In mid-2023, 13 countries including Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Morocco, Philippines, and Uruguay, were added to Canada’s electronic travel authorization (eTA) program.
Even though this announcement was made almost two years ago by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) department, for some reason a number of news content mills republished this information in the last few weeks labeling it as ‘new’ news.
TikTokers later picked up on this, but left out key bits of information, making it seem like citizens from these countries could easily enter Canada without a visa or eTA. In this post I will clarify the actual details of this policy so as to save you any embarrassment if you do decide to visit Canada without the correct credentials.
What the policy actually says
On June 6, 2023, the IRCC issued the following announcement, stating that 13 countries were added to Canada’s electronic travel authorization program. These countries are as follows:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Costa Rica
- Morocco
- Panama
- Philippines
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Seychelles
- Thailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uruguay
This is obviously good news for those wanting to visit Canada, but travelers from these countries must either have held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years, or currently hold a valid United States non-immigrant visa are able to apply for a Canadian eTA. If you’re still unsure about your status, the IRCC website can tell you whether you need an eTA or a full visa.
If you do qualify for an eTA, the process is extremely simple. Applications can be done via their website, and only costs $7 CAD. Besides the above criteria, travelers will be required to have a valid passport, email address (to receive application status updates) and a debit or credit card to pay for the application.
Once your application has been sent, you’ll receive a response within 72 hours.
