You’re at the check-in counter, bags on the belt, and the agent asks for your passport. That moment is where your eTA either works for you or doesn’t, and it all comes down to one thing: whether the passport in your hand is the exact one linked to your eTA approval..** That is the core of entering Canada with an eTA. Everything else on this list supports the conversation you will have with a border services officer once you land.
Your eTA is electronically linked to the passport you used when you applied. You don’t carry a separate eTA document, and you don’t need to print anything. The airline scans your passport at check-in and confirms the authorization automatically. What you do need is that specific passport, in good shape, with an expiry date well beyond your planned return date, plus a handful of supporting documents that show the officer you’re a straightforward visitor who’s going home when you said you would.
Your Primary Document: The Passport Linked to Your eTA
Bring the exact passport you used to apply. This isn’t a formality: it’s the mechanism. Your eTA exists as a digital record tied to that passport number. If you renewed your passport after applying, or if you accidentally applied with the wrong passport number, the eTA attached to your old or incorrect document will not help you at check-in.
Before you zip up your bag, open your eTA approval email and read the passport number in it character by character against the number printed in your physical passport. A single transposed digit can prevent you from travelling, and getting a new eTA at the last minute is not guaranteed to work in time.
Two things to confirm right now:
- Passport number in approval email = passport number on the document you’re bringing
- Passport expiry date is well beyond your return date
If you’re not sure your eTA is still valid or tied to the right passport, checking your eTA application status before you leave gives you time to fix a problem rather than discover it at the airport.
Proof of Your eTA Authorization: Having It On Hand
You don’t need to print your eTA. There is no certificate, card, or paper document to carry. Airline staff scan your passport and see the authorization; the border services officer does the same when you arrive. The system is entirely electronic.
That said, keeping your approval email accessible — on your phone or printed as a backup — gives you a reference if you need to read out your approval number or verify details. It’s not required, but it costs nothing to have it.
The one document that does the work is your passport. The eTA travels with it invisibly.
Documents Supporting Your Reason for Travel to Canada
A border services officer may ask why you’re visiting. Most visitors answer this verbally without issue, but having paper backup for your reason makes the conversation shorter and cleaner.
- Tourism or visiting family: Hotel bookings, tour confirmations, or a letter from the person you’re staying with. If someone in Canada formally invited you — a person or a company — bring that invitation letter. An officer may ask to see it.
- Business travel: Conference registration, meeting agenda, or a letter from your employer explaining the purpose of the trip.
- Medical visit: Appointment letters or referral documents from the treating facility.
None of these are mandatory to have in print, but they answer the officer’s question before it becomes a prolonged conversation.
Evidence of Your Intent to Depart Canada
An eTA authorizes a visit, not a stay. The officer at the border needs to be satisfied that you’ll leave when your authorized time is up. Most visitors are allowed up to six months, though the officer can set a shorter period based on your stated plans.
Documents that support this:
- Return or onward flight ticket with your name and travel dates
- Proof of employment back home — a letter from your employer, recent pay stubs, or evidence of a business you run
- Lease agreement or mortgage documents showing you have a home to return to
- Evidence of family ties — a partner, children, or dependants at home
Not every item on that list is necessary. What matters is that your life is clearly anchored somewhere else and that Canada is a temporary stop.
Financial Preparedness: Showing You Can Support Yourself
You must have enough money to cover your stay. There’s no fixed number an officer uses — it depends on the length and nature of your trip. What matters is that you can demonstrate you won’t be a financial burden and that you can pay your own way home.
Useful documents to have accessible:
- Recent bank statements showing a healthy balance
- Credit card statements or evidence of available credit
- Traveller’s cheques or cash (though large amounts of cash may prompt separate questions)
If someone in Canada is hosting you and covering your expenses, a letter from that person explaining the arrangement and their contact details can substitute for some of this.
Additional Documents for Specific Travel Scenarios
Most adult travellers with a valid passport and approved eTA won’t need anything beyond what’s listed above. A few situations call for more.
Travelling with a child under 18:
This is the area where people most often arrive underprepared. The documents required depend on who the child is travelling with:
| Situation | Documents to carry |
|---|---|
| Child travelling alone | Child’s passport, copy of birth certificate, letter of authorization signed by both parents/guardian with contact info and name of adult caring for child in Canada |
| Child with one parent | Child’s passport, birth certificate copy, letter from non-travelling parent with their contact info and photocopy of their signed passport or national ID |
| Separated/divorced parents, shared custody | Child’s passport, copies of custody documents, ideally a letter from the other custodial parent |
| One parent has sole custody | Child’s passport, letter from that parent, copy of custody decree |
| One parent is deceased | Child’s passport, copy of the deceased parent’s death certificate |
| Child with a non-parent adult | Child’s passport, written permission from parents/guardians with contact info, photocopies of parents’/guardians’ signed passports or national IDs |
Canadian-American dual citizens:
Dual citizens can travel to Canada on either a valid Canadian passport or a valid U.S. passport. If you use only your U.S. passport, carry identification that shows your Canadian citizenship — you may be directed through immigration screening.
U.S. lawful permanent residents:
U.S. LPRs are exempt from the eTA requirement but must carry official proof of their U.S. permanent resident status along with a valid passport from their country of nationality.
If your eTA application was refused rather than approved, the entry question becomes a different one — what happens after a Canada eTA refusal covers what your options are from there.
FAQ
Do I need to print my eTA approval email? No. Your eTA is electronic and linked to your passport. Airline staff and border officers access it by scanning your passport. Keeping the approval email on your phone is a useful backup for reference, but it’s not a required document.
What if my eTA is linked to an old passport? You’d need to travel with that old passport (as long as it’s still valid) or apply for a new eTA using your current passport number. A new eTA cannot be guaranteed at the last minute, so sort this out before your travel date.
Will I be asked for a return flight ticket? Possibly. Officers aren’t required to ask, but a return or onward ticket is one of the clearest ways to show you intend to leave. It’s worth having it accessible, printed or on your phone.
What counts as proof of sufficient funds? There’s no fixed threshold. Recent bank statements, credit card statements, or evidence of available credit all work. If a host in Canada is covering your costs, a letter from them explaining this and providing their contact details supports your case.
Are there specific documents needed if I’m travelling with children? Yes, and they vary by situation. See the table in the section above. The consistent thread is a letter of authorization from any absent parent, plus supporting documents (birth certificate, custody decree, death certificate) depending on your family circumstances.
Common Mistakes
(See the section above — “Mistakes That Get People Held Up at the Border” — which covers the five most consequential ones in detail.)
The single thing that decides whether you board and whether you enter is your passport: specifically, the one your eTA is tied to. Confirm that match now, gather the supporting documents that fit your situation, and you’ll have everything a border officer needs to wave you through. If anything about your eTA status is unclear before you travel, check it while you still have time to act.