It’s one of the most common questions we hear, and the answer depends on two things: your citizenship, and how you’re travelling.
Every traveller to Canada falls into one of three groups – those who need a visitor visa, those who only need an electronic travel authorization (eTA), and a small group who need neither.
Here’s how to figure out where you fit, based on IRCC’s current requirements as of July 2026.
What is an eTA?
An eTA is a digital entry document for citizens of visa-exempt countries flying to or transiting through a Canadian airport.
It costs C$7, is applied for online in minutes, and most applications are approved almost instantly.
Once issued, it is electronically linked to your passport and valid for up to five years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
Two important limits: an eTA only applies to air travel (if you’re from an eTA country and arriving by car, bus, train, or boat, you generally just need your passport), and an eTA is not a guarantee of entry – a border services officer makes the final decision when you arrive.
Who can travel to Canada with just an eTA?
If you hold a passport from one of the following countries or territories, you do not need a visitor visa – you need an eTA to fly to Canada:
- Andorra
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel (national Israeli passport)
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Papua New Guinea
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania (electronic passports only)
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan (ordinary passport with personal identification number)
- United Arab Emirates
- Vatican City State
British nationals are also eTA-eligible in several categories: British citizens, British Nationals (Overseas), British subjects with a right of abode in the UK, and British overseas territory citizens of places like Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and Gibraltar.
Hong Kong SAR passport holders qualify as well.
Note the fine print on some entries – Romania’s exemption applies only to electronic passports, and Israel’s and Taiwan’s depend on the specific passport type.
Qatar is the newest full addition, made visa-exempt in November 2025.
Some visa-required travellers can use an eTA too
Citizens of seventeen visa-required countries may qualify for an eTA instead of a visa, but only if they’ve held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years or currently hold a valid US non-immigrant visa, and only when flying:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Costa Rica
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Panama
- Philippines
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Seychelles
- Thailand,
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uruguay
Indonesia and Malaysia are the newest additions, effective 26 May 2026.
Arriving by land or sea, these travellers still need a visitor visa.
Everyone else needs a visitor visa
If your country isn’t listed above, you need a temporary resident visa before travelling – and unlike an eTA, it’s required for every mode of travel.
This includes citizens of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Vietnam, and roughly a hundred other countries, as well as stateless persons and refugee travel document holders.
Visa applications involve more documentation, biometrics in most cases, and longer processing times, so apply well before your travel date.
Learn more on our temporary resident visa page.
The exceptions: no visa – no eTA
US citizens need neither – a valid US passport is enough.
US lawful permanent residents are also exempt from the eTA requirement but must carry a valid passport and proof of their US status, such as a green card, when flying.
A few things that trip travellers up
Your eTA is tied to your passport: If you renew your passport, your eTA doesn’t transfer – you need a new one.
Workers and students need entry documents too: A work or study permit is not a visa. When IRCC approves your first permit, it issues the visa or eTA you need automatically, but you must travel with the right passport.
Rules change: Qatar was added in late 2025, Indonesia and Malaysia in May 2026, and Mexico’s full exemption was partially rolled back in 2024.
As of 5 June 2026, even boat travellers from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon need an eTA, so always check IRCC’s official entry requirements tool before booking.
If your situation is more complicated – a past refusal, a criminal record, or uncertainty about which document you need – getting it wrong can mean being denied boarding or turned away at the border.
Book a consultation with Kabir & Alam and we’ll make sure you travel with the right documents the first time.