Canada Travel Requirements for CSC2023

Visitors to Canada who are participating in the 2023 Commonwealth Study Conference will require either (1) a Temporary Resident Visa (‘TRV’) or (2) an Electronic Travel Authorization (‘eTA’) to enter Canada.

Check the list of Commonwealth countries below to know which travel document you will require.

This is not a difficult process but the processing times and fees can vary by country.  You should apply for your Visa or eTA as soon as possible.

As of October 1, 2022, travellers are no longer required to provide proof of vaccination, or negative pre-entry test results for COVID 19.

Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) – What you will Need

• A letter confirming your invitation to CSC2023 (this will be emailed to you by CSC2023 – let us know if it has not been received before the end of November).
• A valid passport that does not expire for at least 6 months following entry into Canada next June.
• Country-specific documents (further details can be found here)
• Passport sized photographs.

You can find an instruction guide for Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) applications to Canada here; and a general document checklist for TRVs here.

The application for a TRV can be completed here.

VERY IMPORTANT:  A special events code has been emailed to all Conference members. This 6-character alpha-numeric code must be used in your visa application for expedited processing.  If you have not received this special events code get in touch with the Conference at contact@CSCCanada.org.

Applicants must answer “For business reasons, like a meeting, conference event, or training” to the “Why you need a Visa” question. Subsequently, in the “Special event Information” section, you will be be asked if you have a special event code. Answering ‘Yes’ will allow you to enter the code in the open text field.

Note: Depending on your nationality, some countries may require ‘transit visas’ for changing flights at airports. We urge everyone to look into potential transit visa requirements when making their travel arrangements. Some popular airports for connecting flights & their transit visa requirements:

• Netherlands: https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/visa-the-netherlands/visa-required-transit-netherlands
• UAE: https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id/visit-visas/transit-visa
• Germany: https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/visa/airport-transit-visa/924624
• United States: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-visa-categories/transit.html
• United Kingdom: https://www.gov.uk/transit-visa

Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) – What you will need:

• A valid passport
• A valid email address
• $7 CAD processing fee (to be paid using a credit card)

The application for the eTA can be completed here. The eTA is only valid for the passport number used in the application, so if a new passport is obtained, a new eTA is required. The eTA will be valid for up to 5 years or to the expiry of the passport used to obtain it.