Visa and entry in Canada
Most visa-exempt travellers need an eTA, it costs CAD 7, and it is only needed if you fly. Americans need neither. The stay is normally 6 months, not the 90 days people assume.
- Visitors are normally admitted for 6 months, not the 90 days people assume, and the paperwork before you fly is a CAD 7 eTA rather than a visa.
- The eTA is only needed if you arrive or transit by air. Drive across from the United States and a visa-exempt traveller needs none at all.
- Americans need neither an eTA nor a visa, though US permanent residents do need one and must carry the green card alongside their own passport.
- The only official site is canada.ca and the fee is CAD 7. Resellers charge CAD 60 to CAD 100 for filling in the same form - if the page quotes anything else, close it.
- Canadian citizens must enter on a Canadian passport. Airlines will not board a dual national to Canada on the other passport, and this strands people every year.
The one document most people need
Canada does not stamp a 90-day tourist visa into your passport. Visitors are normally admitted for 6 months, and the paperwork before you fly is a CAD 7 electronic travel authorization rather than a visa.
- The eTA costs CAD 7. That is the whole fee. Most applications are approved within minutes, it stays valid for 5 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and it is tied electronically to the passport you applied with.
- It is only needed if you arrive or transit by air. Drive across from the United States, or arrive by sea, and a visa-exempt traveller needs no eTA at all. This catches people who fly into Seattle and drive to Vancouver, and it works in your favour rather than against you.
- Americans need neither an eTA nor a visa. US citizens are exempt entirely. US lawful permanent residents do need an eTA, and must travel with the green card alongside their own passport.
- 6 months is the normal admission, and it is the officer's to give. Nothing is stamped in many cases; if no date is written, you are admitted for 6 months from the day you arrive. Ask for a stamp if you want the date fixed in writing.
Pay CAD 7 and nothing more
The single most common way to lose money on a trip to Canada is the eTA itself. Search results are thick with sites that fill in the same form for you and charge CAD 60 to CAD 100 for it.
- The only official site is canada.ca. If the page you are on quotes anything other than CAD 7, close it.
- Apply yourself, before you book if you can. Approval is usually minutes, but a small share of applications go to manual review and take days.
- Do not apply again if the first one is still pending. Duplicate applications against the same passport are a common cause of delay.
Where your nationality lands
| You hold | What you need to fly in |
|---|---|
| United States | Nothing. No eTA, no visa |
| UK, EU, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan | eTA, CAD 7 |
| Malaysia | Visitor visa, unless you hold a Canadian visa from the past 10 years or a valid US non-immigrant visa, in which case an eTA |
| China, India, Cambodia, Russia, Saudi Arabia | Visitor visa, applied for in advance |
- Taiwanese passports qualify for the eTA only if the passport shows a personal identification number on the data page. Without one, it is a visa.
- Malaysia's route opened on 26 May 2026, and it is conditional rather than general. It applies to air travel only, and only to people who already hold a recent Canadian visa or a current US non-immigrant visa; everyone else still applies for a visitor visa.
- The visitor visa costs CAD 100, plus CAD 85 for biometrics in most cases, so about CAD 185 per adult. IRCC's published average is around 30 days but the real wait varies enormously by where you apply from.
- Canadian citizens must enter on a Canadian passport. If you hold Canadian citizenship alongside another nationality, airlines will not board you to Canada on the other passport. This is a rule that strands dual nationals every year.
The border officer, and what actually gets people turned away
Admission is decided at the desk, not by the eTA. A drink-driving conviction is the single biggest cause of refusal, and it surprises people from countries where it is a minor matter.
- An approved eTA gets you onto the plane; a border officer decides whether you come in, and they do refuse people holding a perfectly valid authorization.
- A drink-driving conviction can make you inadmissible. Canada treats impaired driving as serious criminality, so sort out rehabilitation or a permit before you fly rather than arguing at the border.
- Do not carry cannabis across the border in either direction, ever - including CBD, including from a US state where it is legal. This is the trap that catches the most otherwise careful travellers.
- Declare food, plants and anything from a farm. The form asks specifically whether you have been on a farm; the honest answer costs nothing and the dishonest one is expensive.
- Have an answer about where you are staying and when you leave. Onward tickets, an address and evidence you can pay your way are all fair questions at the desk.
The eTA is permission to board, not permission to enter
An approved eTA gets you onto the plane. A Canada Border Services officer decides whether you come in, and they can and do refuse people who hold a perfectly valid authorization.
- Have an answer about where you are staying and when you leave. Onward tickets, an address and evidence you can pay your way are all fair questions at the desk.
- A drink-driving conviction can make you inadmissible. Canada treats impaired driving as serious criminality, and a conviction that was a fine and a short ban at home can be enough to be refused entry years later. If this applies to you, look into rehabilitation or a temporary resident permit before you fly rather than arguing it at the border.
- Do not bring cannabis in either direction, ever. It is legal to buy and use inside Canada and a federal offence to carry across the border, including CBD, including from a US state where it is legal. This is the trap that catches the largest number of otherwise careful travellers.
- Declare food, plants and anything from a farm. Undeclared food is confiscated and fined; the customs form asks specifically whether you have been on a farm, and the honest answer costs you nothing while the dishonest one is expensive.
- Children travelling with one parent need a consent letter from the other. Canada is stricter about this than most countries and officers do ask.
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