MAE: Romanians traveling to Canada by plane after December 1 need electronic traveling permit

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs that starting on December 1 the Canadian authorities intend to eliminate the visa requirement for the Romanian citizens who will travel to Canada for maximum six-month sojourns, regardless of the type of passport they hold, while underscoring that the electronic permit will be mandatory for those traveling by plane. 

The electronic travel authorization (eTA) is mandatory for all the foreign citizens who no longer need a visa and travel to Canada by air. The electronic traveling authorization (eTA) will be valid for five years (or, depending on the case, will remain valid until the passports itself expires), reads a release of MAE to AGERPRES. 

The same source said that the authorization will only be available online, at www.Canada.ca/eTA/Romania. 

The exact hour and date when the electronic travel authorization (eTA) will be available for the Romanian citizens will be announced in due time, after the information is sent to the Canadian authorities. 

According to MAE, in order to obtain the electronic travel authorization and be able to enter the Canadian territory, the Romanian citizens need to have a valid passport, regardless of its type (simple electronic passport, simple passport, simple temporary passport, diplomatic passport and working passport. 

For those who want to enter Canada by land (by car, bus or train) or by sea (onboard of a boat, including of a cruise boat), after December 1, they must have a valid passport, without the need to obtain the electronic travel visa (eTA). 

The Romanian citizens who intend to study in Canada for more than six months or to work there, no matter for how long, will have to obtain a study or labour permit before entering the country. 

The liberalization of the visa regime for the Romanian citizens traveling to Canada is the result of the sustained efforts made in the past years by the Romanian authorities to convince the Canadian authorities, both at bilateral level, and trilateral level, with the support of the European Commission. 

The Canadian authorities decision represents the final stage of the liberalization regime for the Romanian citizens, as started on May 1, when some categories of Romanian citizens started to benefit from this regime (the holders of a temporary residence visa in the past 10 years or the holders of a non-immigrant visa for USA still valid).