As a traveller, you need to fulfil many requirements to ensure that your visit does not have any hindrances or problems. One such requirement is the ETA which many people need to even transit through a certain country. Let’s explore this in detail and see what the ETA actually is.

Electronic Travel Authorization?

When you are travelling to Canada or if it is a stop in transit then you need to have an ETA on you. It is a document that should be held by people who are visiting Canada or are just in-transit through the country. It is not a separate document, but rather it is attached to your passport electronically and can be valid for a number of years.

The ETA is a measure taken for security that allows the authorities of a specific country to check the information of a person before they step foot there. Anyone who is not a citizen of the country they are entering has to acquire an ETA if they don’t want any hindrances.

The ETA is usually approved within a span of a few minutes. However, it may take some days to process and before you can electronically receive it. The process is fairly easy and mostly the same for many countries, with a few differences.

Let’s explore the ETA requirements of different countries.

Australia ETA

This electronic form needs to be filled for Australia for people who are travelling from:

• Canada
• United States
• Brunei
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Japan
• Hong Kong

Anyone travelling from these countries is required to fill this form so they can gain entry. However, the ETA is only valid for people who are visiting Australia for business or tourism purposes. Anyone looking to work within Australia needs to apply for another document as you can't work there with an ETA.

The ETA is valid for at least a year from the date of issue and multiple entries in Australia are allowed through it. One can also stay for up to a maximum of three months at a time with an ETA. Australia’s ETA is not valid for British Protected Person, British National (Who is resident Overseas), British Subject, British Overseas Territories Citizen and British Overseas Citizen.

If you are from the above countries, and you have applied for the ETA, you will receive a confirmation through your email and it will be linked to your passport. You don’t have to carry a document for the ETA. Once you receive it you are eligible to travel to and from the country within the validity period.

Canada ETA

The ETA list of the country requires this from the resident of at least 53 countries. If you are a resident of any of those countries then you need to fill out the ETA form to be eligible to enter Canada. You will have to fill the application online and it is only allowed to people who want to visit Canada for either a short-term business purpose or tourist purposes and you can stay for up to at least six months at one time.

Canada’s ETA will also remain valid for at least five years and will be linked to your passport. However, once you enter Canada, the immigration authorities will let you know how long you can stay in the country. You can have multiple entries. Once you apply, your ETA approval will be done within the span of fifteen minutes. However, the process may take up to at least three days before you receive confirmation.

If you fail to comply with any of these regulations then this will result in many problems at the airport. This is why you should ensure that you have everything you need before you enter the Canadian airport.

Sri Lanka ETA

Any traveller who intends to visit Sri Lanka for a short business purpose, holiday purposes or transit needs to apply for an ETA before they reach the airport. Nationals who belong to Singapore, Maldives, and Seychelles are exempt from applying for an ETA and can visit the country without it for at least thirty days at a time.  

The ETA will only allow you to stay in Sri Lanka for thirty days at a time even though the ETA is valid for six months from the date of the issue. However, if you want to stay for a longer time then you will need to apply for an extension that may be approved or disapproved.

Once you have applied for the ETA, it may take the authorities between one to two days to process your application and provide you with a confirmation. You will receive the answer in your mail. With a tourist and business ETA, you can only have a double entry in the country. With a transit ETA, you can only stay in Sri Lanka for a maximum of two days.

One thing to remember is that you must have a round trip ticket and enough funds to cover the time you will be staying in Sri Lanka. Once you have everything you are good to go!

Now that you know everything, you can easily apply for one and travel many countries!