Visas now required for travel to Canada

The Canadian authorities have announced that anyone flying to Canada either as a tourist or just in transit must now apply for an electronic visa or eTA ahead of their journey. This is for all travel from the 15th March 2016.

The application process for this is very similar to that of the US ESTA visa and is just a simple form to complete on line with a charge of 7 Canadian dollars per person. The visa is valid for 5 years from the date of purchase and allows multiple entry to the country.

This visa is not required currently for tourists entering Canada by sea.

Like the US will not be allowed to apply for an eTA if you have had a criminal conviction or ever been denied access to Canada and in these cases you will need to contact the Canadian Embassy to apply for your visa.

So if you are travelling to Canada next year don’t forget to apply for your visa. You can do so via the link below.

www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta.asp