The Canadian Transit Visa is a short-term visa that allows foreign citizens to travel through or pass through Canada. If a person needs to transit through Canada, they might need a transit visa. A Canadian Transit Visa is issued and placed in the person’s passport. It can be issued for a period of up to 2 days through a Canadian airport and can be valid for 1 or 2 entries related to the person’s travel plans. It also needs to be utilized before expiration.
Before applying for a transit visa a person needs to check which entry document is required to transit through Canada.
A transit visa is either a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). The document a person will need to enter Canada is based on the type of travel document and the country of issuance, the person’s nationality, and the means of transportation the person will select to travel to Canada.
- There are no government fees for a Transit visa.
Transit Visa Eligibility and Requirements
A Transit visa is required if a person is from a visa-required country.
- If a person is travelling to and from the US and meeting certain requirements then the person may be eligible to transit through a Canadian airport without a transit visa.
A person holding a passport from a certain country (China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan) and meeting specific country requirements might not need a transit visa. People associated with criminal activity, organized crime, and/or human rights violations are inadmissible to Canada. A person’s admissibility may also be checked for other reasons like security, medical and/or financial.
Adults and minors travelling to Canada must have a valid passport.
Transit Visa Process
When making an application for a transit visa, it is recommended to submit an online application as it is received by the IRCC immediately with no delays. The application is processed in a timely manner and there are no mailing costs. The correspondence is quicker, and updates are made directly to an online account.
When submitting a transit visa application an individual needs to fill a form and select an option of transit visa in the selected box.
A person may also need to give their biometrics for the processing of their transit visa application.
Follow the instructions and submit all necessary documents for the application process.
Before applying check, the processing time for a transit visa as it varies by country.
Transit Visa Supporting Documents
To successfully prepare the application of a transit visa a person must fill the necessary forms and submit the required documents for the issuance of a transit visa as per the document checklist.
- If documents are not in English or French, they must be translated and accompanied with a certified copy of the original document and translator’s affidavit.
While filling the forms the applicant should indicate and insert all requested information. Even if all supporting documents are submitted with the application, an officer might request for additional documents as well. When submitting an application for a transit visa, there is no processing fee.
There should not be any misleading or incorrect information provided on the forms or supporting documents. All information provided may be verified.
