Canada Implements New Electronic Travel Authorization Requirement

Effective March 15, 2016, certain travellers will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to enter Canada.

The eTA would need to be applied for before boarding your flight to Canada. You can apply online at a fee of $7 Canadian per eTA. You will need access to your passport, a credit card (Visa and Mastercard only), an e-mail address and the internet. The government has stated that eTA applicants should receive an e-mail confirmation of the outcome of their application within minutes of applying. They have even stated on their website that should you land in Canada without an eTA you could apply on any device connected to the internet before clearing immigration, although it is advisable to plan ahead and obtain the eTA before boarding your flight. Once an etA has been issued, it will be valid for five years, or until the expiry date of the passport you applied on.

If your eTA has been approved you will not need to print anything out as it will be electronically attached to your passport on arrival.

The online application form will become available on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website after August 1, 2015. No eTA will be required at that time however, and the new requirement will only come into effect on March 15, 2016.

Citizens of the following countries, traveling on this country’s passport with need an eTA effective March 15, 2016:

• Andorra
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belgium
• British citizen
• British overseas citizen who is re-admissible to the United Kingdom
• British overseas territory citizen who derives that citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in one of the British overseas territories of:
  • Anguilla
  • Bermuda
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Falkland Islands
  • Gibraltar
  • Montserrat
  • Pitcairn Island
  • Saint Helena
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
• Brunei Darussalam
• Chile
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Federal Republic of Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Republic of Korea
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Monaco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Papua New Guinea
• Poland
• Portugal
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Those with the following situations will also need to apply for an eTA before entering Canada:

• Persons who have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence (United States Permanent Residents).
• Holder of a passport or travel document issued by the Holy See.
• Holder of a national Israeli passport.
• Holder of a passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
• Holder of a passport issued by the United Kingdom to a British National (Overseas), as a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong.
• Holder of a passport issued by the United Kingdom to a British Subject which contains the observation that the holder has the right of abode in the United Kingdom.
• Holder of an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal identification number of the individual.