Qatar added to Canada's eTA visa-exempt list

Summary#

The Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations: SOR/2025-234 add Qatar to Canada’s list of countries whose citizens do not need a temporary resident visa (TRV) to fly to Canada. Starting November 25, 2025 at 05:30:00 Eastern Standard Time, Qatari travellers can apply for an electronic travel authorization (eTA) instead of a visa for air travel.

What it does#

• Adds Qatar to the list of countries exempt from the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations TRV requirement.
• Lets Qatari citizens travel to Canada by air with an eTA rather than a TRV. An eTA is valid for five years or until the traveller’s passport expires and generally allows multiple short stays of up to six months by air only.
• Does not change rules for travel by land, rail or marine—no new prescreening for those modes.
• Qatari travellers who already hold a valid visitor visa can continue to use it until it expires; work or study still requires the appropriate permit.
• Implementation and monitoring will be handled by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Who's affected#

• Citizens of Qatar who want to visit Canada by air. Travel is expected to increase by about 400 travellers per year.
• Air carriers, airports, and tourism-related businesses (hospitality, retail) may see modest increases in passengers.
• IRCC and CBSA will manage implementation and monitoring and incur some costs.
• Most other travellers to Canada are not affected. The change does not apply to land, rail, or marine travel.

Why it matters#

• For travellers from Qatar, getting an eTA is faster and simpler than applying for a visa. This makes short visits for tourism, family, or business easier.
• The change could bring a small boost to air travel, tourism, and business links between Canada and Qatar.
• The government estimates one-time implementation costs of $127,305 and ongoing annual costs of $11,700, but says fee changes are revenue-neutral because eTA and TRV fees are cost-recovered.
• Officials judged the migration and security risks to be low based on existing assessments and the experience of other countries such as New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States that have already lifted visa requirements for Qatari citizens.