Do US citizens need a visa for Canada? Fortunately, all US citizens do not need a visa to visit Canada if they travel for specified purposes. If you are a US passport holder as your travel document, you won't need a visa to cross the Canadian border.
Typically, foreigners travelling to Canada need an eTA permit. Electronic Travel Authority is an e-Visa that is valid for 5 years from the date of issue and allows multiple entries into the country. Each stay can be as long as 6 months per visit. It does not serve as a work permit.
How long can US citizens stay in Canada without an eTA?
US citizens may stay in Canada for purposes of business or tourism for up to 6 months. During that time, travellers may engage in:
Tourism
Visits to family and friends
Business activities on behalf of the American companies for which they work
Travellers may not engage in the following activities without obtaining the proper visa:
Gainful employment based in Canada (for a Canadian employer, or self-employment based in Canada)
Study at a Canadian university or other institution of learning
Settlement or residency exceeding 6 months
Criteria to meet for US citizens who want to visit Canada visa-free
US citizens are among the only people who are not obliged to apply for any Canadian entry permission to come to Canada. US citizens and nationals are also largely exempt from Canada's biometrics collections requirements.
Canadian travel authorities reserve the right to permit or restrict entry to US citizens based on the following criteria:
Financial state (whether the traveller can support themselves through their stay)
Connections to the United States (that will bring the traveller home again after their trip)
The health of the traveller (no major infectious diseases)
Please note that, just as while entering any other place in the world, the freedom to enter Canada is ultimately at the discretion of travel authorities at individual points of entry. Travel authorities might impose additional criteria for admission. Merely being a US citizen is not a guarantee of the right to enter.
What about US residents travelling to Canada?
Contrary to US citizens, everyone who is a United States permanent resident must obtain a visa to enter Canada. If you are a US permanent resident, apply online for an eTA valid for 5 years from issuing!
Applying online takes just a few minutes to complete and can be done on any device of your choice. Read on to see what are the visa requirements to meet and how to apply.
Canada's eTA costs just 49 Euro and allows numerous visits to Canada.
eTA requirements
US citizens don't need eTA to enter Canada. But all permanent residents that live in the United States have to. Make sure to prepare the documents described in this section and see if you meet the conditions to apply for eTA.
Required documents to make an online eTA application:
a passport that will not expire for the next 6 months from entering Canada
an active e-mail address
a clean criminal record
Please note that eTA and traveller's passport are directly connected. All visitors to Canada need to ensure that their documents will be valid throughout the whole trip. Any changes to your document's information, losing your passport, or its expiry lead to eTA becoming invalid.
eTA online application
If you want to obtain a Canadian visa for either tourism, business, or transit purposes, apply online following three simple steps. eTA usage does not include work or study in Canada.
To apply online and to make your application successful, follow this guide:
Prepare the necessary documents and provide needed information to an online application form. Ensure that the data you've put is error-free.
Choose a preferred method of online payment to pay the visa fee (49 Euro).
Check your e-mail address. eTA arrives at the provided e-mail address, thus, ensure it's active.
The processing time may take up to 72 hours (3 business days). Filling the application form with the correct information can save you from delays or issues with approval. Usually, eTA applications are approved within a few minutes.
However, the final processing period lies within the Government of Canada. In case of any unclear situations, the Canadian government might ask for sending some additional documents.
Benefits of applying using our services
If you are a US citizen, you won't have to apply for a visa to Canada. However, there are dozens of different foreign countries that US citizens can go to using our electronic visas services.
Every US resident, even children, have to have a separate eTA to Canada, an e-Visa permit. If you don't have US citizenship, find out what can our visas services guarantee to all applicants:
a 16-hour average processing period
a 98% visas approval rate
a quick and easy application process
24/7 availability of our support team help
visas arriving at the applicant's e-mail address
our team double-checking each form to make sure it's correct
Do US citizens need a visa for Canada? Luckily for all US citizens, being a valid passport holder allows visa-free entrance to Canada if you are not coming for work or study.
Explore other beautiful parts of the world using electronic visa permits and file an online application in just a few minutes!
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