ETIAS for Canadian Citizens
Commonwealth and UN member Canada is a country with well-established bonds to Europe in its broader sense. Its standing as an economic and diplomatic power is proven, among many factors, by its participation in the G7 summits since 1986.
Owning Visa Waiver rights since years, Canadian citizens, like their US neighbors, will, starting from 2025, need to obtain an ETIAS Visa Waiver in order to travel to the EU/Schengen Area.
ETIAS for Canadian Citizens in brief
Canada Nationals will be eligible for ETIAS Visa Waiver starting from 2025
ETIAS applicants required to hold a valid passport of Canada
ETIAS Electronic application enabled through desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
ETIAS can be used for business, leisure, transit and medical care trips towards and across the 34 ETIAS Member Countries
Duration of stay in the ETIAS Area in its entirety mustn’t exceed 90 days out of every 6 months.
ETIAS eligibility criteria for Canadians
Since ETIAS eligibility is connected to the traveler’s country of passport and not to their country of residence, holders of Canada temporary or permanent resident status can only apply for ETIAS only if they have nationality and passport from one of the 60 ETIAS eligible countries.
Such Visa Waiver is only suitable for Canadian citizens with ordinary passport whose stay in the ETIAS Nations will not exceed 90 days within 6 months and whose purpose of the trip will be either business, tourism, transit, or medical treatment.
Canadian citizen willing to move, work or study in the EU on a long-term basis will still have to apply for Consular Schengen Visa.
The Canadian passport used for the ETIAS application must always have a residual validity long enough to cover for the whole duration of the trip, with three additional months, in the ETIAS Area.
Canadian travelers with a passport expiring during the scheduled stay in the ETIAS Area might not be allowed to enter the EU Borders.
To this extent, in order to prove the planned duration of the trip, it is always recommended for each Visa Waiver visitor to hold a confirmed return ticket upon arrival in the EU or a confirmed onwards ticket to a non-ETIAS Country where the traveler from Canada has a proven right to enter.
Where and when not to use ETIAS
ETIAS is required to all Canadian visitors whose travel circumstances fit in the general eligibility criteria listed above and that do not possess a valid Schengen Visa, or a valid Permit of Stay issued by any of its member countries.
Considering that the requirement for ETIAS is equally enforced by all Schengen Area Member Nations, therefore eligible Canada citizens must obtain one regardless of which Country of the area they are planning to visit.
It must though be remembered that ETIAS is only valid for journeys to the thirty-four European countries that are current or future Members of the Schengen Area. Up to this day the Republic of Ireland is the only EU Member State that is free to decide whether or not to become one day part of the border free European travel area and, because of this, it is not linked to ETIAS system that will hence not be a requirement to access its territory.
How to submit ETIAS application
ETIAS application to Canada passport holders is to be completed through a simple electronic form.
The application form is easy to understand and handle; its completion should require each candidate no more than 10 minutes to input all the necessary information.
Such information include:
- personal data like full name and surname, birthplace, birth country, birth date
- scheduled travel to EU related information
- eligibility and background questions
Once answered all the questions Canadian applicant are required to electronically pay the due taxes to submit their request.
The outcome is sent via e-mail exclusively and will, in the vast majority of cases, be available whithin 3 days from the application date.
Canadian petitioners having urgent need for feedback to their ETIAS application are invited to flag the “urgent procedure” button in the application form.
When approved, ETIAS Visa Waiver will be directly linked to the Canadian visitor’s passport and it is therefore not necessary, but only recommended, to print out the approval document.
The approved Visa Waiver is valid for 3 years or until the passport expiry date, whichever incurs first, and allows for multiple entries in the Schengen Area provided that each trip must comply with the general ETIAS terms of use.
Arrival at the European borders
Upon reaching the European Union/Schengen Area’s land, air or sea external borders all ETIAS holders will be subject to passport control and a brief security check. Albeit this procedure will in most cases be swift and without request for any documentation, in some case customs officers can decide to verify the genuine intentions and journey plans of the Canadian citizen. To this extent all visitors should always be prepared to answer basic questions about their travel plans and, if asked, to provide additional documents such as proof of having funds to support the entire stay in the ETIAS Area, return ticket to the country of origin or any other paper that would help officers in assessing the purpose of the trip.