The short answer: no. US citizens do not need a Canada eTA, whether they fly, drive or take a train. Lawful permanent residents of the United States (green card holders) have also been exempt since 26 April 2022. The eTA is aimed at visa-exempt travellers from other countries, so if you are an American citizen the document you should focus on is a valid passport, not an eTA.
A person who lives in the US is not automatically exempt, though. If you hold another country’s passport and are not a permanent resident, the rule follows your passport, not your address. Below are the cases that catch people out, and how to tell which one is yours. For the wider comparison with the American system, see how the Canada eTA differs from the US ESTA.
Who exactly is exempt?
Canada lists these groups as not needing an eTA:
- US citizens. Exempt entirely, by any mode of travel.
- US lawful permanent residents. The exemption started on 26 April 2022. You still travel with your green card and a valid passport from your country of citizenship.
- Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents. These groups do not apply for an eTA at all.
Everyone else who is visa-exempt and flying to Canada needs an eTA. That includes people who live and work in the United States on a work visa, a student visa or a pending green card, if their passport is from an eTA-required country. Citizens of some visa-required countries can also get an eTA if they meet Canada’s conditions, and travelling with a US visa is one of those routes.
What should a US citizen carry instead?
An eTA is electronic, so there is nothing to print. What you carry is ordinary travel documentation:
- By air: a valid US passport. The airline checks it before boarding.
- By land or sea: a valid passport is the simplest document. Acceptable alternatives exist for some land and sea crossings, but requirements change, so check the Canada Border Services Agency before you go.
- For children: their own valid passport, and if a minor is travelling without both parents, a letter of consent from the absent parent is a common request at the border.
The eTA never replaces any of this. An eTA does not decide whether you may enter; a border services officer does.
The cases where an American resident still needs an eTA
- You hold a passport from an eTA-required country and you are not a US green card holder. For example, a British or Australian citizen studying in the US on a student visa.
- You are a green card applicant. A pending application does not count as permanent residence.
- You are visiting Canada for work on a foreign passport. If IRCC approves a work permit for you, an eTA is issued automatically with it and you do not apply separately. Before the permit exists, a flight to Canada still needs an eTA.
Dual citizens of the US and another country. The exemption belongs to US citizens, so a person who holds a US passport does not need an eTA. Travel to Canada on the US passport.
If you do need one, the government fee is 7 CAD, paid once, and most applications are decided within minutes. How to apply for a Canada eTA, step by step walks through the form.
If you would rather have someone talk you through the form, get-eta.com is a paid private service, clearly labelled as separate from canada.ca, where you can start your eTA application.
US citizens with a Global Entry card
Global Entry and NEXUS are trusted-traveller programmes. They are not substitutes for a passport when you fly to Canada, and they do not create an eTA. A US citizen with Global Entry still just needs a valid passport. If the question is about a non-US member of a trusted-traveller programme, Global Entry and the Canada eTA answers it.
Green card holders: what the exemption changed
Before 26 April 2022, many green card holders flying to Canada needed an eTA. That is no longer the case. If you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States, you do not apply for an eTA. Bring your green card and your valid passport from your country of citizenship, because the airline will check both. Green card holders and simplified entry covers the practical details.
An old eTA does no harm, but you do not need to renew it. The exemption applies for as long as you remain a US permanent resident.
Flying through Canada on the way to somewhere else
A US citizen changing planes in Canada does not need an eTA. A non-US passenger with a Canadian connection does need to check the transit rules for their own passport. The layover and transit guide covers who has to apply.
Travelling with a mixed group
Families and tour groups often include people with different passports. A US citizen and her British husband, for example, are not treated alike: she needs no eTA, and he does if they fly. The eTA is issued to one person and linked to one passport, so the group booking does not change anything. Check each person’s passport separately, and apply for each traveller who needs one before you leave. A traveller who is exempt still needs a valid passport for every trip, and the airline will check the whole party at check-in.
Frequently asked questions
Do American children need an eTA? No. A US citizen of any age is exempt, but the child needs their own valid passport.
Do I need an eTA if I drive across the border? Not as a US citizen. Non-US visa-exempt visitors also generally do not need an eTA for land or sea arrivals, because the eTA is required for flying; the one named exception is sea travel from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon other than on a cruise.
I am a US permanent resident. Do I have to carry my green card? Yes. By air, bring your green card and your passport, since both are checked. For land and sea crossings the Canada Border Services Agency sets the rules, so check them before you go.
I have a US visa but a foreign passport. Am I exempt? No. The eTA follows the passport you hold. A US visa on a foreign passport does not make you exempt.
Will I be turned away at the border without an eTA? A US citizen will not be, because none is required. A non-US traveller who needs an eTA to fly is usually stopped at check-in, not at the Canadian border.
The short version
- US citizens do not need an eTA to enter Canada.
- US green card holders have been exempt since 26 April 2022.
- Residence does not matter; the rule follows your passport.
- Non-US citizens who live in the US and fly to Canada usually need an eTA.
- The government fee is 7 CAD, paid once, when an eTA is needed.
- Carry a valid passport, and a green card if you hold one.
For the live rule, see the Government of Canada page on who needs an eTA.