Gozit

I don't know if you read the whole thread but FL did a nice explanation of it and said in essence that Canadians traveling on a foreign passport only need to carry proof of Cdn citizenship

ie: Canadian passport (along with foreign PP) , Ontario birth certificate , Canadian certificate of citizenship , Ontario enhanced drivers license, or any combination of the above.

You can still book travel using the foreign passport.

MarylandNed

I think that it has been stated that USC's will be exempt from Canadian eTA. So if you're a US/Canadian citizen (like me), you can just use a US passport to enter Canada.

MarylandNed

That's fine if you get at far as a Canadian POE. But, before that, do you want to leave yourself at the mercy of some foreign airline worker who may not know what these other documents are supposed to look like? Airlines are under no obligation to accept proof of citizenship other than a passport.

Or you could stop dicking about and just get a Canadian passport. Canadian citizens living in Canada really should have Canadian passports.

Gozit

*I* have one. In fact as stated upthread its the only one i have in my possession at this given moment. The issue is those Canadians who live *abroad* and have dual Canadian-European citizenship and don't want to pay $300 each to renew the Canadian passport just to visit. And you can't say that they should just renew their Canadian passport because I know you don't have one.

MarylandNed

We don't know what Canadians living abroad should do yet because the regulations and process have not been implemented or even finalized. It could be that Canadians living abroad will need Canadian passports - we'll have to wait and see. Apparently I won't need one because I'm also a US citizen and it has already been stated that US citizens will be exempt from Canadian eTA. So I can enter Canada on my US passport without eTA. And I'm not sure how you "know" that I don't have a Canadian passport because I do, in fact, have one.

Dorothy

Or they can do what I've been doing for 6 years and carry both my Australian passport and my expired Canadian passports.

MarylandNed

When eTA is implemented, you might not be able to continue getting away with that. It's probably fine if you get as far as a Canadian POE. However, it's possible that an airline would want to see (a) an eTA in your Australian passport or (b) a valid Canadian passport before letting you on the plane. We'll have to wait and see how it will be implemented for Canadians who travel on a non-Canadian passport (and non-US passport since apparently USC's will be exempt from eTA).

JAJ

ETA is set up for foreign nationals, not Canadian citizens/PRs.
What's meant by self-report is that if the system asks are you a Canadian citizen and the answer is yes, it should simply stop you at that point and say you're not eligible for ETA. Of course, that's what it should do. Whether it will do or not is another question.

As others have said, what's wrong with having a Canadian passport if you're Canadian? Even if living abroad. And if it does become an obligation, either legal or de-facto, then you have to comply with it.

Gozit

My mistake then, I thought you had said before that you only had 2 out of the 4 you are eligible for. But still then if you have a Canadian passport why would you use your US one to come to Canada

Maybe the government should come out and say what us foreign-passport-travelling Canadians should do. But then again they may come and say something stupid like their sage advice to dual citizens going home: "Always use your Canadian passport when you travel, especially in your other country of citizenship.

This is what my grandparents do. They carry Maltese valid passports and Canadian expired ones usually, although they do have valid Cdn ones right now they expire soon and they don't plan on renewing them for $300 each from the Canadian embassy. (thats $600 for 2 people. It does get expensive)

Yeah this.

Ah sorry I guess i misunderstood you. That is a good idea that I came up with, however. The only issue with having a Canadian passport and living abroad is how expensive it is.

Steve_

The purpose of it according to the Beyond the Border Initiative is basically to be the same as ESTA so Canada and the US establish common entry requirements, as I recall even the database will be linked, so generally people excluded from one country will be excluded from the other.

So as ESTA isn't designed for US citizens/LPRs, the Canadian system won't be designed for Canadian citizens/PRs either.

Also they said originally (not sure where it's at now) by the end of June they're going to give CBSA and CBP direct access to each other's entry records, at the moment they have to phone up and make a request.

It's all about harmonization basically because Canada was scared by how much the US closed down the border after 9/11.

Steve_

Yes sorry, made a mistake there, and on New Zealand as well.

Steve_

The problem is what is going to happen at check-in, because IATA rules basically say passport only, which is why NEXUS members have to have passports. You show your passport at check-in and use NEXUS at pre-clearance.

So if you're coming from, say Australia, once the ETA is in place, will the agent accept your Australian passport without proof you've signed up for ETA? I mean I could be Australian with a Canadian passport but I've got to have the Australian ETA to use my Canadian passport, so that would compel me to get an Australian passport.

You could pull out your birth certificate, but the check-in agent isn't going to know what they're supposed to look like.

Once you get to the POE, CBSA will accept almost anything but the airline won't.

MarylandNed

I have all but I usually keep at least 2 out of the 4 current at any one time just in case I lose one. If I lost my US passport, I could drive to Canada and fly from there on my Canadian passport. I also have a US passport card which would get me back into the US legally via a Canada/US land border.

Because I can. As a USC, I have to use a US passport to leave/enter the US anyway. So I don't actually need to take the Canadian passport with me. I think it's better to travel with as few documents as possible.

Gozit

Yeah this. But if you have both passports current and valid, and you show the airline one and they ask for proof of eTA or whatever, you just show the other one...

Yep.

Thats a good idea. I intend on keeping both of mine current all the time so theoretically none of this eTA mess should be an issue for me. It just could become an issue for others and i'd like to be more informed on the implications of it. Like I said maybe the government should give us some official advise? But then again, like i said it could be wrong advice as well

scrubbedexpat091

Maybe Canada will in the future require all citizens to enter/exit Canada on a Canadian passport.

Talk about potentially confusing people. I think Canada will eventually require it.