Which countries require a visa to visit or transit through Canada?
Citizens of the following countries and territories require a Visa to VISIT or TRANSIT Canada:
A
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
B
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil (note: some Brazilian citizens may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements)
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
C
- Cambodia
- Cameroon, Republic of
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China, People’s Republic of
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Congo, Republic of
- Costa Rica, Republic of
- Cuba
D
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
E
- East Timor
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
F
G
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
H
I
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel (only Israeli citizens holding valid Israeli “Travel Document in lieu of National Passport”)
- Ivory Coast
J
K
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Korea, North
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
L
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
M
- Macao S.A.R.
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives Islands
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Micronesia, Fed. States
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar (Burma)
N
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
O
P
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestinian Authority
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
Q
R
- Romania (holder of a non-electronic passport, such as a temporary passport)
- Russia
- Rwanda
S
- St. Lucia
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent)
- Sao Tomé e Principe
- Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Surinam
- Swaziland
- Syria
T
- Taiwan (except holders of the ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes their personal identification number)
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
U
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
V
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
Y
Z
Do I need to provide biometrics to enter Canada?
Canada will expand its biometrics collection to the vast majority of immigrants during 2018.
Everyone who applies for a visit visa, work permit, study permit or permanent residence will need to provide fingerprints and a photo.
From July 31 2018, the program will be expanded to cover Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Applicants from Asia, Asia Pacific and the Americas will be required to provide biometrics from December 31, 2018.
Who is exempt from biometrics collection?
- Canadian citizens and existing permanent residents, plus citizenship applicants.
- Travellers from visa-exempt countries who have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).
- U.S. citizens with work or study permit.
- Anyone aged under 14 or over 79.
- Heads of state, cabinet ministers, those with diplomatic status on an official trip.
- Those with a U.S. visa who are transiting through Canada.
Biometric screening is already mandatory for all temporary resident applicants who are a national of a country or territory listed below.
- Colombia
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Albania
- Algeria
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Eritrea
- Libya
- Nigeria
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Cambodia
- Egypt
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Palestinian Authority
Which countries are exempt from requiring a Canada visa?
- Andorra
- Anguilla (conditions apply)
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Bermuda (conditions apply)
- British Virgin Islands (conditions apply)
- British Subjects (conditions apply)
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Cayman Islands (conditions apply)
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Falkland Islands (conditions apply)
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Gibraltar (conditions apply)
- Greece
- Holy see (conditions apply)
- Hong Kong (conditions apply)
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel (conditions apply)
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea (Republic of)
- Latvia (Republic of)
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania (conditions apply)
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montserrat (conditions apply)
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Papua New Guinea
- Pitcairn (conditions apply)
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania (electronic passport holders only)
- St. Helena (conditions apply)
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Solomon Islands
- Spain
- Sweden
- Slovenia
- Switzerland
- Taiwan (conditions apply)
- Turks and Caicos Islands (conditions apply)
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom: British citizens and British overseas citizens (Re-admissible to the UK)
- United States citizens and permanent residents (with evidence of permanent residence)
Other exemptions:
Conditions:
Citizens of British dependent territories: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you are a citizen of a British dependent territory who derives their citizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or the Turks and Caicos Islands.
British National (Overseas): You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a British National (Overseas) passport issued by the United Kingdom to persons born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong.
British Subjects: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a British Subject passport issued by the United Kingdom which contains the observation that the holder has the right of abode in the United Kingdom.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a valid and subsisting Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
Holy See: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a passport or travel document issued by the Holy See.
Taiwan: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes your personal identification number.
Israel: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold a national Israeli passport.
Romania: You do not need a visa to visit or transit in Canada if you hold an electronic passport.
