Visit Canada
Whether you want to visit Canada for business, pleasure, to transit, or stay with family, you may require a temporary resident visa (Visit Visa). The requirement for a visa is based upon your country of citizenship and the type of visit you will be making to Canada. In some cases, certain applicants will also now be required to submit their biometric data (fingerprints and photos) as part of the application process. For some, this could mean traveling within their current country of residency to get to the closest Canadian visa application centre.
Applicants from certain countries do not need to apply for a visit visa, instead, they need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).
Most visit visas and eTAs are now issued for up to ten years with multiple entries allowed over a ten-year period. With each entry you can remain in Canada for a maximum of six months within a twelve-month period.
Who does not need a visa or eTA?
Passport holders from certain countries do not require a visit visa or an eTA to visit Canada. They enter based on their nationality and are only required to have a valid identity document or passport. Citizens of the following countries can enter Canada without a visit visa or eTA:
- The United States of America
The following exemptions also allow individuals to enter Canada without requiring an eTA:
- Travellers with valid status in Canada (e.g. visitor, student or worker) who re-enters Canada after only visiting the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon.
- French citizens who live in Saint Pierre and Miquelon and are flying directly to Canada from St. Pierre and Miquelon.
- Foreign nationals who are passengers destined to, or coming from, the United States on a flight that stops in Canada solely to refuel and
- have proper documents to enter the United States, or
- were lawfully admitted to the United States.
- Foreign nationals who are passengers on a flight that makes an unscheduled stop in Canada.
- Foreign nationals who transit through a Canadian airport under the Transit Without Visa or China Transit Program.
- Flight crew, civil aviation inspectors, accident investigators who are or will be working while in Canada.
- Members of Armed Forces (not including the civilian component of an armed forces) of a country designated under the Visiting Forces Act coming to Canada to carry out official duties.
- Diplomats accredited by the Government of Canada.
Who needs an eTA?
Passport holders from certain countries do not require a visit visa to enter Canada but they will require an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). eTAs cost $7 and are applied for online through the Canadian government website. Travelers flying to Canada require an eTA whether they are entering Canada or transiting through on their way to another destination. Travellers do not need an eTA if they are entering Canada by land or sea. Citizens of the following countries require an eTA to enter Canada:
- 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
- Hungary
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, must have a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR.
- 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.
Who needs a visa?
Passport holders from certain countries require a visit visa to enter Canada no matter which method they are using to enter Canada air, land, sea). Visit visas cost $100 and are applied for online through the Canadian government website. Passport holders of the following countries require a visa whether they are entering Canada or transiting through on their way to another destination:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil (note: some Brazilian citizens may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements)
- British subjects, subject to control
- Burkina Faso
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon, Republic of
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China, People’s Republic of
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Congo, Republic of
- Costa Rica, Republic of
- Cuba
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- East Timor
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel, must have a valid Israeli “Travel Document in lieu of National Passport”
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Korea, North
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Macao Special Administrative Region
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives Islands
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Micronesia, Fed. States
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestinian Authority
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Romania (holder of a non-electronic passport, such as a temporary passport)
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Sao Tomé e Principe
- Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Kitts and Nevis
- Lucia
- Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent)
- Sudan
- Surinam
- Swaziland
- Syria
- Taiwan, must have a passports other than ordinary passports issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includetheir personal identification number
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
How long is it valid for?
When you enter Canada, in most cases, you will be allowed to stay for a maximum of six months. In some cases, an officer may reduce the amount of time you can remain in Canada. This could be due to the fact that your passport is expiring in less than six months, or they have some concerns about your visit. If the officer is going to limit your stay in Canada to less than six months, they will write the date on which you need to leave Canada in your passport, and they may issue you with a document called a Visitor Record which will have the date that you need to leave Canada by.
Some airports in Canada now have kiosks that you use on arrival as opposed to seeing a physical border services officer. If you enter Canada through a kiosk, you will not receive a stamp in your passport. In these cases, you can stay in Canada for six months from the day you entered Canada or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. If you need a stamp in your passport, you can ask a border services officer for one. If you used a kiosk, ask a border services officer to stamp your passport after you have finish at the kiosk.
If you are in Canada and would like to stay in Canada for longer than six months, you can apply to extend your stay in Canada. This application can be submitted online through the Canadian government’s website. The extension costs $100 to apply for, and there is no guarantee that an officer will extend your stay as it is at their discretion. You would be allowed to remain in Canada while waiting for the decision on your application for an extension.
What can I do on a visit visa?
Visit visas and eTAs allow travellers to visit Canada for up to six months. You cannot study most programs while on a visit visa or eTA, and you cannot work in Canada on a visit visa or eTA. If you wish to study in Canada, in most cases you need to apply for a study permit. Click here to see who is exempt from requiring a study permit. If you wish to work in Canada, in most cases you will need to apply for a work permit. Click here to see who is exempt from requiring a work permit.
