Canadians Now Need Electronic Visa Waivers for These Regions Beginning This Year

Travelers arrive at Terminal 2 of London Heathrow Airport in London, UK, on April 6, 2022. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

Canadians planning short trips to the United Kingdom and a number of other European countries will need to secure an electronic visa waiver prior to their departure beginning this year.

Waivers are currently required for travel to the UK and will be required by mid-2025 before visiting most other European countries.

Here’s a look at the new process for Canadians travelling to these destinations.

United Kingdom

Canadians planning a trip to the UK are exempt from visa requirements but will still need an electronic travel authorization (ETA) before their departure.

The ETA is a new digital travel waiver required for visa-exempt travellers to gain entry to the UK, according to the UK government website. The document pre-approves travellers for entry ahead of their arrival.

ETAs are required for both adults and children and can be used for stays of up to six months for tourism, visits with family and friends, business trips, or short-term study.

Canadians who currently live in the UK or possess a valid visa are not subject to this requirement. That includes individuals already authorized to live, work, or study in the UK.

The ETA fee includes a non-refundable charge of C$18 (£10). Travellers can submit their applications via the official app on the UK government’s website.

Applications take roughly 10 minutes to submit on the app and are typically processed within three working days, the website says. Travellers will need a valid Canadian passport to apply.

Once an ETA is approved, it remains valid for two years and can be used for multiple entries. Since ETA applications are linked to visitor passports, the issuance of a new passport requires travellers to reapply for their ETA.

Travellers from Canada are among nationalities from more than 50 countries who can now apply for an ETA. More than 30 additional countries will be added to that list on March 5, the UK government website says.

Europe

Thirty European countries will soon require a similar waiver from Canadian travellers.

Canadians currently need only their passport to travel in most European countries. But that is set to change by the middle of the year.

Under the upcoming regulations, Canadian travellers wishing to travel to any of the 30 countries involved will need an approved visa waiver through the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), the European Union (EU) says on its ETIAS website.

The ETIAS functions as a system for assessing non-EU citizens and granting an electronic visa waiver to those who are visa-exempt. The system is set to begin operation six months after the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), due to start in 2025, begins operation.

The EES “improves security within the EU” and “helps combat terrorism and serious organised crime by acting as an identity verification tool,” says the EU on its EES website as part of the purpose of the system. It “modernises border management across the European countries using the system; by electronically registering non-EU nationals’ entries and exits, or entry refusals,” the website says.

Countries set to implement the system later this year are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The waiver, or ETIAS travel authorization, is required for all short-term visits and is valid for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. The document is also linked to a traveller’s passport and is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires. Anyone who receives a new passport will also need a new ETIAS travel authorization.

The application fee for the ETIAS is 7 euros, or roughly C$10.

Application processing is usually done within minutes but could take longer if authorities request additional information or documentation.