United Arab Emirates to Canada visa requirements

UAE ordinary passport holders do NOT need a visa for short tourist visits to Canada. They are visa-exempt and only need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) when flying to or transiting a Canadian airport. Since 5 June 2018, Canada lifted the visa requirement for Emirati citizens. As an ordinary UAE passport holder, you travel to Canada under the visa-exempt regime, which means you do not need a Temporary Resident (visitor) Visa for tourism. Instead, if you arrive by air, you must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) before boarding. The eTA is applied for online, costs CAD 7, is electronically linked to your passport, and is valid for up to 5 years or until the passport expires. It permits multiple entries, with each stay normally up to 6 months as determined by the border services officer on arrival. In most cases, an eTA is not required when entering Canada by land or sea (car, bus, train, or boat/cruise); you still need a valid passport. Canada lists an exception for travel by sea from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, excluding cruise ships, where an eTA is needed to board the boat. Most eTA applications are approved within minutes, though some can take several days if additional review is needed, so apply before booking travel.