Can US Green Card Holders Travel to Canada

If you hold a US Green Card, you need a valid passport and an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) to travel to Canada. You don’t require a visitor’s visa; and applying for an eTA is quite simple.

The top five US states that have attracted the most visitors to Canada are New York, Washington, California, Michigan and Pennsylvania, according to the 2016 figures revealed by the Government of Canada.

If you’re traveling to Canada by air, you’ll need to present your US Green Card and a valid passport with the eTA. However, if you’re entering Canada by road or sea, directly from the US, you don’t need the eTA. You’ll be asked to present a valid passport and your US Green Card.

How to Apply for the eTA

• Keep your passport and credit or debit card handy.
• Fill up the online eTA form.  Remember to keep all your information ready, since the form can’t be saved.
• Pay C$7 for the eTA once you finish filling the form.
• Print the receipt right away.
• You’ll receive an email confirming the eTA application.

Although eTAs are usually approved within minutes, at times it could take a couple of days. So, it may be a good idea to apply for the eTA before booking your flight tickets.

Things to Remember for Filling Up the eTA Form

• Ensure your passport has not expired.
• Although an eTA is valid for five years, it will expire with the expiry of your passport and a new passport requires a new eTA.
• Check that you’ve filled in the correct email ID, since all communication will take place on this.

Got questions? Please ask in comments.