Error on Canada eTA: what to do?

To travel to Canada, the Canadian government requires foreign nationals to apply for an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization). To obtain this authorization to stay in Canada, simply complete the online form.

It is not necessary to go to the Canadian embassy to apply for a Canadian visa. Even if the formalities of the eTA are much simpler, the process requires a certain rigor. In the event of an error, your Canada eTA may indeed be refused.

The eTA form follows the same principle as the ESTA form set up by the American authorities, to travel to the United States. It takes the form of an online questionnaire where you are asked to provide several types of information, including identity and passport information. The data entered must correspond exactly to those on the passport. A single error on the Canada eTA is enough for your application to be cancelled.

Let’s see together what is the procedure to follow if you have made a mistake when applying for authorization to stay in Canada.

Error on the Canada eTA: before or after sending the request?

As a reminder, the Canada eTA is intended for citizens of member countries of the Canadian visa waiver program. It is issued within the framework of a tourist stay, a transit or a business trip of less than six months made by air. Unlike the visa, obtaining the eTA is done remotely and simply requires having a valid passport.

The organization that manages the issuance of eTA Canada, IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada), carefully checks the information provided during the online application. As such, if the computer systems realize that the applicant has given false information or made an error on their Canada eTA when entering the eTA form, the application will most likely be cancelled.

Error before online payment

Whether you apply for a temporary residence permit on the Canadian government site or on a private site, you always have the option of modifying your information and correcting any errors on the Canada eTA before payment and validation of the request.

On the other hand, if you realize an error after having paid your request, the formalities are different.

Error after sending eTA request

If you noticed an error on your Canada eTA after sending your file, it is unfortunately too late. Indeed, if the mistake of inattention concerns your passport number or your name for example, you do not have the possibility of modifying the eTA after the payment and the sending of the request.

The only possible solution is to apply for a new authorization to travel to Canada, either on the official website of the Government of Canada, or on the website of our partner.

Renewing a request incurs a fee. After sending the new request, you must once again pay the administrative costs necessary to obtain the eTA.

Note however that, even after sending, you have the possibility to modify certain information appearing on your travel authorization (email address and telephone number). To find your eTA and modify it, all you have to do is bring the file number assigned when you registered online.

Preventing any errors in your Canada eTA application

When completing the eTA online form, it is advisable to scrupulously check the information provided. Be aware that most errors on the Canada eTA application are related to the biometric or electronic passport number. To enter this number correctly, here are some tips:

• the majority of passport numbers consist of 9 characters. So, make sure that the number you type is neither longer nor shorter;
• the passport number is an alphanumeric sequence, so be careful not to confuse the number 0 with the letter O and the number 1 with the letter I;
• make sure you don’t enter any other characters such as dashes or punctuation marks.

In addition, some errors on the Canada eTA application are due to an incorrect choice of the passport issuing country code. Indeed, each state has an identification code. If you are a english national, be sure to choose the code “ENG”.

If you want to maximize your chances of obtaining it, it may be useful to apply for your eTA via a private site, such as that of our partner. Indeed, these platforms are made up of experts who will take care of checking your file and correcting errors if necessary.

Refusal after correction of errors on the Canada eTA

If even after correcting your errors on the Canada eTA application, the government refuses to grant you authorization to go to Canada, it means that you probably do not meet one of the conditions required to be eligible for the eTA .

First, check that you are in possession of a valid passport. If necessary, you must imperatively apply for a new passport.

If you plan to do an internship, study or work in Canada, know that the eTA does not apply to these cases. To do this, you must go to the Canadian embassy (or consulate) and apply for a visa.

Note that if you already have a Canadian visa or a permanent resident card, the eTA document will not be useful to you.