Canadian ETA Application Form Explained – A Walkthrough Of The Form And What To Expect When Applying

The government of Canada has made it mandatory for the citizens of the Visa-exempt countries to apply for ETA to travel to Canada. The residents of such countries no longer need to use a typical Canada visa. An approved Canada ETA remains valid for 5 years, and in that period, the applicant can visit Canada multiple times provided the stay duration does not exceed 6 months. The ETA is linked with the passport of the applicant, and expiry of the passport will result in the expiry of the ETA as well.

The ETA Application Process Explained

Applying for the Canada ETA is a simple and straightforward process. The citizens of visa-exempt countries need to apply online for the ETA. There is no need to go to the Canadian embassy or consulate- which is required for applying for a Canada visa. The steps required for applying for Canada ETA are:

• The applicant needs to keep the passport, debit/credit card ready.
• Before filling up the form online, he/she can read the help document-available in multiple languages.
• After that, the applicant needs to fill-up the form fields online with accurate data. The entered information must match the data in his/her passport.
• The application fee has to be paid after that.
• Most of the applicants receive an email soon after submitting the application. For a few cases, submitting additional documents online may be necessary for ETA approval.

Canada ETA Eligibility

Before applying for the Canada ETA online, it is better to check the eligibility. While the Visa-exempt country citizens have to opt for it over a visa to travel to Canada, there are certain exceptions.

• The Visa-exempt foreign nationals need the Canada ETA when they fly to Canada from their countries. However, they do not need ETA if they travel by land.
• The S. permanent residents as in Green Cardholders require the ETA to enter Canada along with their green cards. They too do not need ETA if they reach Canada by land or ship.

The ETA exemptions are applicable to:

• The dual Canadian citizens- they need to travel with valid Canadian passports.
• The US citizens do not need the ETA to visit Canada, and they have to use valid US passports.
• The Canadian permanent residents do not need the ETA. They have to use a permanent resident travel document.

A Walkthrough Of The Online Canada ETA Form

Before applying for the Canada ETA form online, it is necessary to get the passport and debit or credit card by the side. Before starting form fill up online, reading the help document is useful. The ETA application form comes in English or French only. However, the applicants can read a description of each field of the form in many other languages. The ETA online form has a few sections.

The ETA form requires the applicants to fill up personal information at first. These include fields for name, gender, date of birth, place of birth, phone, email, and citizenship-related details. There are fields for marital status and fund available for traveling in Canada; The applicants also have to state if they have applied for traveling to Canada or not previously in this section.

After the personal information is filled up properly, the applicants have to fill up the ETA form’s employment information. It is followed by the passport information section. This section needs to be filled up very carefully. The ETA is linked with the applicant’s passport and if there is any mismatch in the application form data and information in the passport- the application may be delayed or even canceled. Mistakes in spelling or typo errors can lead to problems later.

The fields include passport number, dates of issue and expiry, Issuing country, etc. This is followed by the travel information section.

Next, the applicants have to fill-up the form using the information on their past medical and criminal records- if any. They need to declare if they have any record of brush with the law, documented history of visa or permit refusal to Canada and other countries. They also have to report if they were diagnosed with specific ailments like tuberculosis or STDS like syphilis and untreated drug/alcohol addiction. They also have to declare any related information pertinent to the applications.

The next section is the consent and declaration. The applicants have to go through the norms of the Canadian government and its agencies like CBSA, CSIS before giving their consent through the ETA application form. Then the ETA applicants have to accept the terms and conditions, type the name and agree to receive emails for the application concerned. It is advisable to check the entered information from top to bottom of the form once more at this stage. Next, they need to make the payment online and complete ETA form submission.

What To Do After ETA Form Submission

After the ETA application is submitted by the citizen of a visa-exempt country, the email response comes soon. In rare cases, the applicant may need to submit more documents online for getting ETA approval. Even then, they will receive emails with the required guidelines.

After getting the ETA clearance through email, the applicants should keep it. The passport number in the ETA must match that in original passport or else they may be denied entry to the flights to Canada. The validity of ETA and passport is checked by airlines staffs.

Important CANADA ETA Facts That Applicants Should Remember While Applying For It

• One eligible applicant can apply for one ETA at a time. For a family of three traveling to Canada, separate ETA application has to be made for each.
• The online ETA application form cannot be saved and so keeping the passport by side while filling it up is prudent.
• The receipt should be printed right away, and the confirmation will come only by email.
• The applicants get a limited amount of time to fill up the online ETA form. However, they can extend the session by some time- if required. If the Session timeout warning pops up, they can click on the “Continue session” button to get some additional time to complete the online application process.

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