Canadians planning short trips to the United Kingdom and a number of other European countries will need to secure an electronic visa waiver prior to their departure beginning this year.
Waivers are currently required for travel to the UK and will be required by mid-2025 before visiting most other European countries.
Here’s a look at the new process for Canadians travelling to these destinations.
United Kingdom
Canadians planning a trip to the UK are exempt from visa requirements but will still need electronic travel authorization (ETA) before their departure.
The ETA is a new digital travel waiver required for visa-exempt travellers to gain entry to the UK, according to the UK government website. The document pre-approves travellers for entry ahead of their arrival.
ETAs are required for both adults and children and can be used for stays of up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business trips, or short-term study.
Canadians who currently live in the UK or possess a valid visa are not subject to this requirement. That includes individuals already authorized to live, work or study in the UK.
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The ETA fee includes a non-refundable charge of CA$18 (£10). Travellers can submit their applications via the official app on the UK government’s website.
Applications take roughly 10 minutes to submit on the app and are typically processed within three days, the website says. Travellers will need a valid Canadian passport to apply.
Once an ETA is approved, it remains valid for two years and can be used for multiple entries. Since ETA applications are linked to visitor passports, the issuance of a new passport requires travellers to reapply for their ETA.
Canada is one of more than 50 countries that is authorized to apply for an ETA. More than 30 additional countries will be added to that list on March 5, the government website says.
Europe
Thirty other countries in Europe will soon require a similar waiver from Canadian travellers.
Canadians currently need only their passport to travel in most European countries. But that is set to change by the middle of the year.
Under the upcoming regulations, Canadian travellers will need an approved visa waiver through the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), a European Union (EU) website says. ETIAS functions as an electronic visa waiver that assesses non-EU citizens before granting them entry.
“ETIAS will help identify potential security threats and make Europe safer for residents and travelers,” the EU said. “The ETIAS system has received support from all the EU member countries.”
Countries set to implement the system later this year are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The waiver is required for all short-term visits and is valid for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. The document is also linked to a traveller’s passport and is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires. Anyone who receives a new passport, will also need a new ETIAS travel authorization.
The application fee for the ETIAS is 7 euros, or roughly CA$10.
Application processing is usually done within minutes but could take longer if authorities request additional information or documentation.
