The short answer: with a Philippine passport, Canada’s default is a visitor visa, and the eTA is a narrower option for people who fly in and also carry an unexpired non-immigrant US visa, or had a Canadian visitor visa on record within the last decade. It covers air travel only, a temporary visit of normally up to six months, and a modest government fee. A traveller who fits that description and would rather not handle the form alone can use get-eta.com, a paid private service separate from the Government of Canada, to apply for a Canada eTA.
Using the government’s own site instead costs only the fee, and the rest of this page shows who actually gets to use the route.
The Philippines sits on Canada’s short list of visa-required countries whose citizens may still use an eTA, which makes it a conditional case rather than a visa-free one. The general mechanics behind that list are explained in the US visa rule that applies to all 17 countries on the list; below is what it means for someone travelling on a Philippine passport.
Is a visa needed to visit Canada on a Philippine passport?
By default, yes. A passport from the Philippines does not allow visa-free travel to Canada, and it does not let you apply for an eTA on its own merit either, unlike a passport from Japan or Germany. What opens the eTA route is a document you hold in addition to the passport.
The route is open only when all three things are true at once:
- A qualifying visa. Either an unexpired US visa of the non-immigrant kind, or a Canadian visitor visa (formally a temporary resident visa) that you held within the last ten years.
- A temporary visit. You plan a stay that normally lasts up to six months.
- A flight. You are flying into a Canadian airport, or changing planes at one, using a valid Philippine passport.
If even one of these fails, you apply for a visitor visa instead. The conditions are set out on IRCC’s page for eligible visa-required countries; reread it shortly before you book, since lists and conditions get updated.
Which visa counts, and when does it need to be valid?
The two visas behave differently, and mixing them up is the common mistake.
| Visa you hold | Does it qualify? | When must it be valid? |
|---|---|---|
| US non-immigrant visa | Yes | When you apply for the eTA; landing in Canada later with the visa expired is fine |
| Canadian visitor visa held within the last 10 years | Yes, even if expired | Expiry does not matter |
| Canadian visitor visa that is still valid | An eTA is not needed; fly on the visa | Until it expires |
| An earlier eTA only | No, since an eTA is a different kind of document | Does not count |
The timing detail surprises many travellers. Suppose your US visa runs out in November, you submit the eTA application in October and fly in December: the check happens on the day of the application, so the visa only has to be alive then. An expired Canadian visa still opens the door too, as long as you held it within the last decade.
Canada also recommends carrying your old passport if it contains the expired Canadian visa or the US visa that you relied on. If the visa that qualifies you sits in an earlier passport, apply and fly on the current passport, but pack the older one too.
Flying in, driving in or taking a ship
An eTA is an air document. For a Filipino traveller with a US visa the plan therefore depends on how the trip is built:
| How you reach Canada | What you need |
|---|---|
| Flying into a Canadian airport, or connecting there, and you meet the conditions | An eTA, or alternatively a visitor visa |
| Flying, but you do not meet the conditions | A visitor visa |
| Driving over from the US, or arriving by coach, rail or boat | A visitor visa |
| A cruise calling at a Canadian port, even if you never leave the ship | A visitor visa |
| Sailing out of Canada on a ship that leaves Canadian waters and returning | A visitor visa |
| Any mix of plane, train, car, bus or boat between Canada and the US | A visitor visa is the flexible option |
A common plan is a US holiday with a side trip north. If that side trip means a rental car, a rail ticket or a cruise, the US visa is no substitute for a Canadian one, so the visitor visa is the safer document. Once you are inside Canada, a straight hop to the United States or to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, followed by a straight return, needs no visa as long as you are back within your authorized stay. Add a stop anywhere else, including a leg through international waters, and the rule changes: coming back by air takes an eTA, and coming back by land or sea takes a visitor visa.
If you are still weighing the options for a trip by air, this comparison of visa, eTA or no document at all lays them side by side.
Travelling as a family: when only one person qualifies
Eligibility is personal. A parent may hold a valid US visa while an adult relative, a spouse or a travelling companion does not, and nothing transfers between them. In that situation the person who qualifies can choose an eTA or a visa, while everyone who does not qualify needs a visitor visa. Each traveller applies separately, on their own passport.
It is sensible to settle each person’s document before buying tickets.
Layovers in Canada
Connecting through a Canadian airport is treated as air travel here. Meeting the conditions means an eTA covers the stop. Missing them may still leave a no-visa transit option for flights to or from the US (the Transit Without Visa program, which Philippine passport holders can use), with strict airline and airport conditions; otherwise a transit visa is needed. Someone flying from Manila to the United States via Vancouver or Toronto should check the Canadian transit rules before booking, not only the American visa. Fuller cases are in layover rules for travellers between Canada and the US.
Working or studying in Canada
Neither document is a work permit; study or work beyond six months needs the matching permit. Coming for longer than six months to do either means applying for the matching permit, and approval brings a visa that lets you board. After a permit renewal, the visa you hold keeps working while valid; if it has lapsed, you are given an eTA with the renewal, though arriving by land or sea would call for a new visa.
How the eTA application works
Each application is for one person. Copy the passport details exactly from the photo page, because the approval is tied to that passport; a new passport later means a new eTA. For a question-by-question tour, see our walk-through of the eTA form.
Many answers come back within minutes, while others need several days. Should your case need extra time, a note with further steps reaches you within 72 hours of applying, and that note is not yet a decision. Later you can look up your eTA status; the lookup wants your passport together with the application number or UCI. An approval runs for up to five years, shorter if your passport lapses first.
Anyone who is both Canadian and Filipino is not allowed to apply and flies on a Canadian passport. Permanent residents of Canada are excluded as well, and board with a PR card or a travel document issued to permanent residents.
The short version
- For Philippine citizens the default document is a visitor visa.
- An eTA is possible only for a temporary visit by air, backed by an unexpired non-immigrant US visa or a Canadian visa from the last decade.
- The US visa is checked on the application date, not the landing date.
- Roads, rails, coaches, boats and cruises all call for a visitor visa.
- Pack the older passport if your qualifying visa is in it.
FAQ
Can a Philippine passport holder get an eTA? Yes, for flights only, and only with an unexpired non-immigrant US visa or a Canadian visitor visa held during the last decade. Without either, the route is a visitor visa.
Does my US visa have to be valid when I arrive in Canada? No. It has to be valid when you submit the application; it can run out before you travel.
I have a US visa. Can I drive or take a cruise to Canada? No. Coming in by road, coach, rail or ship, cruise liners included, requires a visitor visa, even if you never leave the ship.
Can I use an old Canadian visa to qualify? Yes, if you held it within the last 10 years, expired or not. A visa that is still valid is simply used for the flight, with no eTA.
How long can a Filipino visitor stay with an eTA? A visit normally lasts up to six months, but the border officer decides the length of stay on arrival.