The short answer: Irish citizens do not need a visa to visit Canada, but an Irish passport holder who boards a flight into or via a Canadian airport needs an eTA first, unless exempt as a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or US green card holder. It costs 7 CAD, the answer often arrives within minutes, and the approval is bound to the passport named on the form. Work under a Working Holiday is a different matter and needs a permit of its own. Prefer a guided form? get-eta.com charges for its help and is separate from the Government of Canada; its page lets you apply for your Canada eTA.
Ireland sits in the European group of the list of eTA-required countries, next to most EU members, so the rule is the same one that a traveller from France or Italy meets. Below you will find what it means for a holiday, a stopover, a stay with a British or Canadian second passport, and for people who live in Ireland on a passport from somewhere else.
Going straight to canada.ca means paying the government fee and nothing more. Whatever you pay above 7 CAD buys someone’s assistance.
Do Irish citizens need a visa for Canada, or an eTA?
It is the eTA. Canada does not ask Irish travellers for a visitor visa when they arrive by air; it asks for a valid passport and the electronic authorization linked to it. You need either a visa or an eTA, never the pair, so a short trip for a holiday, a family visit or a meeting begins with an online form, not with a consulate.
A few people do not need the eTA. Someone who is also a Canadian citizen flies on a Canadian passport, and a Canadian permanent resident or a US green card holder is exempt too. Every other Irish passport holder boarding a flight to Canada needs one, and that includes children and babies.
Crossing the border on land or water is different. Arrivals overland or on the water, cruise ships included, generally need no eTA, though the passport is still required.
How much is a Canada eTA from Ireland?
Each application costs 7 CAD, and the money is not returned whatever happens to your plans or to the request. Cards accepted are Visa, Mastercard and American Express, along with some others. Your bank converts the amount into euro at its own rate, which is why the figure on your statement will not match any number you calculate beforehand.
Keep your passport and an email address ready. You cannot pause and save the form, and it exists only in English and French, so set aside one uninterrupted sitting.
How long does approval take?
Usually an answer comes in minutes. Some cases take up to several days, typically when extra documents are requested. The practical advice is to apply before you pay for flights, not on the evening before departure, because a delayed answer is easiest to absorb while your tickets are still unbought.
The decision comes by email. There is nothing to print, since the airline checks the authorization when it scans your passport at check-in. To follow an application you have already filed, check your eTA status with a private paid service, unconnected to the Government of Canada; it asks for your passport details and the application number or UCI.
How long can an Irish citizen stay in Canada?
Border officers normally allow visitors up to six months, and the officer writes the final date for your visit, which may be shorter or longer. The eTA itself lasts up to five years, or until the passport expires if that comes first, and it covers many trips in that period. The detail of how each visit is counted is in the piece on how long you may stay on each visit. The eTA does not guarantee entry: you are still checked on arrival.
Can Irish citizens work in Canada? Working Holiday, Young Professionals and Co-op
The eTA is not a permit to work or study. Ireland is one of the countries whose citizens can apply to International Experience Canada (IEC), and each of its three categories leads to a work permit, which you request separately. The conditions for Ireland are listed on the page with the IEC conditions for Irish citizens; in short:
| Category | Who it suits | Longest stay | Job offer needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working Holiday | Young people who want to travel and take jobs as they go | Up to 24 months | No |
| Young Professionals | People who want experience in their own field | Up to 24 months | Yes, in line with your occupation |
| International Co-op | Students at a post-secondary institution in Ireland placed in a work term | Up to 12 months | Yes, as part of your studies |
All three share the same base rules. You must be an Irish citizen aged 18 to 35 inclusive, hold at least CAN$2,500 to cover the start of your stay, have health insurance for the whole period (you may be asked to show it at the border), and own a return ticket or the money for one. You cannot bring dependants, and your passport has to remain valid for the full stay, because a permit is never issued for longer than the passport lasts.
Each category can be used once in a lifetime. After a Working Holiday or Young Professionals permit you may take part one more time through Co-op, and after Co-op you may come back for one Working Holiday or Young Professionals round.
Working Holiday produces an open work permit, meaning it is not tied to a single employer. If a work permit is approved, you receive the eTA automatically and no second application is needed. Check current quotas, invitation rounds and IEC fees on the IEC pages when you apply.
Flying from Ireland with a connection: transit rules
Few journeys from Ireland are a single leg into Canada, so it matters where the connection happens. For the wider picture, see the rules for transit via Canada and the US.
Connecting through a Canadian airport to another country
Landing in Canada only to catch a flight to a third country is air transit, and it needs an eTA. Irish passport holders do not need a separate transit visa.
Connecting in London or another European hub on the way to Canada
If the last flight of the journey lands in Canada, the eTA has to be in place before you board it, wherever the trip began. Airports in other countries apply their own entry rules to passengers in transit, and those are a separate question from the Canadian one.
Flying to the US first, then crossing into Canada by land
A land crossing generally needs no eTA, but it does need your passport. The authorization becomes necessary only if a flight into Canada is part of the same journey. US entry rules are outside this page.
Irish and Canadian, Irish and British: which passport do dual citizens use?
Irish and Canadian
Use the Canadian passport. A Canadian citizen has to travel to Canada on a valid Canadian passport and cannot obtain an eTA on the Irish one. How this works in other pairings is covered in a short explanation of how dual citizenship affects the eTA.
Irish and British
Both Ireland and the United Kingdom are on the eTA list, so either passport can be used to apply. The authorization belongs to the passport number entered on the form. Apply with the booklet you will carry to the check-in desk and show at the gate; an eTA tied to the Irish passport is no help if you fly on the British one. British travellers can read the page for British citizens for the same rules from the other side.
Living in Ireland without an Irish passport
Your passport decides, not where you live. A citizen of India who lives in Ireland follows the requirements for the Indian passport: India appears on Canada’s visa-required list, and an eTA does not replace the visa. Citizens of countries on the separate conditional list, described as possibly eligible for an eTA instead of a visa, should check the conditions for their own nationality. Residence in Ireland is not a reason to expect a particular answer.
New passport, children and travel documents
An eTA stays with the passport number it was issued for. After you renew your passport, apply again with the new one, before you book if possible.
Each child needs an application of their own, babies included, since no age exemption exists. If a minor travels with only one parent or with other adults, border staff can ask for a consent letter from one or both parents, so it is sensible to bring it. Nothing needs printing for the airport: the airline scans the passport.
The short version
- Irish citizens need an eTA, not a visa, to fly to or through Canada.
- It is 7 CAD per application, not refundable, converted to euro at your bank’s rate.
- An answer normally takes minutes but may take several days; apply before you buy tickets.
- Visits are normally up to six months; the eTA lasts up to five years or until the passport expires.
- Working Holiday, Young Professionals and Co-op need an IEC work permit; the eTA comes with it.
- A dual Canadian citizen uses the Canadian passport; an Irish and British citizen uses whichever passport goes to check-in.
- A new passport or an additional child means a new application.
FAQ
Are Irish citizens exempt from the Canada eTA? Not when flying, unless you are also Canadian, a Canadian permanent resident or a US green card holder. An Irish passport holder otherwise needs an eTA for any flight to or through Canada, while a land or sea arrival does not need one in most cases.
How much is an eTA for Canada from Ireland? 7 CAD per application, with no refund. The bank converts it to euro at its own rate.
How long can an Irish citizen stay in Canada? Usually up to six months per visit, with the exact date set by the border officer on arrival.
Can Irish citizens work in Canada? They need a work permit, because the eTA does not allow work. The main route for young Irish citizens is IEC, open at ages 18 to 35, with Working Holiday lasting up to 24 months.
Do Irish passport holders need a transit visa for Canada? Not a visa. A layover at a Canadian airport en route to another country calls for an eTA, and no visa is involved.