Who needs an Electronic Travel Authorization

What is an Electronic Travel Authorization

Are you planning to visit Canada by air? Are you from a visa-exempt country that requires an eTA to travel to or through Canada? People enjoy flying by airplane because it may be faster, more enjoyable, and less of a hassle than driving. If you are a traveler from a visa exempt country you may need to get an eTA to be able to enter Canada. Many travelers may not know they need an eTA until they are at the airport and they are told to go back because they cannot enter Canada without an Electronic Travel Authorization.

An eTA is an acronym for Electronic Travel Authorization which is an entry requirement for specific visa exempt foreign nationals traveling to Canada by air. It can be valid for up to five years or until the passport expires. Please be aware that your passport and your eTA go hand in hand, it’s important to keep in mind you need to have a valid passport and a valid eTA this signifies that if your passport expires you will also need to get a new eTA.

If you obtain a valid eTA, you are able to travel to Canada for only short periods of time.

Who needs an Electronic Travel Authorization

Before applying for an eTA you must be aware of who actually needs an eTA to travel to Canada. If you are from a visa-exempt country you would need to apply for an eTA to fly or transit through Canada. Ensure you eTA is ready prior to boarding the plane, should it not be ready you will be requested to exit.

See visa Exempt Countries below that require an eTA:

• Andorra
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belgium
• British citizen
• British National (Overseas)
• British overseas citizen (re-admissible to the United Kingdom)
• British overseas territory citizen with citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in one of the British overseas territories of:
  • Anguilla
  • Bermuda
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
  • Gibraltar
  • Montserrat
  • Pitcairn Island
  • Saint Helena
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
• British Subject with a right of abode in the United Kingdom
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Chile
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, must have a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR.
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel, must have a national Israeli passport
• Italy
• Japan
• Republic of Korea
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Papua New Guinea
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania (electronic passport holders only)
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan, must have an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal identification number
• United Arab Emirates
• United States, lawful permanent resident of
• Vatican City State, must have a passport or travel document issued by the Vatican.

Also lawful permanent residents of the US that are green card holders will need an eTA to fly or travel through Canada by plane.

How to Apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization

There is only one way to apply for an eTA which is an online process and paying the government fee of $7.00 CAD. eTA is usually approved within few minutes or maximum of 72 hours, most applicants that have to wait usually have a past criminal record or have overstayed their welcome stay in the past. Should your eTA be refused it means either you completed it incorrectly or you have a past inadmissibility issue that you need to take care of first. If this happens then contact us for more information.

After you apply for Electronic Travel Authorization

You must wait for an email from CIC stating whether you have been approved or not. If you are approved, you will receive an eTA number. Before you arrive to Canada you must be ready to present your passport at the check in before your flight. Once you arrive be ready for Canada to check your identity to make sure that you’re the same person who was approved to travel to Canada. Your fingerprints may be checked automatically at primary inspection kiosk.

If you enter through smaller airports than your fingerprints can be checked through something called secondary inspection. Have all your documents ready for assessment.

Contact Akrami and Associates

Applying for an eTA is not as simple as it appears. The process of obtaining an eTA to come to Canada can be confusing and complicated, especially if you have past inadmissibility issue. Contact us today at 416-477-2545 or email us at info@thevisa.ca for more information.

Akrami & Associates has assisted many clients successfully into obtaining an eTA and we can help you too.

With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!