Visa

VISA INFORMATION

Please note that most delegates will require a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada – not both. Some people may only need a valid passport. To check which option you require see the table below or click here. For the question ‘What do you plan to do in Canada?’ please select the option ‘Attend a meeting, conference, or trade show.

Important update for Mexican citizens

As of February 29, 2024, at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, Mexican citizens travelling to Canada will need to meet new requirements to travel to Canada.
Mexican citizens who hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years and are travelling by air on a Mexican passport will be able to apply for a new electronic travel authorization (eTA). With the high number of Mexican citizens currently holding US visas, the majority will continue to enjoy visa-free travel to Canada. Those who do not meet these conditions will need to apply for a Canadian visitor visa.

For additional information, please visit Updated travel information for Mexican citizens coming to Canada – Canada.ca and Changes to eTA and visitor visa requirements for Mexican citizens – Canada.ca.

VISITOR VISA

A visitor visa (also called a temporary resident visa) is an official document that we stick in your passport. It shows that you meet the requirements needed to enter Canada. Depending upon your country of origin, you may be required to apply for a visitor’s visa. Please note, processing times vary and could take up to 9 months to receive. Information regarding the process, including costs and timeframes can be found here.

ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION (eTA) VISA

For event attendance, travelling by plane, you will require an Electronic travel authorization (eTA) visa.

Approval Time

Most applicants get their eTA approval (via an email) within minutes.
However, some requests can take several days to process if you’re asked to submit supporting documents.

Confirm your passport number is correct

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

What to bring to the airport

When we approve your eTA, it will be linked to the passport you used to apply. You need to present this passport when you check-in to your flight to Canada. You don’t need to print out any special document.

The airline staff will scan your passport to confirm that you have a valid eTA. If you don’t have one, you won’t be able to board your flight.

For more information click here.

DO I NEED A VISA OR AN eTA?

Country eTA Visa
Afghanistan X
Albania X
Algeria X
Andorra X
Angola X
Argentina (Some citizens of Argentina may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Armenia X
Australia X
Austria X
Azerbaijan X
Bahamas X
Bahrain X
Bangladesh X
Barbados X
Belarus X
Belgium X
Belize X
Benin X
Bhutan X
Bolivia X
Bosnia-Herzegovina X
Botswana X
Brazil (Some citizens of Brazil may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
British citizen X
British National (Overseas) X
British overseas citizen (re-admissible to the United Kingdom) X

British overseas territory citizen with citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in one of the British overseas territories of:

o Anguilla
o Bermuda
o British Virgin Islands
o Cayman Islands
o Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
o Gibraltar
o Montserrat
o Pitcairn Island
o Saint Helena
o Turks and Caicos Islands

 X
British Subject with a right of abode in the United Kingdom X
Brunei Darussalam X
Bulgaria X
Burkina Faso X
Burundi X
Cambodia X
Cameroon, Republic of X
Cape Verde X
Central African Republic X
Chad X
Chile X
China, People’s Republic of X
Colombia X
Comoros X
Congo, Democratic Republic of X
Congo, Republic of X
Costa Rica, Republic of (Some citizens of Costa Rica may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Croatia X
Cuba X
Cyprus X
Czech Republic X
Denmark X
Djibouti X
Dominica X
Dominican Republic X
Ecuador X
Egypt X
El Salvador X
Equatorial Guinea X
Eritrea X
Estonia X
Eswatini X
Ethiopia X
Fiji X
Finland X
France X
Gabon X
Gambia X
Georgia X
Germany X
Ghana X
Greece X
Grenada X
Guatemala X
Guinea X
Guinea-Bissau X
Guyana X
Haiti X
Honduras X
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, must have a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR. X
Hungary X
Iceland X
India X
Indonesia X
Iran X
Iraq X
Ireland X
Israel, must have a national Israeli passport X
Israel, must have a valid Israeli “Travel Document in lieu of National Passport” X
Italy X
Ivory Coast X
Jamaica X
Japan X
Jordan X
Kazakhstan X
Kenya X
Kiribati X
Korea, North X
Kosovo X
Kuwait X
Kyrgyzstan X
Laos X
Latvia X
Lebanon X
Lesotho X
Liberia X
Libya X
Liechtenstein X
Lithuania X
Luxembourg X
Macao Special Administrative Region X
Madagascar X
Malawi X
Malaysia X
Maldives Islands X
Mali X
Malta X
Marshall Islands X
Mauritania X
Mauritius X
Mexico X
Micronesia, Fed. States X
Moldova X
Monaco X
Mongolia X
Montenegro X
Morocco (Some citizens of Morocco may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Mozambique X
Myanmar X
Namibia X
Nauru X
Nepal X
Netherlands X
New Zealand X
Nicaragua X
Niger X
Nigeria X
North Macedonia X
Norway X
Oman X
Pakistan X
Palau X
Palestinian Authority X
Panama (Some citizens of Panama may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Papua New Guinea X
Paraguay X
Peru X
Philippines (Some citizens of the Philippines may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Poland X
Portugal X
Qatar X
Republic of Korea X
Romania (electronic passport holders only) X
Romania (holder of a non-electronic passport, such as a temporary passport) X
Russia X
Rwanda X
Samoa X
San Marino X
Sao Tomé e Principe X
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of X
Senegal X
Serbia X
Seychelles (Some citizens of the Seychelles may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Sierra Leone X
Singapore X
Slovakia X
Slovenia X
Solomon Islands X
Somalia X
South Africa X
South Sudan X
Spain X
Sri Lanka X
St. Kitts and Nevis (Some citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
St. Lucia (Some citizens of St. Lucia may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent) (Some citizens of St. Vincent and the Grenadines may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Sudan X
Surinam X
Sweden X
Switzerland X
Syria X
Taiwan, must have a passport other than an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes their personal identification number X
Taiwan, must have an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes the personal identification number X
Tajikistan X
Tanzania X
Thailand (Some citizens of Thailand may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Timor-Leste X
Togo X
Tonga X
Trinidad and Tobago (Some citizens of Trinidad and Tobago may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Tunisia X
Türkiye X
Turkmenistan X
Tuvalu X
Uganda X
Ukraine X
United Arab Emirates X
Uruguay (Some citizens of Uruguay may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements.) X
Uzbekistan X
Vanuatu X
Vatican City State, must have a passport or travel document issued by the Vatican. X
Venezuela X
Vietnam X
Yemen X
Zambia X
Zimbabwe X

 

For more information click here

CANBORDER eDECLARATION

The Canadian Border Services Agency recommends that all attendees download the CanBorder – eDeclaration app. The CanBorder – eDeclaration app for your smart phone is quick, simple and secure, operates in airplane mode (once downloaded) and allows you to create a declaration for up to five travellers with the same place of residence. For more information please visit: www.cbsa.gc.ca/new-neuf/app-eng.html

IRCC RECOMMENDATIONS

Click here to download the recommendations from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)