Start with the passport and travel method

Canada says most visitors need either an electronic travel authorization, called an eTA, or a visitor visa. You normally need one or the other, not both. The result depends on the passport used for the trip and how the traveller will enter Canada.

If your passport is from an eTA-required country

For air travel, you normally need a valid passport and an eTA before boarding. For most arrivals by car, bus, train or boat, an eTA is not required, although the traveller still needs the correct passport and must meet admission requirements. A special sea-travel rule applies to certain travel from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, so always use the official checker for the final answer.

An eTA does not guarantee entry. A border officer can still assess health, criminal or immigration history, funds, ties and whether the person will leave at the end of the authorised visit.

If your passport normally requires a visitor visa

A temporary resident visa, often called a TRV or visitor visa, is the normal route. Canada currently allows citizens of selected visa-required countries to apply for an eTA instead only when all conditions are met. The applicant must be travelling by air and must either have held a Canadian visitor visa during the previous 10 years or currently hold a valid US nonimmigrant visa. The trip must still be for an eligible temporary purpose.

If the same conditional-eTA traveller enters by car, bus, train or boat, a visitor visa is still required. This is why copying a friend's route can produce the wrong result even when both travellers have the same nationality.

Build the file around the actual trip

For a visitor visa, organise evidence into a simple story:

  • why you are travelling and for how long;
  • who pays and where the money came from;
  • where you will stay;
  • what connects you to your country of residence;
  • previous travel and immigration history;
  • invitation and host status if visiting family or business contacts.

Bank statements should be supported by income or savings evidence. A large unexplained deposit is not the same as stable access to funds. Dates on the invitation, leave approval, accommodation and itinerary should agree.

Special situations to identify early

Canadian citizens need a Canadian passport for air travel in most dual-citizen situations. Canadian permanent residents use a PR card or permanent resident travel document rather than an eTA. US citizens are exempt from the eTA requirement, while US lawful permanent residents must carry the prescribed proof of status and passport or accepted travel document.

Official sources

Last checked: 1 September 2026. Confirm the result again if your passport, US visa, Canadian visa history or method of travel changes.