Canada Allows Visa-Free Entry for Romanian e-Passport Holders

The Canadian government has announced that Romanian citizens are eligible to enter Canada by air without a visa, provided they hold an electronic passport, also known as an e-passport. This type of passport is machine-readable and contains a contactless integrated circuit chip, issued by Romania.

The visa exemption is specifically for holders of e-passports due to the higher level of personal and biometric data collected compared to Romanian temporary passports. Additionally, Romanian citizens who obtained an electronic travel authorization before December 1, 2017, may also qualify for the visa exemption, even if their travel documents do not meet the current requirements.

For all other Romanian nationals without a valid e-passport or a pre-December 2017 travel authorization, a temporary resident visa remains necessary for entry into Canada.