The short answer: if you are stateless or travel on a refugee travel document, you generally cannot get an eTA; you need a visitor visa to visit Canada, or a visa to change planes there. The rule applies by any method of travel. There are two exceptions where you need neither: a valid Canadian refugee travel document, and U.S. permanent residents who travel on a U.S. refugee travel document or re-entry permit with proof of their status. If you have since become a citizen of a country on the eTA list, you can apply for a Canada eTA on that new passport through a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada.
If you apply yourself on canada.ca, you pay only the government fee. Many countries issue refugees a travel document under the 1951 Refugee Convention, and people often search for it as a “Convention Travel Document”. In the sense used here that is a refugee travel document, and the rule described below applies to it.
A different situation is a person who has a national passport but lives in another country. There the passport decides, and that case has its own article on when your passport and your country of residence differ. This page is for travellers who have no national passport, or who are flying on a document issued to non-citizens.
Can you get an eTA with a refugee travel document or as a stateless person?
No. IRCC’s own answer on refugee travel documents says an eTA application cannot be made on one, and that most people using such a document need a visitor visa. On the eTA eligibility page, travellers who need a visa are not eTA applicants, and the page names holders of an alien’s passport and stateless individuals among them.
Three points follow from this:
- The visa is needed for a visit and also for changing planes in Canada.
- It is needed whichever way you arrive: plane, car, train, bus, boat or cruise ship.
- The eTA is not on offer even though the drop-down list of documents in the eTA form contains entries such as “Refugee travel document” and “Alien passport”. Finding your document in that list does not make you eligible.
The reading to keep in mind is that Canada looks at the document in your hand and at your citizenship, not at refugee status on its own.
Which travel documents get an eTA, and which need a visa instead?
| Document you travel on | eTA? | What you need instead |
|---|---|---|
| Refugee travel document issued by another country (including a Convention Travel Document) | No | Visitor visa, or a transit visa to change planes |
| Alien’s passport or another travel document for non-citizens | No | Visitor visa |
| Valid Canadian refugee travel document | No | Nothing: no eTA and no visa |
| U.S. refugee travel document (I-571) or re-entry permit (I-327), with a green card or other proof of U.S. permanent residence | No | Nothing: no eTA and no visa |
| National passport of a country on the eTA list, for example one obtained after naturalization | Yes, for travel by air | The eTA on that passport |
| Israeli “Travel Document in Lieu of National Passport” | No | A visa; an eTA is possible only with a national Israeli passport |
If your own country is missing from the form and you are unsure why, a short guide explains what to do when your country is missing from the eTA form. The case here is a little different, because it turns on the document and not the country.
What if you live in the U.S. with a green card and travel on a refugee travel document?
U.S. permanent residents (green card holders, the U.S. permanent resident card) do not need a visa or an eTA to come to Canada, and green card holders have been exempt from the eTA since 26 April 2022. That holds whatever their citizenship, so a resident whose home country does not issue a passport is not stuck.
For such a person, Canada accepts an I-571 or an I-327, together with a valid green card (the U.S. permanent resident card, form I-551) or other proof of permanent residence. This works for every method of entry. There are other documents that serve as proof of status besides the green card, so a resident with a different card should check the list before travelling.
Two practical points:
- When flying, the proof of status is checked at the airline desk and again by the border officer.
- Travelling by land or water directly from the United States (or from Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), a U.S. permanent resident needs to show only the green card or other proof of status, and does not have to present a passport. By land or water the green card alone is enough, even without the I-571 or I-327.
The proof of status matters as much as the travel document itself, so keep both together in your hand luggage.
What if you have since become a citizen of an eTA country?
Then your document is a national passport, and a flight to Canada needs an eTA on it. The eTA is linked to one passport, so it must be applied for on the passport you will fly on, not on the old refugee travel document. An approval lasts up to five years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.
Some people end up holding two passports after naturalization. Which one to use for the flight is a separate question, and there is a short piece on choosing between two passports. Do not mix them: an eTA issued on one passport does not travel with you if you present another.
Your document isn’t on the eTA list: which documents does a visitor visa accept?
If none of the exceptions fits, the route is a visitor visa. The first thing to check is whether your document is among those accepted. For a visitor visa, IRCC takes passports from most countries, an alien passport for stateless persons, the I-327 and I-571, and other refugee travel documents issued to non-citizens.
The document must be issued by a government. It needs to show your name, date of birth, a document number, your citizenship or residence status, your photo, and an expiry date if it has one. It should be valid for at least six months from the date you intend to travel. If it needs renewing, do that before you apply for the visa, not after.
Canada’s regulations add a condition for documents issued to non-citizens, refugees and stateless people. Such a document is accepted only if it lets you return to the country that issued it, if it does not forbid travel to Canada, and if it stays valid for the whole stay you are allowed.
The steps in order:
- Check that the document is valid, has the fields listed above and gives you the right to return to the issuing country.
- Apply online through the IRCC Portal. The portal builds a personal checklist of the documents to upload.
- Give biometrics (fingerprints and a photo). Most visitors who apply for a visa have to do this, whereas visitors who apply for an eTA are exempt.
- If the local visa office asks for more documents, send them as requested.
Whether the visa office wants anything beyond the portal’s checklist is decided file by file, so read that checklist closely before you upload.
Do you need a visa just to change planes in Canada?
Yes, for stateless persons and holders of refugee travel documents, unless one of the two exceptions above applies (a valid Canadian refugee travel document, or a U.S. permanent resident with proof of status). A transit visa is meant for a visa-required traveller who changes between two international flights in Canada, for up to 48 hours, and who has neither a visitor visa nor the right to an eTA. A stay of more than 48 hours, or any plan to leave the airport for the city, calls for a visitor visa.
The Transit Without Visa Program does not help here. It works only with a valid national passport of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand or Taiwan (Taiwan only for a passport without a personal identification number), plus a U.S. visa and other conditions. A refugee travel document or an alien’s passport is outside it.
How the connection works for people who do hold an eTA is explained in how a connection through a Canadian airport works.
The short version
- Stateless people and refugee travel document holders generally cannot get an eTA; they need a visitor visa.
- The visa requirement covers visiting and changing planes, by any method of arrival.
- A valid Canadian refugee travel document needs neither a visa nor an eTA.
- U.S. permanent residents with an I-571 or I-327 plus proof of status need neither a visa nor an eTA.
- A person who has become a citizen of an eTA country applies for the eTA on the new national passport.
- For a visa, the document must be state-issued, carry the required fields, stay valid at least six months and allow a return to the issuing country.
FAQ
Can I apply for an eTA with a refugee travel document? No. Most people using a refugee travel document need a visitor visa. The exceptions are a valid Canadian refugee travel document, and a U.S. permanent resident with an I-571 and proof of status.
Do you need a visa for refugee travel documents? For Canada, yes: for a visit and for changing planes, whatever the method of arrival. The same two exceptions apply, a Canadian refugee travel document and a U.S. resident with an I-571 or I-327 and proof of status.
Do stateless persons need a visa to visit Canada? Yes. Stateless individuals and alien’s passport holders need a visa and are not given an eTA, except a U.S. permanent resident with proof of status. The visa application is made on the alien’s passport or another document issued to non-citizens.
Can I travel to Canada with my travel document? Possibly, if the document suits the rules: government-issued, with the required fields, valid at least six months from your travel date, and allowing you back into the country that issued it. In most cases it travels with a visa, not an eTA.
Do I need a visa for Canada with a green card and a refugee travel document? No. U.S. permanent residents need neither a visa nor an eTA. If there is no passport, an I-571 or I-327 plus the green card or other proof of status is used.