The short answer: if you hold a British passport and you are flying to Canada, you need an eTA before you board. The government fee is 7 Canadian dollars, paid once when you submit the form, and most applications are decided within minutes. Generally you do not need an eTA if you arrive by car, bus, train or cruise ship, and you cannot get one if you are travelling on a Canadian passport.
If you are new to the document itself, what a Canada eTA actually is explains it in plain terms, and the first Canada eTA application checklist covers what to have ready. Below is the detail for British travellers: the rule, the cost, the passport question, and the mistakes that cause trouble at check-in.
Do British citizens need an eTA for Canada?
Yes, for air travel. Canada lists the United Kingdom among the countries whose citizens can visit without a visa but must hold an electronic travel authorization (eTA) and a valid passport to board a flight. The airline checks for the eTA at check-in, so a missing one usually means you are stopped at the airport in the UK, not in Canada.
The requirement applies to British travellers who are not Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents or US green card holders, and it includes children and babies. It does not depend on how long you plan to stay or on whether you have been to Canada before. Every person on the booking needs their own eTA. Travellers from Germany and Austria follow the same rule, each with a passport detail of their own: see the guides for German citizens and Austrian citizens.
How much does a Canada eTA cost for UK travellers?
The government fee is 7 CAD, charged once per application and not refunded if you change your plans or if the application is refused. The fee is the same for everyone, wherever the applicant lives. Your card issuer converts the amount into pounds, so the figure on your statement moves slightly with the exchange rate and may include a small foreign-transaction charge from your bank.
Some private services help with the form and add their own service fee on top of the government fee. That is a separate charge for a separate service, and it is worth reading the total before you pay. The practical point is simple: 7 CAD is the government price, and anything above it is someone’s fee for their help.
What do you need to apply?
You need three things:
- A valid passport from the country you are applying under. The eTA is linked electronically to that one passport.
- An email address you can access, because the decision is sent there.
- A credit or debit card. Canada accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express, prepaid versions of those cards, Visa Debit, Debit Mastercard, UnionPay and JCB.
The form cannot be saved, so have your passport in front of you before you begin. Our field-by-field walkthrough of the application form shows what each question asks.
How long does it take?
Most applications are approved within minutes. If IRCC asks for more documents, a decision can take several days. Apply well before you book non-refundable extras rather than on the day of the flight. If your application is still pending after the usual time, the guide on what to do when an eTA is still pending walks through the next steps.
If you would rather have the form walked through for you, get-eta.com is a paid private service, clearly separate from the Government of Canada, where you can start your eTA application.
Which passport should you use if you hold two?
The eTA is tied to one passport, and the airline scans that passport at check-in, so the passport you applied with must be the one you travel on. If you are British and also a citizen of another eTA-required country, apply with the passport you will actually carry to the airport.
If you are a British and Canadian dual citizen, you cannot apply for an eTA at all. You travel to Canada on your Canadian passport. The guide to dual nationals and which passport to use covers the combinations.
What happens if you renew your passport?
A new passport has a new number, and the eTA is linked to the old one, so the old eTA does not carry over. If you renew your passport after applying, you need a new eTA on the new passport. Check the passport number in your approval email against the passport you will carry before you fly.
When you do not need an eTA
The eTA is required only for air travel. British citizens who arrive by land or by sea, for example by car, bus, train or cruise ship, generally do not need one, although you still need a valid passport and must satisfy the border officer. The eTA also does not cover work or study: if you plan to work or study, you need the right permit, and for a first permit issued to someone who needs an eTA, IRCC issues the eTA automatically with the permit.
How long is a Canada eTA valid?
An approved eTA lasts five years at most, and it ends sooner if your passport expires first. During that time you can make repeat visits without applying again. Each visit is still assessed by a border services officer on arrival, and the eTA does not decide how long you may stay. Multiple entries and how validity works explains the details.
Frequently asked questions
Do children from the UK need their own eTA? Yes. A British child, including an infant, needs an eTA linked to their own passport, unless an exemption such as US permanent residence applies.
Can I apply for the eTA on the day I fly? You can, and many applications are decided within minutes, but some take several days. Applying earlier removes the risk.
Is the eTA a visa? No. It is an electronic authorization for visa-exempt travellers, linked to your passport, and it is not a guarantee of entry.
What if the name on my eTA does not match my passport? Fix it before you travel. An eTA cannot be edited after submission, so the fix is a new application with the correct details; see entering the wrong passport number.
Do I need an eTA for a connecting flight in Canada? Generally yes, if you pass through a Canadian airport on a flight. The rules for layovers are in transit rules with a US visa and eTA.
The short version
- British citizens flying to Canada need an eTA before boarding.
- The government fee is 7 CAD, paid once, and it is not refunded.
- You need a valid passport, an email address and a payment card.
- Most applications are decided within minutes; a few take several days.
- The eTA is tied to one passport, so a new passport means a new eTA.
- You generally do not need one for land or sea arrivals, and Canadian citizens cannot get one.
For the live official rule, see the Government of Canada page on eTA requirements.