Canada flag, Rocky Mountain lake and Niagara Falls

Travel to Canada: eTA, Airports and Entry Guides

Your trusted, up-to-date guide to the Canada eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization), entry requirements, and everything else you need to plan a smooth trip to Canada.

Already have your eTA or need to apply? Apply for a Canada eTA or check your eTA status.
US preclearance at Canadian airports: travellers in silhouette at an airport terminal window in low evening sun

US Preclearance at Canadian Airports: What It Means When You Fly to the US From Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal

The short answer: yes, Toronto Pearson has US preclearance, in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and Billy Bishop has had it since 10 March 2026. In all, nine Canadian airports let American officers check you before you board, so you land in the US like a domestic passenger. The US decides what documents you need for that; a Canadian eTA only matters for flying into Canada or connecting through it. ...

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Driving from Seattle to Vancouver: traffic on a bridge through Washington's evergreen forest on the road north to the border

Driving From Seattle to Vancouver: Which Border Crossing, What to Show, and Where the eTA Doesn't Apply

The short answer: from Seattle most drivers take I-5 north to the Peace Arch crossing (Douglas on the Canadian side, then BC Highway 99) or the Pacific Highway crossing next to it; both stay open around the clock, and Lynden and Sumas are the backups. At the Canadian booth you show a passport (a US citizen has a few other options), and you do not need an eTA, because it is a document for flying in. If part of your trip is a flight into Canada, you can apply for a Canada eTA online. One catch: a passport from a country that may use an eTA only by air needs a visa on this drive. That link leads to a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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Arriving at Halifax Stanfield with an eTA: the Peggys Cove lighthouse in silhouette against an orange Nova Scotia sunset

Flying Into Halifax Stanfield (YHZ) on an eTA: Europe Flights, Onward Legs and Getting Into the City

The short answer: Halifax Stanfield (YHZ) is where many flights from Europe first touch Canada, so this is where you meet the border: a self-service kiosk, then a border services officer, then your bags. No one in Halifax asks you to show an eTA document. If you still need one, you can apply for a Canada eTA online; it is stored against your passport number, and your airline looks it up at check-in. What comes next depends on the trip: a ride into the city, a second flight within Canada, or a cruise. That link leads to a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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Air Canada ID rules for visitors: an airliner landing against an orange sunset sky

Air Canada ID Rules for Visitors: What to Show at the Gate

The short answer: for any international flight, including the one that brings you to Canada, Air Canada wants a valid passport at the gate, and the name on it has to match your booking. If your passport comes from an eTA-required country, the eTA you hold is stored against that same passport, so you show nothing extra; the airline scans the passport to find it. You can apply for a Canada eTA before you book, through a paid private service that is separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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Alaska cruise, Canada visa or eTA: sunset over the Inside Passage with mist on the mountains and a ship's wake in the foreground

Alaska Cruise Canada Visa or eTA: Seattle vs Vancouver

The short answer: on an Alaska cruise, which Canadian document you need turns on the passport you hold and the way you get into Canada. With an eTA-country passport you need only the passport when the ship calls at a Canadian port, but you do need an eTA if you fly into Vancouver, and you can apply for a Canada eTA online before you book that flight. With a visa-required passport you need a visitor visa for any Canadian port call, and no exception is published for passengers who stay on board. That link leads to a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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Amtrak to Canada, do you need an eTA: a railway track running into a stone tunnel through an autumn forest

Amtrak to Canada: Do You Need an eTA by Train?

The short answer: for most passport holders, no. The eTA is a flying document, and the government’s rules say that if you come from an eTA-required country and arrive by train, you normally do not need one; you do need a valid passport. A visa-required passport needs a visitor visa on a train, even if it could get an eTA for a flight. If your trip also includes a flight into Canada, you can apply for a Canada eTA ahead of that flight; the service behind that link is private and paid, separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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Calgary airport eTA: a mountain highway through the Canadian Rockies

Calgary airport eTA: signs, kiosks and the road to Banff

The short answer: at Calgary International (YYC) you pick a sign before you reach the officer. If Calgary is where your trip ends, follow “Baggage/Exit”; if you are flying on within Canada, follow “Connections”. Either way a self-service kiosk reads your passport, and no officer asks for a printout of the eTA, because it sits in the system against the passport number you entered when you apply for a Canada eTA; your airline verified it before you boarded. That link leads to a paid private service that is separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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Canada eTA price in your currency: a card payment terminal in close-up on a warm wooden counter with a soft blurred background

Canada eTA Price in Your Currency: What Your Bank Changes

The short answer: the Canada eTA fee is set and charged in Canadian dollars, whichever country your card comes from, so the figure in pounds, euros or US dollars on your statement is your bank’s conversion, not a different price. Your card issuer picks the exchange rate and may add its own foreign transaction fee, which is why the amount rarely matches what you worked out in advance. If you’d rather have someone walk you through the form, you can apply for a Canada eTA with a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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Arriving at Montreal-Trudeau airport with an eTA: the Montreal skyline and the Old Port lit up across the water at dusk

Landing at Montreal-Trudeau (YUL) With an eTA: Customs, Connections and the 747 Bus

The short answer: after an international flight into Montréal-Trudeau (YUL), follow the signs to Canadian border control, scan your passport at a kiosk (YUL has kiosks, not eGates), take the receipt to a border services officer, collect your bags and pass one last CBSA checkpoint on the way out. If you are flying on, your onward ticket and whether the airline transfers your bags decide the route. There is no eTA document to show at YUL: it is linked to your passport, and the airline already checked it before you boarded. No eTA yet? You can apply for a Canada eTA through a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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Canada eTA for a fly-in, drive-out road trip: two cars on a mountain highway through pine forest under a bright autumn sky

Flying Into Canada and Driving to the US (or the Reverse): Which Legs Need an eTA

The short answer: on a trip that mixes flights and driving, Canada asks for an eTA only for the flight that brings you into Canada (or through a Canadian airport). Fly into Toronto or Vancouver and drive on to the US, and you need the eTA before you board; fly into New York or Seattle and drive north, and the Canadian side needs only your passport, unless your passport requires a Canadian visitor visa (which includes the passports that can use an eTA only by air), in which case the car crossing needs that visa. Plan the paperwork leg by leg, and if any leg is a flight into Canada, apply for a Canada eTA before you book it. That link leads to a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada. ...

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