Canada lifts visa requirements for Romanian citizens as of 1 December

Canada lifts visa requirements for Romanian citizens as of 1 December, the National Day of Romania. According to a European Commission press release, this decision comes after intensive diplomatic efforts and continued engagement at political and technical levels between the EU, Canada Bulgaria and Romania as EU Member States.

Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the decision of the Canadian authorities to liberalize the visa regime for Romanian citizens, a decision that embraces the diplomatic steps taken in recent years at bilateral Romanian-Canadian level, as well as in a trilateral format, with the participation of the European Commission.

Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that as of 1 December 2017, starting 4pm (Romania time), Romanian citizens will be able to travel to Canada without visas for stays of up to 6 months for tourist purposes (including family / contacts visits or for prospecting business opportunities), based on any valid Romanian passport.

Under the regime applicable to nationals of all other countries exempt from the visa requirements for entry into Canada, Romanian citizens who intend to travel by air to Canada, for stay or transit purposes, must obtain in advance an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

The Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) can only be obtained online by visiting www.Canada.ca/eTA-Romania. The related application will become available to Romanian citizens only as of 1st December 2017, starting 4pm (Romania time). As a result, Romanian citizens who have planned direct flights to Canada with time of departure before that hour will not be able to get eTA prior to boarding and will be able to enter Canada only based of a valid visa, even if the plane will land on the Canadian territory after the specified time.

Romanian citizens intending to enter Canada by land (road / rail) or sea (on board a ship, including a cruise ship) must hold only a valid passport without the need for an eTA.

Additional information:

The Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is a requirement imposed on all foreign nationals exempt from the Canadian visa requirement, which transit or travel to Canada by air. The eTA authorization has a validity of 5 years (or, as the case may be, until the expiry date of the passport).

The procedure for obtaining the eTA is simple, it takes only a few minutes and is done exclusively online by filling in an electronic form with the passenger's personal data.

In order to obtain the eTA and subsequently, to access the Canadian territory, Romanian citizens must be in possession of a valid passport, irrespective of its type (simple electronic passport, simple passport, temporary simple passport, diplomatic passport, business passport).

Romanian citizens who already have a valid Canadian visa may still use it until the expiration date, without the need for an eTA.

Romanian citizens who have already obtained the eTA after 01.05.2017, since they were in the categories to which the first stage of liberalization of the visa regime applied (holders of a temporary residence visa in Canada in the last 10 years or of a valid non-immigrant visa to USA) may continue to travel by air to Canada on the basis of the same eTA until its expiry date or until their passport expires.

Romanian citizens who intend to pursue studies in Canada for more than 6 months or work in gainful employment, irrespective of the duration, must obtain a study and a work permit in advance.

Additional information on requirements to travel to Canada can be found at the website: www.Canada.ca/eTA-Romania.

Source: RRA, Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs