Does an Australian citizen need an eTA for Canada for a 15-hour transit layover not leaving the airport?
I'm Australian and flying this afternoon from China to Mexico with a long layover in Vancouver.
I kind of knew Canada had this eTA thing but assumed I wouldn't need such a thing as an Australian who's been to Canada several times in the past and doesn't intend to leave the airport this time.
But as I was getting stuff ready last night I found a couple of websites warning me that even as an Australian and even not intending to actually enter Canada I might still need an eTA!
The problem is that I'm in China and the Great Firewall of China blocks many international websites including some CDN's which provide some of the JavaScript for many websites including StackExchange and Canada's official "Find out if you need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or a visitor visa" page - so I can't check using the official method whether I need one or not.
Other sources I can find vary about 50/50. I think I don't need one but it would be bad if it turns out I do.
(By a stroke of luck the StackExchange CDN is in my laptop cache due to VPN working briefly at one point. It's not working again now...)
So do I need an eTA?
Best Answer
Yes. eTA's are required equally regardless of whether you are entering Canada or just transiting.
Australians do require an ETA.
The process to obtain one is quick and easy and only costs CAN$7. When I applied for one a few weeks ago it was approved instantly.
Pictures about "Does an Australian citizen need an eTA for Canada for a 15-hour transit layover not leaving the airport?"
Do I need an eTA for Canada if I am in transit?
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