The short answer: yes. For a visa-exempt traveller arriving by air, a trip to see a doctor, have surgery or accompany a patient takes the same eTA as any other visit. Canada’s visitor rules don’t list a separate medical visa or medical eTA. What changes is everything around it: the eTA form asks about tuberculosis and certain health conditions, a stay longer than six months can trigger a medical exam, Canada doesn’t pay visitors’ medical bills, and if treatment will take longer than six months you need to say so at the border or extend your stay. Each person travelling, patient and companion alike, needs their own eTA, and the next step is to apply for a Canada eTA, which can be done before the appointment is booked. get-eta.com is a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada.
Applying on canada.ca costs only the government fee. This article is for visa-exempt foreign nationals who fly to Canada. U.S. citizens do not apply for an eTA, and citizens of countries that require a visa travel on a visa, not an eTA.
Before booking, read about whether an eTA trip needs travel insurance.
Is there a special medical visa or medical eTA for Canada?
IRCC’s visitor pages name two documents that let a foreign national enter as a visitor: a visa or an eTA. You need one or the other, never both. A visa-exempt traveller arriving by air holds an eTA and a valid passport, whatever the reason for the trip.
The eTA form itself has no question about the purpose of your trip, so there is nowhere to tick a “medical” box. IRCC’s visitor pages don’t list a separate medical category either.
What does the eTA form ask about your health?
Two health questions are mandatory. One asks about tuberculosis: whether you have had it in the past two years, including close contact with someone who has. The other, “Do you have one of these conditions?”, points to a short list of conditions shown on the form.
Answer both truthfully and completely. False or incomplete information can make you inadmissible, and an eTA does not guarantee entry by itself. A “yes” to the health questions can lead to a request for a medical exam. If that happens, what happens when IRCC asks for a medical exam walks through the process.
Will you need an immigration medical exam?
| Your situation | Medical exam? | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Visit of six months or less, and you won’t work in health care, child care or similar jobs | Generally no | Visitor rules for stays up to six months |
| Stay of more than six months, and you spent six or more consecutive months in the past year in a country with a high tuberculosis rate | Yes | Longer-stay rule plus the designated-country list |
| You answered “yes” to a health question on the eTA form | IRCC may ask for one | Request linked to the form answers |
| Super visa for parents or grandparents | Yes, but this is a different document, not an eTA | Super visa requirements |
The designated-country list is based on tuberculosis data from the World Health Organization. If an exam is requested, only a panel physician approved by IRCC can perform it, and your own doctor cannot. The applicant pays every fee, and the fees are not refunded if the application is refused. A result stays valid for 12 months.
Can a health condition make you inadmissible?
Medical inadmissibility applies to anyone who wants to visit, study, work or settle in Canada, visitors included. There are three grounds: a danger to public health, a danger to public safety, and excessive demand on health or social services.
“Excessive demand” means that your condition is likely to add to waiting lists or to cost more than a set threshold. For 2026 the threshold is $144,390 over five years, which works out to $28,878 a year. In this context, health services are services where the government pays most of the cost.
The decision rests with IRCC and builds on the medical exam results. Before it refuses an application on these grounds, IRCC sends a procedural fairness letter, and you have 90 days from the date of the letter to respond.
Who pays for treatment in Canada?
Canada does not pay for hospital or medical services for visitors, and IRCC advises arranging coverage before you travel.
What if you need to travel urgently for treatment (a medical emergency)?
The eTA form includes an optional field for additional details, and the example given there is “an urgent need to travel to Canada”. IRCC’s Help Centre advises describing an urgent or compelling reason in detail on the application. Most applicants still get an answer within minutes.
If an application needs more time, an email with next steps arrives within 72 hours of applying, and the processing itself can take several days. File as early as the dates allow.
IRCC’s internal guidance for officers mentions that when a life is at risk and the treatment is not available elsewhere, a case may be handled faster. The same guidance has the officer check that payment is secured and that the patient won’t take a place in a queue from Canadians, and it suggests warning the airline in advance. None of this is something a traveller can count on.
Once you have applied, you can check your eTA status with your passport details and the application number or UCI.
What if treatment takes longer than six months?
The usual stay for a visitor is up to six months. The officer at the border can allow less or more, to fit the planned purpose of the visit, so a long course of treatment is a reason to talk to the officer on arrival.
- At the border: if you expect to stay beyond six months, say so to the border services officer, who may issue a visitor record.
- Without a stamp: the limit is the earlier of two dates, half a year after entry and the end of your passport. You can ask for a stamp to have the date written down.
- Already in Canada: you apply for a visitor record from inside the country. The fee starts at 100 CAD, and IRCC recommends filing at least 30 days ahead of the date your stay ends.
- Applied before the deadline: you may legally stay until a decision is made on the application. This is called maintained status.
- Deadline already passed: restoring status is possible only if less than 90 days have gone by. It has its own fee and no guarantee of approval. This 90-day limit has nothing to do with extensions.
- Leaving and coming back: holding a visitor record gives no assurance of getting back in after you leave. If you travel outside Canada and the United States, you need a valid eTA or visa to return.
Processing times for visitor records change, so check the current processing time before relying on it. For the full procedure, see how extending a visitor stay works.
Travelling with a patient: what does the companion need?
A companion needs an eTA of their own, and each application is paid for one person at a time. If you are filling in the form for someone else, you use the same form and answer “yes” to the question about applying on behalf of someone. Relatives who are already in Canada can read more on how a family member in Canada can apply for an eTA for close relatives.
When the patient is a child, an officer may want a letter of consent from one or both parents or from a legal guardian, together with other documents. If a person or organization in Canada has invited you, carry the invitation letter, because the officer may ask to see it.
A companion meets the same basic requirements as any visitor: a valid passport, ties to the home country, the intention to leave at the end of the stay, and enough money for the trip.
A checklist before you book the appointment
- Check that every traveller has an eTA linked to the passport they will carry on the flight.
- Decide how long you will stay. Up to six months generally means no medical exam. A longer stay can mean an exam, depending on where you have lived, and always means a conversation with the officer, as described on the IRCC page on medical exams.
- Sort out how treatment will be paid for, and arrange cover before you leave.
- Keep the invitation letter and medical papers in your hand luggage.
- Compare the passport expiry date with the date you plan to return.
The short version
- The eTA is the same document for a medical trip as for any other visit by a visa-exempt traveller flying in.
- The form asks about tuberculosis and certain conditions, so answer truthfully.
- A medical exam is generally not needed for a stay of up to six months.
- Longer treatment means telling the officer, or applying for a visitor record before the stay ends.
FAQ
Can I travel to Canada for medical treatment? Yes. A visa-exempt citizen who flies in applies for the usual eTA, and IRCC’s visitor pages name no separate medical document. The officer still decides on entry.
How do I get a medical visa for Canada? IRCC’s visitor pages don’t list a separate medical visa. Visa-exempt travellers who fly in get an eTA.
Is a medical exam required to visit Canada? Usually not for a trip of up to six months. For a longer stay it is required if you spent six or more consecutive months in the past year in a country on IRCC’s list, and IRCC may also ask for one if you answered “yes” to a health question on the form.
Can tourists use Canadian healthcare? You can be treated, but Canada does not pay for hospital or medical services for visitors, so the costs are yours. IRCC advises arranging coverage before the trip.
Can Americans go to Canada for medical treatment? U.S. citizens do not apply for an eTA, and need identification such as a U.S. passport. The other visitor rules are the same.