Do US citizens need a visa for Canada?
No. US citizens need neither a visa nor an eTA for Canada. A valid passport is the only document accepted on every route, and a criminal record can still bar entry.
Updated
What US citizens need at the border
Canada does not issue visas or eTAs to US citizens. What the border services officer wants is proof of your citizenship and your identity.
| How you travel | What US citizens can present |
|---|---|
| By air | A valid US passport. Canada calls the passport the only reliable and universally accepted travel and ID document. |
| By land or sea | A passport, or other proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or certificate of naturalisation together with photo ID. An enhanced driver's licence or a NEXUS card also works. |
| Children | Canadian and US children under 16 can cross by land or sea on a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. |
Even if you cross by land on a birth certificate, carry your passport. It is what you will need if you end up flying home.
If you are a US green card holder
Permanent residents of the US are exempt from the eTA, but they are not exempt from documents. Flying to Canada, you need the passport from your country of citizenship plus your valid green card or other proof of permanent resident status.
By land or water, your green card or equivalent proof of status is enough on its own.
How long you can stay
Most visitors get up to six months. The officer can grant less or more, and if they do they will stamp the date you must leave in your passport or hand you a visitor record showing it.
If you get no stamp and no visitor record, the six-month stay runs from the day you entered.
Important: Canada can refuse you for criminality, and that includes driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It is not something you can argue away at the border, so if you have any conviction, read the overcoming criminal inadmissibility guidance on canada.ca well before you travel.
Officers can ask where you are staying. A hotel booking you can cancel for free, made on trip1 and paid in Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC or any of 120+ cryptocurrencies through CoinGate, answers that without committing you to the dates.
Entry rules can change and the officer at the border makes the final call, so confirm your own situation on canada.ca before you go.
Do US citizens need a visa for Canada - FAQ
No. US citizens need neither a visitor visa nor an eTA to enter Canada. You do need to prove your citizenship and identity at the border.
No. The eTA applies to visa-exempt foreign nationals flying to Canada, and US citizens are outside that requirement.
To fly, yes. Canada treats the passport as the only universally accepted travel and ID document. By land or sea you can present other proof of citizenship with photo ID.
Yes. Canada lists driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol as criminality that can make you inadmissible, whatever passport you hold.
