Guides

If your passport is on Canada’s visa-required list and you are booking a flight, do not assume a visitor visa is automatically your only option. A specific group of visa-required nationals can fly to Canada on an eTA instead — but qualifying for that group takes more than just holding the right passport. Get this wrong in either direction, and you either apply for the slower document when a faster one would have worked, or you show up at check-in with an eTA that never should have been approved for you. If an eTA is right for you, the first-time application walkthrough shows the steps. ...

Two different people check two different things on your way into Canada, and mixing them up is where confusion starts. The airline agent at check-in only confirms that a valid eTA is linked to the passport you’re presenting — nothing more. Whether you can actually explain your visit, prove you’ll leave again, or cover your own costs is not the airline’s job at all. That conversation belongs entirely to the border services officer who meets you after you land. ...

Yes, you can extend your stay in Canada even though you entered with an eTA, but not by doing anything to the eTA itself. The eTA got you through the boarding gate and past the first checkpoint at the airport. What governs how long you can actually remain in Canada is your visitor status, and extending that means a separate application entirely: a visitor record. That distinction trips up a lot of people, and it’s worth getting clear on before anything else. ...

The standard picture of an eTA is an email arriving within minutes of hitting submit. That picture is accurate often enough that when something different happens, it catches people off guard. A medical exam request is one of those moments: your application has paused, something specific is being assessed, and the path forward is less obvious than filling out a form. If you have already submitted your application and want to track progress, see how to check your eTA application status while you work through the steps below. The good news is that the process is structured and well-defined. Once you know the sequence, there is nothing mysterious about it. ...

You have a confirmation number sitting in your inbox, you’ve typed it into the retrieval tool, and the system is telling you it can’t find anything. That confirmation number is real: the application exists. The problem is almost always a mismatch between what you submitted and what you’re entering now, or a timing issue that resolves on its own. Either way, there is a clear sequence for working through it. If the problem began at the payment step, read what to do when a card is declined. ...

You’re at the application form, passport open on the desk, and the field staring back at you says “email address.” You don’t have one — or you have one somewhere but can’t remember the password, or you’ve always used your daughter’s. The question is simple: can you get a Canada eTA without an email address of your own? The form itself is in English and French only; the language guide lists the help available in other languages. ...

Short version: no, Canadian airport security doesn’t check your eTA. Canadian airport security screening, run by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), checks what you’re carrying, not your travel authorization. Your eTA is checked at two other points instead: by the airline when you check in for your flight to Canada, and by the border services officer when you land. If you’re standing in a CATSA line, your eTA has already been checked: by the border officer if you entered Canada and are now flying domestically or home, or by your airline at check-in if you’re connecting internationally without passing through the border. ...

Once your Canada eTA is submitted, pending or approved, its data can’t be edited; the only fix IRCC offers is a new application. But that doesn’t mean every mistake matters equally. A wrong passport number or a name that no longer matches your passport will stop you at check-in; a wrong home address or phone number isn’t checked against your passport at all. The first step is sorting out which kind of field you’re dealing with, because that decides whether you need to act today or not at all. If the mistake is in your name, see how to enter your name so that it matches the passport. ...

You’re standing at the primary inspection counter at Toronto Pearson, passport in hand, eTA approved weeks ago. The officer looks up and asks where you’re staying, how long you plan to be in Canada, and what you do for work back home. You weren’t expecting this. You thought the eTA had already cleared you. An approved eTA does not guarantee entry into Canada. It’s a pre-screening tool, not a boarding pass for the country. Every traveller — regardless of eTA status — must satisfy a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer at the point of arrival before being admitted. That single fact is what most people misunderstand, and it shapes everything about how you should prepare. ...

You’re partway through the eTA form when you notice the passport number you typed doesn’t match what’s printed in your passport. Or you’ve spelled your name differently than it appears on your travel document. The fix right now is simple: correct it before you submit. Once you’ve paid and the application is processed, the eTA is electronically linked to whatever passport number you entered — right or wrong — and an incorrect one may prevent you from boarding your flight to Canada entirely. Names are the most common thing to get wrong; this guide to name mismatches shows what to copy from the passport. ...