Travelling is one of the many ways people learn about different cultures and how various societies in the world operate. Making a trip to any country requires a lot of planning. One needs travelling documents, enough finance to facilitate your travelling and accommodation, get vaccinated if need be and check with your health insurance. A little research about your destination country by visiting such a site eta-canada.com goes a long way. Know their conversion rate for currencies and get guide books about the country. Have the following in mind if you wish to travel to Canada.
Have Valid Travel Documents: This is obvious for anyone who wants to travel overseas. Your visa and passport should be authentic. Using fake or expired visa will resort to fraud and other charges. Always ensure that the documents you need are updated.
Financial Preparation: You’re in a foreign land and chances are you don’t have relatives there. Don’t allow yourself to be in a situation where you will be stranded. Carry enough cash and have more in your debit and credit cards for an easy stay.
Have No Criminal Record: Like any other country, Canada does not want to admit a law breaker. Ensure you have a clean record to make your travel process easy. Avoid getting in the way of law enforcers, or engaging in activities which will sabotage your travel.
Be In Good Health: Pay your doctor a visit before you leave your country. Check if you have any diagnosis or allergies. Your body should have a strong immunity, as weather changes sometimes affect how our bodies function.
Electronic Travel Authorization
The Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is there for visa-exempt foreign nationals who travel to Canada through flying. Not every visa exempt foreigner needs an ETA though. Canadian citizens including permanent residents and individuals who hold dual citizenship don’t require the ETA. American citizens and travelers with a valid Canadian Visa are also not required to apply for the ETA.
So, which foreign national needs to make the ETA application before getting to Canada? Citizens from Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados and Belgium need t make the application. Individuals who also need the ETA include British citizens, British nationals who live abroad, British Overseas citizens admissible to the UK, British overseas territory citizens with citizenship through birth, descent, naturalization or registration in any of the British overseas territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Island, saint Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands. British Subjects with a right of abode in the UK, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, and Greece need it. Others are nationals from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Of The Peoples Republic of China and must have a passport issued by Hong Kong SAR. Citizens from Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel; must have a national Israeli passport, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Samoa, san Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (must have an ordinary passport issued by the Ministry of foreign affairs in Taiwan, together with the personal Identification Number) are required to make the application. U.S lawful permanent residents of Vatican City State must have a passport or travel documents issued by the Vatican.
The ETA application process is simple; fill out the form on eta-canada.com, pay and submit for your application and wait for feedback via email after 24 hours. The ETA is valid for five years. If your passport however expires before the five years and you make an application for a new passport, a new ETA is also required.