OTTAWA — The federal government is extending its leniency period for the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) requirement until Nov. 9.

Starting Nov. 10 Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, will need a valid Canadian passport to board their flight to Canada. All visa-exempt travellers (except U.S. citizens) will need an eTA to board their flight.

Canada introduced the eTA requirement in March 2016 for visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to Canada temporarily by air. eTA was a key commitment under the Canada U.S. Beyond the Border Action Plan to develop a common approach to pre-screening air travellers coming to either country.

A six-month leniency period was put in place so that travellers who are unfamiliar with eTA could still board their flight to Canada. The leniency period was set to end on Sept. 29.

“In consultation with airline partners, we’re taking further steps to minimize any travel disruptions,” said John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. “We are extending the leniency period and doing another major information blitz in Canada and abroad to encourage affected travellers, including dual Canadian citizens, to plan ahead and get the necessary travel documents before they book a flight to Canada.”

Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, cannot apply for an eTA and will need a valid Canadian passport to board their flight, starting Nov. 10. Travellers without a valid Canadian passport may experience delays.

The government says applying for an eTA is a “simple online process” that costs $7. The government recommends travellers apply for an eTA before booking a flight to Canada.

Here are a few quick facts about the program:

• eTA was implemented to improve the safety of Canadians by helping to identify those who are inadmissible and prevent them from travelling to Canada. eTAs also help facilitate travellers’ entry into Canada, since they have already been pre-screened under the eTA process.
• Close to two million eTAs have been issued since the application went live on Aug. 1, 2015. The Government of Canada website, Canada.ca/eTA, is the only valid site where travellers can apply for an eTA.
• An eTA is valid for five years or until the traveller’s passport expires, whichever comes first. Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, cannot apply for an eTA and will need a valid Canadian passport to board their flight, starting Nov. 10.
• Canadian permanent residents cannot apply for an eTA and, as usual, must show their valid permanent resident card when travelling to Canada.
• Citizens of the U.S. are exempt from the eTA requirement. U.S. lawful permanent residents need an eTA and must present a valid U.S. permanent resident card (Green Card) and a valid passport when they check-in for their flight to Canada.