Canadian citizens traveling to the EU or Schengen countries will need to apply for the ETIAS electronic travel authorization from 2025 on. Learn about the requirements for the EU travel permit and what to consider when traveling through Europe with ETIAS.
As one of the visa-waiver countries, Canadian citizens can travel visa-free to EU and Schengen countries like Austria, France, Germany, and others as long as they are only entering for tourism, short business trips, medical treatments, or transit for up to 90 days.
However, visa-free travel to the EU and Schengen Area will be different soon: from 2025 on, you will have to apply for an ETIAS electronic travel authorization before entering one of the EU and Schengen countries.
In contrast to the Schengen visa, the ETIAS travel authorization is easy to get and affordable. Since ETIAS is not a visa, it does not have to be processed through the embassies, making the approval process a lot quicker as well.
All differences between ETIAS and a Schengen visa at a glance:
| ETIAS | Schengen visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Online | Embassy or consulate |
| Required documents | Passport | Passport and supporting evidence |
| Duration of stay | 90 days | Depending on visa |
| Purpose | Tourism, business, medical travel | Depending on visa |
| Number of entries | Unlimited | Depending on visa |
| Validity | 3 years (or until the validity of your passport is ending) | Depending on visa |
| Cost | € 7 | € 80 |
| Wait time | Max. 96 hours | Up to 60 days |
Canadian citizens can use ETIAS or a Schengen visa to travel to the EU and Schengen countries in the future. However, some European countries won’t participate in the ETIAS program and will, therefore, still require a visa after 2025. To find out if you need a visa or can travel with ETIAS, please check the list of participating ETIAS countries.
The ETIAS system makes traveling to Europe and the Schengen Area safer and is designed to combat identity fraud, misuse of travel documents, terrorism, and serious crime. With the implementation of ETIAS, the EU is following America’s example of ESTA, which has been in place to improve US homeland security since 2008.
For Canadian citizens traveling to Europe, ETIAS is much faster, easier, and more affordable than a Schengen visa.
In addition to your Canadian nationality, you have to meet some more ETIAS requirements to be allowed to travel to Europe with ETIAS. Canadian citizens applying for an ETIAS travel authorization need:
Upon application, you will have to answer the ETIAS security questions on your criminal records, travel history, and travel intentions for the border guards to assess your eligibility to enter the country with ETIAS.
With your approved ETIAS travel authorization, you can travel to the following countries within the EU and Schengen Area:
| ETIAS: participating countries | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Andorra1 | Austria | Belgium | Bulgaria |
| Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark |
| Estonia | Finland | France | Germany |
| Greece | Hungary | Iceland | Italy |
| Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg |
| Malta | Monaco1 | Netherlands | Norway |
| Poland | Portugal | Romania | San Marino1 |
| Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden |
| Switzerland | Vatican City1 | ||
1ETIAS is required for transit through the Schengen countries to get to these microstates.
The EU will soon launch an ETIAS website and mobile app where Canadian citizens can complete the application within a few minutes. Upon applying, you must enter the following information:
After submitting, your data will be checked automatically, and your approval will come within minutes or - at the latest - after 96 hours.