Canada Electronic Travel Authorisation: How to Do It the Right Way

Several travelers have reported disputes over the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) over the past few months. There have been many complaints regarding the exorbitant rate charged to get an eTA. While travelers may opt for various sites to apply for an eTA, Canada’s official immigration site only charges $C7 for the same. To avoid any confusion, here is a detailed overview of how to get an eTA.

The Process

Applying for a Canadian eTA is a simple online process and should be done before you book your flight.

1. Your passport, credit or debit cards are needed to apply for it.
2. An online form must be to apply.
3. Only $7 CAD is to be paid for your eTA after you complete the form.
4. You will receive an email about your eTA application.
5. Most applications are approved within a few minutes but some can take longer.
6. You may need to submit additional documents to get your application approved.
7. If such a situation happens to you, an email will be sent to you with instructions within 72 hours.

Although the eTA application form is in English and French, descriptions of each field in the form are available in various languages.

Documents and Payment Options

You will need the following to apply for an eTA:

• A valid passport from a visa-exempt country
• A valid email address
• One of the following acceptable methods of payment to pay the $7 non-refundable CAD fee:
• Visa, MasterCard, American Express
• Visa Debit, or Debit MasterCard,
• UnionPay
• JCB Card
• Interac

Time taken to get an eTA

It is best to apply and get your eTA before you book your flight to Canada. Most applicants get their eTA approved via email within minutes. However, in some cases, if you are asked to submit supporting documents, the request can take several days to process.

Confirmation for your Passport Number

Once your eTA is approved, you must check that the passport number provided in your eTA approval email matches the number given in your passport. If they don’t match, you will need to apply for a new eTA immediately.

Important Reminders while Applying for an eTA

1. You can apply and pay for eTA for one person at a time. For example, if you have a family of three, you will need to complete and submit the application form three times.
2. Make sure that you print your receipt immediately as you will not be able to print later or receive a copy of the same.
3. You will receive any document or information by mail only.
4. Since your information cannot be saved, you have limited time to complete the form. However, when the “Session timeout warning” box appears, click the “Continue session” button to extend your session by a few minutes. Read through the help document to make sure that you have everything you need to complete the form.