Bahaman visiting Canada? Check your visa requirements
Canada is certainly one of the greatest nations on the planet in terms of virtually everything! It’s the reason why immigrants make great efforts to gain entry. Have you been receiving endless rejections for your applications? Or perhaps submitting your first application? Find out what’s missing in your checklist!
Do you need a visa?
Before making your application, you should determine whether Bahamans are required to apply for a visa or an eTA. An eTA is an electronic travel authorization, which simply allows the immigration databases of both Canada and Bahamas to connect. This allows your travel documents to be viewed from both sides seamlessly.
Bahamans are required to submit their applications for an eTA in order to be granted Travel to Canada. This is a requirement for short stays less than 6 months. Therefore, if traveling for tourism, medical, or business purposes or simply transiting through Canada, your eTA must be registered in Canadian immigration system.
When to submit your eTA application
Anyone coming from Bahamas into Canada is required to submit their applications prior to boarding a flight. The application must be done at least 72 hours before the departure date but the application is done online.
Even after submitting your application, always review it before being assured that everything is good to go. Otherwise you risk being denied entry and be sent back to Bahamas!
If traveling to Canada for purposes other the permissible ones under the eTA program, a different type of visa is required. You can get further details regarding your type of visa on our website.
How long is the application processing time?
Your application can be ready within 5 minutes after submission. It can also take days or even weeks to process your eTA depending on each individual cases. Your authorization will thereafter be sent to you via your email in PDF document format. You need not print it or bring it along as it is already reflected in Canadian Immigration databases which the border officer sees when scanning your passport.
What are the requirements for the eTA application?
You are required to have your Bahaman passport, in which case, you must be a full Bahamas citizen. If your travel document or passport has a different status, an eTA won’t work for you. Instead, you should apply for the full visitor visa to gain entry into Canada.
Kindly note that an eTA is only valid if arriving in Canada via air. Your passport must be electronic and machine readable. You must also have a valid email address and a valid major credit card to pay the Cdn7 non-refundable processing fee.
Already met all these conditions? Submit your application then sit back and wait for your flight!
