. Will that matter?
It can. The authorization is matched to the document. A new application with the exact spelling is the safe course.
I forgot to declare an old refusal. What should I do?
Do not leave it. A new, accurate application is better than an inaccurate one on record. See refusals and misrepresentation.
How do I know whether my application was received?
You receive an acknowledgement with an application number, then a separate decision. See the step-by-step guide.
Can you check my answers before they are sent?
That is exactly what we do. Start your application.
Is it a mistake to apply too early?
Rarely. An eTA is valid for up to five years, so applying as soon as a trip is likely loses nothing in validity and protects you against a slow review. The only reason to wait is a passport renewal you already have planned: in that case, renew first, then apply on the new document, so the authorization is attached to the passport you will actually travel on.
What is the single most useful check before submitting?
Hold the passport next to the screen and read the document number aloud, one character at a time, while looking at what you typed. It takes thirty seconds, and it catches the error that causes the most trouble at check-in: an authorization that exists, but is attached to a number that is not quite yours.