Canada: passport and entry requirements
You need an eTA, a quick online authorisation, to fly into Canada, and everyone needs their own however young. Come in by land or sea instead and there's no eTA to sort. Your passport just has to last the length of the trip.
Your passport
Your passport needs to be valid for the length of your stay, and everyone travels on their own, right down to the youngest. Children's passports run for five years and adults' for ten, so check each one when you book and renew any that are close, since a renewal takes a few weeks to come through.
Getting in
There's no visa for a holiday in Canada. If you're flying in, everyone needs an eTA, an Electronic Travel Authorisation you apply for online before you travel. It costs CAD $7 per person (last checked August 2026) and lasts up to five years, or until the passport expires, and you apply for each family member separately on the official Government of Canada site at canada.ca. The border officer sets how long you can stay, up to six months for a visit.
The eTA only covers arrivals by air, so coming in by land or sea, across the US border or off a cruise, you won't need one.
Every child needs their own passport and, for a flight, their own eTA, whatever their age. If a child is flying with only one parent, or on their own, carry a signed consent letter from the parent who isn't travelling, as border officers can ask to see it.
If you also hold a Canadian passport
Anyone in the family who's a British-Canadian dual national and travels on a valid Canadian passport doesn't need an eTA. For British-only travellers flying in, the eTA applies as normal.
Official sources
Last checked 11 August 2026. Passport and entry rules change, so always confirm on GOV.UK before you book or travel.
