ETIAS Poland visa for Canadian citizens
Citizens of the Canada will be required to present an ETIAS visa when travelling to Poland. It will be possible to apply for and obtain the ETIAS visa online, by filling out the ETIAS application form online and receiving your permit via e-mail once the application is approved. The ETIAS visa will allow Canadian citizens to enter Poland for work, tourism, transit, or medical reasons, provided that the duration of the trip is no more than 90 days, and it will be valid for multiple entries made by air, sea, or land. In addition, people between 18 and 70 years of age will be able to apply for ETIAS free of charge.
What is ETIAS Poland?
The ETIAS visa will come into force in November 2023, as part of a program of the European Commission aimed at strengthening European borders and keeping a digital track on all people travelling to the territories of the European Schengen Area. After some terrorist attacks that affected some European countries, this program was already approved in 2016. In the last years, the creation of the ETIAS visa system has been made possible by the expansion and implementation of data sharing between EU countries, that allows to connect the ETIAS applications with already existing databases from European authorities.
How does the ETIAS Poland permit work for Canadian citizens
Starting from 2023 Canadian citizens must present an ETIAS visa before embarking on a trip to Poland. If the trip is longer than 90 days or has other purposes than those required for the ETIAS permit, they will have to obtain a full visitor Schengen visa at the embassy or consulate of Poland, respecting the requirements and timing for the visa they are applying for. Once issued, ETIAS visa will be valid for 3 years, and it will allow multiple entries in Poland and other countries of the Schengen Area, provided that each trip is shorter than 90 days. To make sure you get your approved ETIAS in time for your trip, it is recommended to apply for ETIAS at least 4 days before the departure. If ETIAS is denied, you can still apply for a full visitor Schengen permit at the embassy or consulate of Poland or present an appeal to the country that denied ETIAS visa.
ETIAS destinations for Canadian citizens
From 2023 ETIAS visa will come into force for Canadian citizens in order to travel to the following countries:
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
At the moment, Canadian citizens will not have to have ETIAS permit to enter Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania, since these countries are not Schengen Area members yet. However, these countries may enter the Schengen Area in the future, so please keep updated with the requirements.
ETIAS visa requirements for Canadians and how to apply
In order to apply for the ETIAS visa, you will need to be a Canadian citizen and hold a valid electronic passport issued by the Canada of America. If you do not have an Canadian passport, you will require a full visitor Schengen permit.
The ETIAS visa application can be completed online, entering all the necessary information by following the required steps, and making sure all the data is entered correctly. Once the application form is completed, all citizens aged between 18 and 70 years will also be required to pay a fee of 7 euros, using a credit or debit card. In general, most ETIAS are issued within few minutes, or at most in a few hours, and you will receive the approved ETIAS via e-mail as a PDF file.
Furthermore, it will not be necessary to print the visa, because your data will already be linked with the European Schengen authorities’ databases, and it will be linked to the passport data provided during the application. Anyway, to avoid delays, it is recommended to apply for the ETIAS visa at least 4 days prior to the departure, to make sure that the visa is approved and to have the necessary time to provide any additional documents should they be required. If an ETIAS is denied, you can apply for a Schengen visa at the embassy or consulate of Poland. It is highly recommended to read and carefully check all the requirements for the ETIAS permit before applying, in order to avoid any mistakes in the application that could result in delays in the visa approval.
How much does ETIAS Poland visa cost for Canadian citizens
After completing the application form, all Canadians between 18 and 70 years old must pay a fee of 7 euros, using a credit or debit card. Canadians under 18 and over 70 years of age are entitled to apply for ETIAS free of charge.