Any person who wishes to visit Canada will usually need to obtain appropriate authorization from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This means applying for and receiving an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), or a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) (also known as a visitor visa) before booking a flight to Canada.
This article will help you find out in which category you are, either (i) no TRV nor eTA needed, (ii) an eTA is needed, or (iii) a TRV. As a quick comparison, an eTA is way easier, cheaper and quicker to get than the TRV.
Do I need an eTA or a TRV to enter Canada?
If you are a citizen of a visa-exempt country and travelling to Canada by air, you have to request an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). Go to this page to see how to get an eTA.
If you are from a visa-exempt country, you only need your passport if you are travelling to Canada by car, bus, train or boat (no eTA needed).
If you are not a citizen of a visa-exempt country, you will need to get a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) before entering Canada. Go to this page to see how to get a TRV.
If you are from a visa-exempt country, you only need your passport if you are travelling to Canada by car, bus, train or boat (no eTA needed).
If you are not a citizen of a visa-exempt country, you will need to get a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) before entering Canada. Go to this page to see how to get a TRV.
Find out which type of travel document would be required of you in the table below (use the search bar to find your country):
| Country | eTA or TRV? |
|---|---|
| Andorra | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Australia | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Austria | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Bahamas | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Barbados | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Belgium | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| United Kingdom | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Anguilla | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Bermuda | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| British Virgin Islands | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Cayman Islands | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Gibraltar | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Montserrat | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Pitcairn Island | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Saint Helena | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Brunei Darussalam | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Bulgaria | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Chile | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Croatia | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Cyprus | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Czech Republic | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Denmark | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Estonia | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Finland | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| France | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Germany | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Greece | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Hong Kong | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Hungary | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Iceland | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Ireland | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Israel | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Italy | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Japan | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Republic of Korea | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Latvia | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Liechtenstein | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Lithuania | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Luxembourg | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Malta | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Mexico * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Monaco | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Netherlands | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| New Zealand | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Norway | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Papua New Guinea | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Poland | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Portugal | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Romania | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Samoa | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| San Marino | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Singapore | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Slovakia | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Slovenia | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Solomon Islands | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Spain | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Sweden | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Switzerland | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Taiwan | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| United States of America, Green Card Holder | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| United States of America, Citizen | Neither (only passport is required) |
| Vatican City State | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Afghanistan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Albania | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Algeria | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Angola | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Antigua and Barbuda * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Argentina * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Armenia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Azerbaijan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Bahrain | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Bangladesh | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Belarus | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Belize | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Benin | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Bhutan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Bolivia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Botswana | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Brazil * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Burkina Faso | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Burma (Myanmar) | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Burundi | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Cambodia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Cameroon | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Cape Verde | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Central African Republic | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Chad | Temporary Resident Visa |
| China | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Colombia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Comoros | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Congo | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Costa Rica * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Cuba | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Djibouti | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Dominica | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Dominican Republic | Temporary Resident Visa |
| East Timor | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Ecuador | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Egypt | Temporary Resident Visa |
| El Salvador | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Equatorial Guinea | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Eritrea | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Ethiopia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Fiji | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Gabon | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Gambia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Georgia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Ghana | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Grenada | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Guatemala | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Guinea | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Guinea-Bissau | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Guyana | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Haiti | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Honduras | Temporary Resident Visa |
| India | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Indonesia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Iran | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Iraq | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Ivory Coast | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Jamaica | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Jordan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Kazakhstan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Kenya | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Kiribati | Temporary Resident Visa |
| North Korea | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Kosovo | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Kuwait | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Kyrgyzstan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Laos | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Lebanon | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Lesotho | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Liberia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Libya | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Macao | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Macedonia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Madagascar | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Malawi | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Malaysia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Maldives Islands | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Mali | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Marshall Islands | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Mauritania | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Mauritius | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Micronesia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Moldova | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Mongolia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Montenegro | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Morocco * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Mozambique | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Namibia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Nauru | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Nepal | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Nicaragua | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Niger | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Nigeria | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Oman | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Pakistan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Palau | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Palestinian Authority | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Panama * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Paraguay | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Peru | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Philippines * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Qatar | Electronic Travel Authorization |
| Russia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Rwanda | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Sao Tomé e Principe | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Saudi Arabia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Senegal | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Serbia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Seychelles * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Sierra Leone | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Somalia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| South Africa | Temporary Resident Visa |
| South Sudan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Sri Lanka | Temporary Resident Visa |
| St. Kitts and Nevis * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| St. Lucia * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent) * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Sudan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Surinam | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Swaziland | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Syria | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Tajikistan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Tanzania | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Thailand * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Togo | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Tonga | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Trinidad and Tobago * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Tunisia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Turkey | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Turkmenistan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Tuvalu | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Uganda | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Ukraine | Temporary Resident Visa |
| United Arab Emirates | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Uruguay * | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Uzbekistan | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Vanuatu | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Venezuela | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Vietnam | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Yemen | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Zambia | Temporary Resident Visa |
| Zimbabwe | Temporary Resident Visa |
* You may be eligible for an eTA (instead of a TRV) if you are entering Canada by air and (i) have been granted a Canadian TRV within the last 10 years or (ii) currently hold a valid U.S. non-immigrant visitor visa.
Who does not need an eTA or a TRV?
Only two exceptions apply for not needing an eTA or a TRV to enter Canada:
- You are a U.S citizen, or
- You are a citizen of one the visa-exempt countries listed above and are entering Canada by car, bus, train or boat.
You can use this link, answer some questions and find out if you need an eTA or a TRV or neither.
If you have a child or a grandchild as a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you can be eligible for a Super Visa.
If you have a child or a grandchild as a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you can be eligible for a Super Visa.
