Jordan Ellis
If you are a citizen of a visa-exempt country and you are flying to Canada, or even just transiting through a Canadian airport, you need an Electronic Travel Authorization, known as an eTA, before you board. It costs 7 Canadian dollars, it is applied for only on the official Government of Canada website, and once approved it is valid for up to five years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. US citizens are the big exception: they are exempt from the eTA requirement entirely and travel on a valid US passport. So are US lawful permanent residents, who show their passport and green card instead. Arrive by car, bus, train or boat and the eTA does not apply at all, because it is an air-travel requirement only. That split, who needs one, who is exempt, and which border you cross, is the whole subject of this explainer.
Quick Facts About Canada’s eTA
- What it is: The eTA, an Electronic Travel Authorization run by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It is an entry requirement, not a visa.
- Who needs one: Visa-exempt foreign nationals flying to Canada or transiting through a Canadian airport.
- Cost: 7 Canadian dollars (CAN$7) per person, paid online by card on the official site only.
- Official website: Canada.ca. IRCC states plainly that you should only apply for an eTA on the official Government of Canada website.
- Validity: Up to 5 years, or until the passport used in the application expires, whichever comes first. It is linked electronically to that passport and allows multiple trips.
- US citizens: Exempt. They must carry proper identification, such as a valid US passport, but they do not apply for an eTA.
- US lawful permanent residents: Also exempt since 26 April 2022. They travel with a valid passport from their country of nationality and a valid green card, or equivalent proof of US status.
- Land and sea arrivals: No eTA needed. The requirement applies only when you fly to or transit through Canada by air.
- Processing: Most applicants receive an approval email within minutes, but some cases take several days, so IRCC advises applying before booking a flight.
Who needs an eTA to fly to Canada?
The rule starts with how you arrive. If you fly, and your passport is from a country whose citizens do not need a visitor visa for Canada, the eTA is the document the airline will look for at check-in. That group includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany and most other European Union states, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Chile and dozens of other visa-exempt countries and territories. Every traveller in the group needs their own eTA, including children, and the authorisation is tied to the exact passport presented in the application. Change your passport and the eTA does not follow you; you apply again, pay another 7 dollars, and travel on the new approval.
A second, narrower group can also use an eTA. Travellers from certain visa-required countries, among them Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines and Thailand, may apply for an eTA instead of a visitor visa when they fly, provided they have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years or hold a valid US non-immigrant visa, and are coming for a short visit. For everyone else whose nationality is visa-required, the eTA is not an option at all: the visitor visa remains the route, and turning up at the airport with an eTA application would not board the plane.
Transiting counts. If your itinerary connects through Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal or any other Canadian airport on the way to a third country, and you are a visa-exempt national, you need an eTA for the transit, even if you never leave the airport. The authorisation is checked against the flight, not against a plan to sightsee.
The US citizen rule, and the green card rule, explained
US citizens are exempt from the eTA requirement, full stop. IRCC’s wording is that US citizens must carry proper identification, such as a valid US passport. In practice, for air travel, the valid US passport is the document to carry: it proves both citizenship and identity, airlines expect it, and it removes any argument at the border. The exemption does not depend on where the US citizen lives, how long the stay is, or whether the trip is for business or leisure. A dual citizen who holds both US and, say, British nationality should travel on the US passport to use the exemption cleanly, because entering on the British passport would make them a visa-exempt foreign national who needs an eTA.
US lawful permanent residents sit in their own category. Since 26 April 2022 they have been exempt from the eTA as well, for all methods of travel to Canada. What they must show instead is a valid passport from their country of nationality, or an equivalent acceptable travel document, together with a valid green card or equivalent valid proof of status in the United States. Miss the second half of that pairing and the exemption is hard to prove at check-in, so green card holders should treat the card itself as a travel document and keep it with the passport.
Canadians themselves are outside the eTA system in the other direction. Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, cannot apply for an eTA and must travel on a valid Canadian passport when flying to Canada. Canadian permanent residents likewise travel on their PR card or a permanent resident travel document, not an eTA.
How do you apply, and how do you avoid the copycat sites?
The application is a short online form on Canada.ca asking for passport details, contact information and a few eligibility questions, followed by the 7 dollar card payment. Most people get an approval email within minutes. Some applications need documents or a closer look and take several days, which is why IRCC’s standing advice is to get the eTA before you book the flight, not after. When it is approved there is nothing to print and nothing is stamped into the passport: the eTA sits in the system, linked to the passport number, and the airline sees it when you check in.
The copycat problem is real and persistent. Third-party sites dress themselves up as official, run travellers through the same questions, and charge many times the government fee for forwarding an application the traveller could have filed directly. IRCC’s defence is simple and worth repeating word for word in spirit: only apply for an eTA on the official Government of Canada website, and check that the address ends in canada.ca. Seven Canadian dollars is the whole government fee. Any larger charge is an intermediary’s markup, and any site that cannot be reached from Canada.ca should not be given your passport number or your card.
Travellers weighing Canada’s simple authorisation against the American equivalent will find the mirror image in our explainer on the US ESTA fee rising to $40, while Britain’s parallel scheme is covered in our guide to the UK ETA for US travelers. The three systems share a shape, an online form, a passport link, a small fee, but their exemptions differ, and assuming one country’s rules from another’s is how travellers get caught at check-in.
What an eTA does not do
An eTA is permission to board a flight to Canada, not a guarantee of entry. The final decision is made by a border services officer on arrival, who can ask about the purpose of the trip, funds, and ties to home, and who sets the length of stay. A typical visitor stay can be up to six months, but the officer’s stamp or record governs. The eTA also does not authorise work or study, does not replace a work or study permit, and does not help a traveller who is otherwise inadmissible, for example because of a past criminal offence. Those cases need their own advice and often their own applications, long before any flight is booked.
The land and sea exception, and why it surprises people
Because the eTA is an air-screening tool, the same visa-exempt traveller who needs one to fly into Canada needs nothing of the kind to drive across the border from the United States, arrive by train or bus, or sail in on a cruise ship. A passport is the document for those crossings. This produces the odd but correct result that a British traveller can drive to Canada from Seattle with no eTA, yet needs one to fly home from Vancouver. Plan the paperwork around the mode of travel on each leg, not around the destination alone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Canada’s eTA
I am a US citizen. Do I need an eTA for Canada?
No. US citizens are exempt from the eTA requirement. Carry a valid US passport, which is the identification IRCC points to, and you are set for air, land or sea travel. The exemption covers citizens only; friends travelling on other passports must check their own category.
How much does an eTA cost, and where do I pay?
It costs 7 Canadian dollars, paid by card at the end of the online application. Apply only on the official Government of Canada website, reached through Canada.ca. Any site charging more is a commercial intermediary, not the government.
How long is an eTA valid, and how many trips can I take?
Up to five years, or until the passport you applied with expires, whichever comes first. Within that period it covers multiple trips to Canada by air. If you renew your passport, the old eTA ends with it and you must apply again before flying.
I am only changing planes in Canada. Do I still need one?
Yes, if you are a visa-exempt national. Transiting through a Canadian airport counts for eTA purposes, even if you stay airside. Check the transit rules for your nationality on Canada.ca, because a small number of transit programmes have their own conditions.
I hold a US green card but not US citizenship. What do I show?
You are exempt from the eTA since 26 April 2022. Travel with a valid passport from your country of nationality and your valid green card, or equivalent proof of your status in the United States, for every method of travel to Canada.
Does an eTA guarantee I will be let into Canada?
No. It lets you board the flight. A border services officer makes the entry decision on arrival and sets your permitted stay. Travellers with issues such as a criminal record should resolve their admissibility well before travelling.
Facts checked 13 November 2026 against Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) guidance on Canada.ca, including the eTA overview, eligibility and application pages. Rules can change; confirm your category on Canada.ca before booking. Featured image: Toronto seen from Centre Island, by Jeffrey Eisen on Unsplash, Unsplash License.
