ETIAS for Canadian citizens: what Canadians need to know for 2026
Canadians don't need a visa for Europe. From late 2026, they do need a €7 pre-travel authorisation. Here's what ETIAS is, and what it isn't.
Canadians have travelled to Europe visa-free for decades. That doesn't change in 2026. What does change: before you board a flight to any EU country in the Schengen area, you'll need to have an approved ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) linked to your passport.
Who needs it
- Canadian passport holders travelling to any Schengen country for tourism, business, or short stays.
- Under 18s and over 70s: yes, still required, but the fee is waived.
- Dual citizens with an EU passport: no — travel on your EU passport instead and skip it entirely.
Where ETIAS applies
All 29 Schengen countries: the 27 EU members that are in Schengen (Ireland is not in Schengen), plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia are all now in.
The UK does not use ETIAS. You need a UK ETA instead (£16, separate system). Ireland uses neither — Canadians visit Ireland visa-free with no pre-authorisation.
How to apply
- Go to the official ETIAS site —
travel-europe.europa.eu/etias. Nothing else is real. - Fill in passport details, address, first EU country you'll enter, employment.
- Pay €7 with a card.
- Most approvals are automatic within minutes; a small percentage go to manual review, which can take up to 30 days.
ETIAS is not a Schengen days pass
Having ETIAS doesn't extend how long you can stay. The Schengen 90/180-day rule still applies to Canadian passports — 90 days maximum in any rolling 180-day window across the entire Schengen zone. ETIAS just proves you're allowed to show up; the border guard still counts your days. Combined with the new Entry/Exit System (EES) fingerprint checks, overstaying is easier than ever to catch.
Other forms Canadians now need
- UK: ETA required (£16, valid two years). Applies for tourism, business, and transit through UK airports.
- USA: Canadians remain visa-exempt and do not need ESTA when entering by land or from Canada. If you're flying from a third country (e.g. Mexico), you still don't need ESTA — you're a Canadian, not a Visa Waiver Program traveller.
- Australia: ETA required, apply via the Australian ETA app.
- New Zealand: NZeTA plus IVL levy.
For any of the destinations above, our destinations index has a per-country breakdown with the official links. Filter by "Canadian passport".