Picture a hypothetical visit: a sister flying from London to Pearson for a family wedding in Brampton. She has a British passport, a suit bag, and a boarding pass reservation. At the airline counter, the agent asks for her electronic travel authorization. She has no idea what that is, or she applied for one using her old passport, which she has since replaced. The trip suddenly depends on a seven-dollar form she has not filled out properly.
An electronic travel authorization, or eTA, is one of the simplest parts of Canada’s immigration system, and most applications go through without any trouble. The trouble tends to arise from misunderstandings about who needs one, which passport it is attached to, and what it actually gives you. People in Brampton often deal with this on behalf of relatives, so hosts have good reason to learn the basics.
What follows is general information rather than legal advice for any particular traveller. Entry rules, eligible countries, and fees are subject to change, and travellers should check the current position on the IRCC website before booking.
What an eTA Is
An eTA is an electronic authorization linked to a passport that a traveller needs in order to board a flight to Canada or transit through a Canadian airport, if they come from a visa-exempt country. It is not a sticker or paper document. The airline’s system checks it electronically at the time of boarding.
An eTA costs CAN$7 and is valid for up to five years, or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. During that time, the holder can come to Canada as often as they want for short stays, normally for up to six months at a time.
It is what it sounds like: permission to travel to Canada. It is not permission to enter. When the traveller lands, a border services officer checks their passport and documents and decides whether to let them in and for how long. Even a valid eTA does not guarantee entry.
Who Needs One and Who Does Not
The basic rule depends on nationality and how the person is travelling.
Those who generally need an eTA are citizens of visa-exempt countries flying to or through Canada, such as many travellers from Western Europe, Australia, Japan, and South Korea. The full list is on IRCC’s site, and travellers should use the government’s questionnaire if they are unsure.
Those who do not need an eTA include:
- U.S. citizens, who need proper identification such as a valid U.S. passport.
- Lawful permanent residents of the United States, who have been exempt since April 26, 2022, but need to carry their green card and passport.
- Travellers arriving by car, bus, train, or boat, including a cruise ship, provided they are from a visa-exempt country.
- Anyone already holding a valid Canadian visitor visa, which can be used until it expires.
There are a few other exceptions, and one curiosity: people arriving by sea from Saint Pierre and Miquelon, other than on a cruise ship, need one to board.
Those who cannot get an eTA at all are Canadian citizens and permanent residents. A Canadian dual citizen must travel on a valid Canadian passport (or certain special documents), and a permanent resident must travel with a PR card or a permanent resident travel document. This catches people every year. A person born in Brampton who moved to Britain as a child and now carries a British passport may not think of themselves as a Canadian anymore, but if they still hold citizenship, the eTA route is closed. They may be denied boarding if they show up with the British passport alone.
The Option for Some Visa-Required Nationals
There is a further category that many Brampton families can use. Citizens of certain visa-required countries can apply for an eTA instead of a visitor visa if they are flying to Canada, and if they meet added conditions. The list of eligible countries, as published by IRCC, includes Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. The list can change, so verify it each time.
To qualify, the traveller must meet all of these conditions:
- They have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years, or they currently hold a valid U.S. non-immigrant visa. The U.S. visa must be valid on the day they apply.
- They are coming for a temporary stay, normally up to six months.
- They are flying to or transiting through a Canadian airport with a passport from an eligible country.
The air-only limit matters. A Mexican or Filipino traveller who decides to drive up from Buffalo, take a bus from Detroit, or travel by rail or on a cruise ship still needs a visitor visa. So a relative coming through New York to see family in Brampton should plan the last leg with this in mind. It is a common trap for families who like the idea of a road trip through the United States.
Travellers who rely on an old Canadian visa or a valid U.S. visa may want to bring the passport showing it. A host in Brampton who has read only one part of the rules can easily give the wrong answer.
Applying Without Getting Burned
Applying is straightforward. The traveller needs a valid passport, a valid email address, and a credit or debit card. The application form cannot be saved partway through, so have all the information ready before starting. Fees are paid at the end.
Three practical points are worth stressing.
Use only the official site. IRCC tells travellers to apply only through the Government of Canada site. Search results often show private websites that look official and charge many times the actual fee, sometimes while providing no real service. Anything priced much above the $7 government fee should prompt a second look at the address bar.
Copy the passport number with great care. A wrong digit is a classic error. The letter O and the number 0, or the letter I and the number 1, are easily confused. An eTA is tied to one passport number, so a typo can mean being stopped at check-in with no eTA on file for the passport presented. Review the details before paying.
Answer the background questions honestly. The form asks about matters like past refusals, criminal history, and health conditions. A false answer can create a misrepresentation problem, which can carry far more serious consequences than the original issue, including a five-year bar on entry.
A New Passport Means a New eTA
The most common real-life failure is this one. Because the eTA is linked to a single passport, anyone who gets a new passport for any reason, such as expiry, loss, a name change, or a different nationality, needs a new eTA with that passport, even if the old one still had years left on it.
A similar issue arises for travellers with two passports. If someone holds both a French and an Algerian passport, the eTA is attached to the French one, so they must check in and fly using that passport. Using a different passport at the airport can create confusion or a boarding denial. Check before packing.
When It Does Not Come Through in Minutes
Most applications are approved within minutes, and a confirming email arrives. But not all of them. Some applicants are asked to send additional documents, and IRCC sends those instructions by email within 72 hours. That means an urgent last-minute application for a funeral or a wedding may not come through in time, and people should build in some margin.
If you do not hear back, check the email’s spam folder and use IRCC’s online status tool. Avoid repeatedly filing new applications, which can confuse matters. If you made a real mistake, IRCC’s guidance on its eTA pages explains what to do.
If the eTA is refused, the reason matters. It may relate to a criminal record, a prior immigration problem, or incomplete information. The traveller may need to apply for a visitor visa, or may need to deal with an inadmissibility issue first. A person with an old impaired driving conviction, for instance, may find that their record has to be addressed through rehabilitation or a temporary resident permit. Getting the facts straight before re-applying is worth the time.
After Landing
Hosts often want to know what happens at Pearson. The traveller presents their passport, answers questions about the visit, and is usually admitted for up to six months. An officer may ask how long they plan to stay, who they are staying with, and how they will support themselves. Having your address and phone number on hand, along with a return ticket and evidence of funds, can make this conversation easier.
Holding an eTA does not permit someone to work or study in Canada. A visitor who decides to stay longer needs to apply to extend their stay before their authorized period ends. If they come to work, the eTA alone is not enough. Someone arriving from a visa-exempt country to begin a job will usually need a work permit, and they should bring the approval letter to the airport.
You should also know that an eTA, like other immigration documents, can be cancelled if the holder is found to be ineligible. Canada’s immigration legislation also includes public-interest powers, exercised by order, to cancel or suspend groups of documents, including eTAs, in certain situations such as fraud or public health concerns. This does not affect most travellers, but it does underline why it is unwise to treat a five-year eTA as a settled right. Check that it is still valid before travel.
A Pre-Departure Checklist
For anyone hosting a relative in Brampton, a short check a couple of weeks before travel can prevent a bad day at the airport:
- Confirm the traveller needs an eTA and is not actually required to have a visa or to use a Canadian document.
- Make sure the eTA is linked to the passport they will carry, and that the passport remains valid for the whole trip.
- Confirm that their route is entirely by air if they rely on the visa-required national option.
- Check for an approval email, and use the online status tool if it cannot be found.
- Have the return flight details, your address, and your phone number to hand.
A refusal, a past overstay, or a criminal record makes this a more complicated matter, and that is the moment to look for advice. Our temporary residence page outlines the types of visitor issues we can help with. For most travellers, though, a few careful minutes on the correct website will be all it takes.