Transit through Canada
Transit Canada
If you are travelling to another country and have to do your transit Canada – there are several things you need to keep in mind.
The document you need will depend on whether you are planning to leave the airport, your mode of travel to Canada, your country of nationality, and whether you are a permanent resident of US or hold a US visa. So, to ensure peace of mind and a stress-free trip, do your research before booking the flight. The first step is to determine if you’re from a visa-exempt country. Check the Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada website to find out.
If you are from a visa-required country, you will need a Canada Visitor Visa if you plan to:
- Visit Canada while transiting.
- Your transit is more than 48 hours.
- You are travelling by bus, car, train, boat, cruise ship. In other words, you’re not travelling by plane.
You can apply for visitor visa Canada entirely online, it costs $100 CAD, and it takes between a few weeks to a few months to approve. You may also need to pay additional $85 CAD if you have never given biometrics in the past. The online system will tell you if you need biometrics, but you can also find out by checking this website.
While a visit to Niagara Falls might be the best transit experience you’ve ever had, there are several things you can do to avoid the hassle of applying for a Visitor Visa.
Transit Canada
Another option for nationals of visa-required countries is a Canada Transit Visa. Canada transit visa fee is $0 CAD, which is its greatest advantage over the Visitor Visa. However, you might still need to pay for biometrics. So if your question is “do we need a transit visa for Canada,” the answer is yes, if you are travelling by air, and your flight either stops at a Canadian airport on the way to your destination, or you are transiting between two international flights. You can also apply for a Transit Visa if you’re planning to stay in Canada less than 48 hours and you don’t plan to leave the airport. Remember that you don’t need a Transit Visa if you already have a Visitor Visa.
So, if you’d like to save money and you are from a visa-required Country, try to travel by air, make sure the time between your connecting flights is less than 48 hours, and postpone your trip to Niagara Falls.
You can apply for a transit visa online and it will be valid for 1 to 2 entries depending on your travel itinerary.
There are some exceptions that allow certain foreign nationals from China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan transit without a visa. Check the IRCC website to find out if this exemption applies to you.
If you are lucky enough to be from a visa-exempt country, getting documents for your transit through Canada will be much simpler. First, consulting this list to make sure you’re visa exempt.
- If you are from a country that requires an eTA, you will need to apply for eTA
only if you are travelling by plane. An eTA application costs $7 CAD, it is done online, and in most cases, it only takes a few minutes to approve. However, don’t put it off until you are about to hop on the plane – in some cases IRCC might request additional documentation, so you might be denied boarding. It is recommended that you apply for an eTA before booking your flight.
However, if you’re transiting by train, bus, boat or cruise ship, just make sure you have a valid travel document to enter Canada, e.g. your passport.
Finally, if you are citizen or a permanent resident of the US, you don’t need to apply for anything to enter Canada. Just make sure you have the right travel document. Remember, the Border Officer will still ask you questions upon entry – so make sure you can demonstrate that you are a genuine visitor and you’re only in Canada for transit purposes.
Regards,
International Experience Club
