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canada vlag

Frequently asked questions

Canada visa

Is your question not listed here? Please, do not hesitate to contact us!

General questions

Do I need a visa or eTA for Canada?

Travelers with Dutch and Belgian nationality do not need a visa for Canada for a stay of less than 6 months tourist or business. However, travelers without a visa need a valid eTA. An eTA is easier and cheaper to apply for than a visa.
You must apply for a visa for Canada if you:

  •  You do not meet the requirements for eTA Canada (see the question “what do I have to meet to apply for an eTa”
  • You want to join a Canadian organization
  • You want to stay in Canada for more than 6 months at a time
  • You are traveling to Canada for purposes other than tourism, business or transit
  • You do not have the nationality of a country within the EU. (If you have Romanian or Bulgarian nationality, you must also apply for a visa.

What exactly is an eTA for Canada?

The eTA stands for “electronic Travel Authorization”. An ESTA is not an e-visa or standard visa but a digital authorization to enter Canada.
An eTA is mandatory for everyone. Even when transferring in Canada, you must have an eTA. You cannot enter Canada without a valid travel permit. You can request the ESTA from Traveldocs by filling in a document and sending it to us together with a scan of your passport and passport photo. You will receive your eTA within 72 hours.

How soon can I receive my Canadian eTA?

Completing the eTA form online takes approximately five minutes. After the corresponding payment has been processed, the request will be processed by us. If you have opted for an urgent application, the eTA will normally be allocated digitally 20 minutes after payment has been processed. In exceptional cases this may take longer, up to a maximum of 72 hours.
Some approvals may take longer (usually no more than a few hours) to complete because all applications are processed by the Canadian Immigration Service’s computerized computer system. The majority of applications are immediately approved, but in some cases the computer system decides that an application must be assessed by an immigration officer. In such a case, the duration depends on the amount of work at the immigration service at that time.
We at Traveldocs.n have no influence on the duration of the processing time of the eTA after it has been processed by the Canadian Immigration Service. First check your junk e-mail folder if you have requested an eTA and do not think you have received it. You can also view the status of your application online 24/7.
If you are in a hurry, you can also apply for the eTA urgently. You can do this by ticking the option “urgent” on the application form to be completed online, these applications will be processed faster. The surcharge for this procedure is € 17.50.

Which requirements do I have to meet in order to obtain an eTA?

There are a number of important requirements you must meet to apply for an eTA for Canada:
  • You have Dutch or Belgian nationality
  • You want to stay in Canada for a maximum of 6 months at a time
  • You go to Canada for tourism or business
  • You arrive in Canada by plane
  • Your passport is still valid until after departure from Canada
  • You do not enter into employment with a Canadian organization

If one or more of the following apply to your trip, you do not need to apply for an eTA for Canada:

  • You travel to Canada by land or water
  • You have a “Work Permit”
  • You have a “Study Permit”
  • You are part of airline or cabin crew

I really have a Canadian visa. Do I still need an eTA?

If your trip to Canada matches the destination and is within the validity period of the granted visa, you do not need to apply for an eTA. If you travel with a different destination than described in your visa or outside the validity period of the visa, you must apply for an eTA. In one of these cases, check whether you meet the conditions of an eTA.

Do children need to have their own eTA?

A child (with or without supervision) must also have his / her own eTA to travel in Canada. Please note, it is not possible to apply for an eTA for children that is credited in the passport of one of the parents. So every child needs his / her own passport and eTA to travel in Canada. It is of course possible for parents to apply for the eTA for their child.
Before applying, please check whether you meet the conditions of the eTA.

Do I have to print my eTA?

No, you do not need to print your eTA, once approved, your eTA will automatically be shared with your airline and the Immigration Service of Canada.
However, we do recommend that you always put a print of this separately in your passport, just in case this is nevertheless requested.

Application related questions

How can I obtain an eTA?

To apply for an eTA, simply fill out our online application form on this website. After filling in you will be redirected to our payment page from where you can pay quickly and easily with iDeal, Paypal, Bancontact or Credit card.
As soon as the payment has been made, we will process your request. You will always receive, within 72 hours (also check your junk mail folder), an email stating whether your eTA has been approved or rejected.

Which documents do I have to provide in order to obtain a Canadian eTA?

Applying for the eTA is simple, you only have to fill in the online application form, it is important to have your passport (which must be valid at least until the end of your stay in Canada) at hand.
Before applying, please check whether you meet the conditions of the eTA.

Is there an urgent procedure available?

If you urgently need an eTA, you only need to tick the option “urgent” on the online application form. If you submit this urgent application, it will be processed immediately and you will usually receive the eTA within an hour. Please note: this is an average delivery time and no warranty can be given here. In exceptional cases even urgent applications might receive a definite answer up to 72 hours after submission.

When can I order an eTA?

Because the application is done via our online application form, you can request an eTA from us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We do recommend that you request the eTA at least 72 hours before your departure. Despite the fact that 90% of all applications are accepted within the hour, it is possible that due to a manual check by an employee of the Canadian immigration service, a delay of up to 72 hours may occur.

Is it possible to request an eTA for others or apply as a group?

Yes, you can fill in all fellow travelers in one application. You can also request an eTA for someone else in case you do not travel yourself. Obviously, you must then have permission to use all data and documents required to request an eTA from the relevant traveler (s). Since you can put multiple applicants on one application form, this saves a lot of time and work.

I have a new passport. Do I have to apply for an eTA again?

Yes, if you have received a new passport after an eTA has been issued, you must apply for an eTA again. All data on the eTA must correspond with the data of your current passport, including the passport number (your old passport in combination with any previously linked eTA is no longer valid).

Can I apply for an eTA with my identification card?

No, to apply for your eTA for Canada you need to enter your international travel passport details. An identity card is not sufficient and will not get accepted.

I only have a transit stop (transfer) in Canada. Do I need an eTA?

If you arrive in Canada by plane, you always need an eTA, even if you are passing through and do not leave the airport. If you travel into Canada by boat or overland, you do not need an eTA. The only exception to this is when your aircraft makes a stop to refuel, this will take less than 12 hours and you will not leave the aircraft during that time. If your aircraft is going to make a stop in Canada to refuel, we strongly recommend for you to contact your airline and check whether or not you need an eTA.

I am a status holder (and don't have a Dutch passport). Can I apply for an eTA?

Status holders living in the Netherlands who are in possession of a residence permit cannot apply for an eTA. A traveler may only apply for an eTA with an officially issued Dutch passport.
If you are a status holder with a residence permit but no Dutch passport, it is only possible to travel to Canada with a regular visa. Traveldocs can assist you with obtaining a regular Canadian visa. Contact us at least 2 months (or 6-8 weeks) in advance so that we can inform you on the procedure and (our) pricing.

I'm arriving in Canada by cruise. Do I need an eTA?

No, if you only enter Canada by boat (eg at a stopover in Vancouver) you do not need an eTA, but you must have a valid passport.
If you are flying to Canada to board a cruise ship, you will need an eTA before boarding the plane.

How secure is it to apply for an eTA via this website?

If you submit an application for an eTA via our website, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is always used, with which we secure the communication of the data from your computer to our server. This way your data is protected at all times.
We will only use your data to process your visa application. In doing so, we respect the privacy of each user of our site and will ensure that all personal information you provide to us will be treated confidentially. We strongly inform you that your data will not be sold or used for any other commercial purposes. Furthermore, the payment methods that we offer such as iDEAL, Paypal, bancontact or by credit card are also safe ways to pay.
If you have any further questions about your privacy, please view our privacy policy or contact us.

Requirements related questions

Does my passport state the letter O or number 0?

Document numbers in the Netherlands never contain the letter “O”, but they can contain the number “0”. Even though it seems that there is a letter O in your passport, it will be the number 0. It is also important to know that document numbers in the Netherlands are 9 characters long.
Belgian document numbers may include the letter (s) “O” and / or the number “0”. Belgian document numbers are 8 characters long and always start with 2 letters followed by 6 numbers.

Which conditions apply to my passport?

The following conditions shout be met:

  • Your passport must be valid throughout the stay in the Canada. The eTA is linked to the passport with which the application was submitted, so if you use another passport, the validity of the eTA will immediately expire and you must submit a new application for an eTA with the new passport.
  • On the page with the personal data, the passport must have a machine-readable zone (all Dutch and Belgian passports meet this requirement).
  • The passport must also contain a digital chip containing the biometric data of the card holder. This logo can be found on the cover of the passport.
  • An emergency passport must also be an electronic version, in the paper version (without E logo and chip) you will not be assigned an eTA.

 

An example of the logo that should be seen on the passport cover or on the inside of the passport:

If you are not sure whether or not your passport contains a readable chip, please contact us for more information.

I need a regular visa for Canada. Can I apply via Traveldocs?

Yes. In most cases we are able to help with the procedure of obtianing a regular (paper) visa for Canada instead of the eTA. However, the traveler must collect and deliver a few documents and sign some forms. There is also a possibility that you will be invited for a interview, therefore you must be able to travel to the Hague on the given date. The regular visa is most times valid for at least 10 years. The costs vary per visa type.

Contact us if you want more information on this process and pricing.

Questions about canceling, changing and rejections

Is it possible to change any information on my eTA?

Until you have paid for the eTA application, you can still change all fields in the online application form. After the eTA application has been paid, we will immediately process it and only adjusting your e-mail address is still possible. Therefore, before you are taken to the payment page, you will be asked to confirm that the information is correct. Please check this carefully.
If an error was made in the application, you must submit a new application. If the information on your eTA does not match that on your passport, your eTA is not valid. Any costs for a new application will be for your own account.
Although we at Traveldocs always try to detect and solve any errors, we are under no circumstances responsible and / or liable for the data that has been incorrectly or incompletely filled in by the applicant on the application form.
It is also not possible to change or cancel the data with a rejected eTA.

Is it possible to cancel my eTA application?

Cancellation is only possible before payment is completed. As soon as we have received the payment for your eTA application, we will immediately process it and refund your payment from that moment on.
If you made a mistake with the application, you can submit a new application. Costs for this new application are entirely at your own expense.

I will not make any use of the eTA anymore. Can I get my money back?

If your eTA application is approved, you will never receive a refund. Even if you do not use your eTA. Cancellation of an application is only possible before you have made the payment.

Additional questions

Can I get help with my application?

Always try to find your question on this page first, in almost all cases you will find the answer to your question about your visa application here.
In the unlikely event that you find no or insufficient answer to your question, we will of course be happy to help you, click here to contact us.

How do you handle my perosnal information?

We will only use your data to process your visa application. In doing so, we respect the privacy of every user of our site and will ensure that all personal information you provide to us will be treated confidentially. We strongly inform you that your data will not be sold or used for any other commercial purposes.
If you have any further questions about your privacy, please view our privacy policy or contact us.

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