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Do I need a visa if I am travelling through Canada without stopping or visiting?

Citizens of certain countries and territories must have visas when they enter Canada. If you need a visa to visit Canada, then you will need a Transit Visa to travel through Canada without stopping or visiting. This is true even if you are in Canada for less than 48 hours. There is no fee for a Transit Visa. You can apply for a transit visa by filling out the application for a Temporary Resident Visa and selecting transit visa from the list of options on the form.

You may not need a transit visa if you are travelling to or from the United States. The Transit Without Visa program (TWOV) and the China Transit Program (CTP) allow certain foreign nationals to transit through Canada on their way to and from the United States without a Canadian transit visa, if they meet these requirements:

• For TWOV: they are from Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan or Philippines; OR
• For CTP: they are from China and leave from one of the following cities (as last point of embarkation) before arriving in Canada:
  • Beijing
  • Guangzhou
  • Shanghai
  • Hong Kong
  • Manila
  • Taipei

AND they must also:

• hold a valid U.S. visa;
• travel on an approved airline; and
• transit through a participating Canadian international airport.

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