Romanians, Bulgarians flying to Canada must now apply for eTA

Romanian and Bulgarian citizens no longer need a Temporary Resident Visa to travel to Canada, as of 9 a.m. on December 1, 2017.

However, similar to other visa-exempt travellers, all Romanian and Bulgarian citizens travelling to Canada by air will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) prior to boarding a flight to Canada. This applies to all Romanian and Bulgarian citizens flying to or transiting through Canada.

Romanians and Bulgarians who already have a valid Canadian visa can continue to use it for travel to or transit through Canada until it expires and are not required to apply for a new eTA.

The Canadian pre-approval system is only required for Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)-exempt individuals seeking to enter Canada by air to visit on a temporary basis.

Applying for an eTA is relatively simple. Applicants are asked to fill out some personal information and answer a few basic questions relating to criminality or medical issues.

To complete the online form, applicants need:

a valid passport from a visa-exempt country.
a credit card to pay the $7.00 CAD fee.
a valid email address.

Note:

Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, cannot apply for an eTA and need a valid Canadian passport to fly to Canada.
Canadian permanent residents (PR) need to travel with a valid Canadian PR card or PR travel document and valid passport.

To read a comprehensive list of frequently asked eTA-related questions and answers, click here.