The short answer: for any international flight, including the one that brings you to Canada, Air Canada wants a valid passport at the gate, and the name on it has to match your booking. If your passport comes from an eTA-required country, the eTA you hold is stored against that same passport, so you show nothing extra; the airline scans the passport to find it. You can apply for a Canada eTA before you book, through a paid private service that is separate from the Government of Canada.
Going straight to the canada.ca form costs only the government fee.
The part visitors get wrong is the domestic flight later in the trip: Banff after Calgary, Montreal after Toronto. There the rules change, and your home driving licence is not the answer. If you want the eTA side of check-in on its own, how the airline matches your passport to the eTA covers it, and for families the children’s eTA guide explains what changes with a minor.
What ID does Air Canada ask for on a flight into Canada?
A passport. For flights that are not within Canada and not to the United States, Air Canada says each passenger must present a valid, unexpired passport at the boarding gate. Its booking rules add that your reservation must carry your full name exactly as it appears on your travel document, and that you may be asked for your date of birth and gender.
The Canadian government’s pre-boarding page for international flights asks for one valid government document showing your photo, full name, date of birth and sex. A passport issued by the country where you are a citizen qualifies. So does a NEXUS card, but for a visitor flying in from overseas the passport is the document that carries the eTA link.
The eTA itself is not a paper you hold up. Canada’s guidance says it is linked to the passport used for the application, that you present that passport at check-in, and that you do not need to print anything. Staff scan the passport; no eTA found means no boarding.
Does the name on the ticket really have to match?
Yes, and it is the first line of the government’s own page: the name on your identification must match the name on your airline ticket and boarding pass. Air Canada says the same about the booking: the full name must appear as it does on your travel document.
Two practical checks follow from that:
- Type the name as the data page of the passport shows it, not as you write it informally.
- If a passport was renewed or a name changed after you booked, fix the booking before you travel.
The same passport has to match the eTA. When the approval email arrives, compare the passport number in it with the number in your passport; canada.ca says that if they differ you have to apply again with the correct number. Most applications are answered within minutes. If yours needs more time, canada.ca says an email telling you the next steps arrives within 72 hours of applying, so do this well before the flight.
A renewed or replaced passport has a new number, and the old eTA does not follow it. That is covered in why a new passport needs a new eTA, and it is a common reason a visitor with a perfectly good eTA is stopped at the counter.
What can you show on an Air Canada flight inside Canada?
This is where visitors are caught out, because the domestic rules were written with Canadian documents in mind. Air Canada checks ID at the gate for passengers who appear to be 18 or older. The name must match the reservation, and the face must resemble the photo.
If you hold Canadian identification, one photo document from a Canadian government will do (the government’s list of Canadian identification even includes immigration documents issued to foreign nationals, such as a visitor record or a work or study permit). If you do not, the government’s page gives visitors a different route: you may use a travel document you used to enter Canada. The list it gives is short, and Air Canada’s own list lines up with it.
| Flight | What the government page lists | What Air Canada lists at the gate |
|---|---|---|
| Into Canada from abroad | Passport issued by a country where you are a citizen; NEXUS card; documents named in the immigration regulations | Valid passport (a passport or NEXUS card if the flight is to or from the US) |
| Within Canada, visitor without Canadian ID | A travel document you used to enter Canada: passport, NEXUS card, US permanent resident card, Enhanced Driver’s License, any document in subsection 50(1) or 52(1) of the immigration regulations | Valid passport, NEXUS card, US permanent resident card or US enhanced driver’s licence |
| Out of Canada to another country | One valid government document with photo, full name, date of birth and sex, such as a passport | Valid passport for most international flights; passport or NEXUS card for the US |
An ordinary driving licence or national ID card from another country is on neither list. The sensible plan for a visitor is simple: keep the passport you entered on in your hand luggage for every flight on the trip, even a short domestic hop.
Can you use a driving licence from home on a domestic flight?
Not on the strength of what these pages say. The visitor route is “a travel document you used to enter Canada”, and a plain foreign driving licence is not a travel document. The government list names only an Enhanced Driver’s License, and Air Canada’s own list specifies the US-issued one.
Fishing, hunting and boating licences are explicitly not accepted as ID for domestic flights.
If you are connecting onward within Canada after landing from abroad, the passport you presented on arrival is the document to show again. How that connection works at the airport itself is described in what to do when connecting at Toronto Pearson.
What about children and teenagers?
Two different rules meet here, and they should not be mixed up.
For domestic flights, Air Canada checks ID for passengers who appear to be 18 or older. For travellers under 18 it suggests, but does not require, an original birth certificate or a non-government photo ID such as a student card, unless the Unaccompanied Minor Service is used. That is a flight rule for the domestic leg.
For international legs, Air Canada’s wording is that each passenger presents a valid passport, with no exemption for age. A child flying from abroad therefore needs their own passport, and their own eTA if their passport is from an eTA-required country, tied to that passport.
On arrival, the immigration side has its own request. Canada says that for a child under 18 you may need a letter from one or both parents or a legal guardian authorising the trip, plus papers such as adoption or custody documents depending on who travels with the child. That is an arrival document, not something the airline checks at the gate.
Does Air Canada’s digital ID replace the passport?
No. Air Canada has a voluntary digital identification system in its mobile app that uses facial recognition. According to the airline, it is available on select domestic flights leaving Toronto Pearson and Vancouver, and for some Maple Leaf Lounge and Air Canada Cafe entries.
Three details matter for a visitor:
- You must be 18 or older, and the profile is built from an electronic-chip passport. The airline says citizens of any country can enrol if the passport qualifies.
- Nothing forces you to use it. The airline says you can always check in and show your ID and boarding pass as usual.
- You still carry your passport. Air Canada says you need it for entry and exit requirements abroad, and that a passport or NEXUS card is still required for transborder travel.
It is not tied to any government programme such as NEXUS or Global Entry. Treat it as a faster gate on some departures, not a different set of documents.
Is there a six-month passport rule for Canada?
The Canadian government pages ask for a valid passport and set no six-month validity rule for entry. The six-month idea mostly comes from other countries’ regulations, so if your trip continues to a third country, check that country’s rule separately.
Passport validity still matters in one way. Visitors are normally allowed to stay up to six months. With no entry stamp, the six months run from your day of arrival, or to the passport’s expiry date if that is sooner. A passport that runs out soon can therefore shorten your stay.
What happens when you land?
Showing ID to the airline is not the same as being admitted. Canada’s own page says that being allowed to board does not mean you have the right to enter, and that a border services officer decides when you arrive by confirming your identity and citizenship. With an eTA, the officer checks that you are the person who was approved. At Canada’s main airports a kiosk first checks your identity against your application.
The questions follow the entry conditions on canada.ca: travel document, eTA or visa, health, criminal and immigration history, ties abroad, plans to leave and funds. Keep your passport in a place you can reach without unpacking a bag.
What to carry on the day
- The passport you applied for the eTA with, valid for the whole trip.
- The same name on the booking as on the passport data page.
- If you want to confirm the eTA beforehand, check your eTA status with the application number and the passport number together.
- Whatever shows the officer you will leave Canada, and evidence that you have enough money for the trip, in case the officer asks.
- For a child, a passport of their own, plus the authorisation letter if one parent travels alone or someone else accompanies them.
- A way into the Air Canada app if you want to try digital ID, never instead of the passport.
The government’s own list of accepted documents for each type of flight is on its pre-boarding identification page, and Air Canada keeps its gate rules on its travel documents page.
The short version
- For any international flight on Air Canada, show a valid passport at the gate, with the name matching the booking.
- The eTA is stored against the passport; you do not print or show it.
- On a domestic flight, a visitor without Canadian ID uses the travel document they entered Canada with, usually the passport.
- An ordinary foreign driving licence or national ID card is on neither list.
- Children need their own passport on international legs; the domestic ID check applies to passengers who appear to be 18 or older.
- Digital ID is optional, for adults, on select flights, and does not replace carrying the passport.
FAQ
What ID do you need to fly with Air Canada as a visitor? For international flights, a valid passport. For a domestic flight, a visitor with no Canadian ID can show the travel document used to enter Canada, such as a passport. The name must match the reservation.
What ID do you need to fly within Canada domestically? Passengers who appear to be 18 or older show valid government ID at the gate. Canadian residents use Canadian-issued documents; visitors can use the passport, NEXUS card, US permanent resident card they entered with, or, on Air Canada’s own list, a US enhanced driver’s licence.
Does Air Canada require six months of validity on a passport? Canada’s entry pages ask for a valid passport and mention no six-month rule, and Air Canada’s travel documents page asks for a valid (not expired) passport. A passport that expires during your stay can end your permitted stay early, and a third country on your route may have its own rule.
Can you fly if you have no ID? Air Canada says it refuses carriage to a passenger who will not present the appropriate valid identification. The published rules describe no alternative for visitors, so replace a lost passport before you fly, and make sure the eTA matches the new number.