Who needs a visitor visa or an electronic Travel Authorization (“eTA”) to visit Canada
As a general rule, foreign nationals (that is citizens of countries other than Canada) who wish to visit Canada must apply for and be granted either a temporary resident visa (visitor visa) before coming to Canada or an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
Travelers who need a visa to enter Canada for a visit
The foreign nationals of the following countries need a visa to enter Canada either by plane, by car, by bus, by train, or by cruise ship:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- 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 (who 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
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Sao Tomé e Principe
- Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent)
- Sudan
- Surinam
- Swaziland
- Syria
- Taiwan (holders of a passport other than ordinary passports issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that include their personal identification number)
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Travelers to Canada who need an eTA:
Foreign nationals who hold valid passports of visa exempt countries need an eTA to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport. However these same travelers do not need an eTA when arriving by car, bus, train or boat (including a cruise ship)
The following are the countries whose nationals are visa-exempt. There citizens do not need a visitors visa to enter Canada for a visit.
- 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
- 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 (holders of a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR)
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel (holders of an Israeli passport)
- Italy
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Papua New Guinea
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan (holders of an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal identification number)
- United States (lawful permanent resident s)
- Vatican City State (holders of a passport or travel document issued by the Vatican).
The following foreign nationals are exempted from the requirement of an eTA
- Foreign nationals who hold either a valid Canadian visa or a valid status in Canada (such as. visitor, student or worker) and who re-enter 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.
