Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
Last updated: June 13, 2019
Nationals of visa-exempt countries coming for a visit to or transiting through Canada by air need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) before they travel to Canada. The application is made online and costs CA$7,00. You may use an eTA multiple times for up to five years or until your passport expires. If you are a visa-exempt foreign national and coming to Canada by anything other than air (boat, car, train, etc.), you need neither an eTA nor a visitor visa. All you need is your passport. The same rules apply to permanent residents of the U.S. as well.
Brazilians, Romanians and Bulgarians
Some citizens of Brazil, Romania and Bulgaria may apply for an eTA instead of a visitor visa when they travel by air. These citizens must have had been issued a Canadian visitor visa at some point in the past ten years, and the visa must have expired. Or they must have a valid temporary U.S. visa. If these requirements are met, Brazilian, Romanian and Bulgarian citizens may apply for a eTA to travel to or transit through Canada for a visit up to six months. Please note that this exemption of a visitor visa does not apply when the said foreign nationals use a travel method other than air. (car, bus, boat, train, etc.)
Exemptions
Citizens of the United States of America are exempt from eTA requirements. Likewise, valid temporary residents of Canada, namely valid visitors, study and work permit holders, who visited the United States of America or St. Pierre and Miquelon and now coming back to Canada, do not need to apply for a eTA or a visa. There are some other specific foreign nationals exempted from eTA requirements as well.