Canada eTA for Indonesian Citizens

The first condition can be met in one of two ways. You need only one of them, but you need at least one. The two bases are described separately below so you can identify which of them applies to you.

A Canadian visitor visa held within the past 10 years

If you held a Canadian visitor visa at any point during the last ten years, you may satisfy this part of the condition. The visa does not need to be valid today. A visa that expired several years ago can still count, as long as it was issued to you and falls within the ten-year look-back window.

The ten years are measured backwards from the day you apply. A visa that was issued more than ten years before your application date falls outside the window. Look at the issue date printed on the visa label or recorded in the passport it was placed in, because the issue date is the detail that matters for this test.

If the passport that carried the visa has since been replaced, you may still be able to rely on the earlier visa. Keep the old passport if you have it. It is the most direct proof of the visa and its dates, and the application may ask you to provide visa details.

A valid U.S. non-immigrant visa on the day you apply

The alternative basis is a U.S. non-immigrant visa that is valid on the day you submit your eTA application. The word non-immigrant is important. It describes a temporary-stay visa issued by the United States, not a permanent residence document.

Timing works in a specific way. The U.S. visa must be valid when you submit the application. It does not have to still be valid on the later day when you fly to Canada. That means a traveller whose U.S. visa is valid at submission can be eligible even if the visa expires before the trip, provided the other two conditions are met.

Check the expiry date printed on the visa itself, not the date of your last entry to the United States or the end of any stay that was authorised on arrival. Those are different documents and different dates. The visa expiry date is the one relevant to your eTA application.

What does not satisfy Condition 1

• A U.S. Green Card. Lawful permanent resident status in the United States is a separate pathway and is not a non-immigrant visa. It does not satisfy this condition. People who hold it have their own rules, described later in this guide.
• A U.S. visa that has already expired on the day you apply. An expired U.S. visa does not meet the application-day rule, even if you held it recently.
• A visa issued by another country. Only a Canadian visitor visa from the past ten years or a currently valid U.S. non-immigrant visa counts for this condition.
• An application for a Canadian visa that was refused. A refused application does not mean a visa was held, so it does not provide a basis under this condition.

The third condition is about how you travel. The conditional eTA is available for air travel to Canada and for transit through a Canadian airport, and you must travel with a valid Indonesian passport. The passport you use must be the same one linked to your eTA.

Transit deserves a closer look. If your route has a connection at a Canadian airport, even one where you never leave the secure area, the connection counts as travel through Canada. Review the full itinerary rather than only the first and last cities. A booking that changes planes in Canada on the way to a third country may require the same authorization as a trip that ends in Canada.

Arriving by car, bus, train, boat, ferry or cruise ship

The eTA pathway does not extend to arrival by land or sea. If you plan to enter Canada by car, bus, train, boat, ferry or cruise ship, an Indonesian citizen generally needs the appropriate Canadian visitor visa instead of an eTA. This applies even when Conditions 1 and 2 are fully met, because Condition 3 would not be.

This point is easy to miss for travellers who start in the United States and cross the border on the ground. A valid U.S. visa may feel like it makes the trip simpler, but it does not turn a land crossing into an eTA trip. Decide on your route first, then confirm which document it requires.

Some travellers reading this guide hold a status that changes the analysis. The conditional framework above is written for Indonesian citizens who rely on a Canadian visa history or a U.S. non-immigrant visa. It is not the right framework for the groups below.

U.S. lawful permanent residents

U.S. lawful permanent residents are exempt from the Canadian eTA requirement. They do not need an eTA to fly to Canada, and they do not need a Canadian visitor visa under the conditional framework described here. They travel with a valid passport or equivalent travel document and valid proof of their U.S. permanent resident status, such as a valid Green Card or equivalent acceptable proof.

This exemption is a separate pathway. It does not make a Green Card a non-immigrant visa, and it does not satisfy Condition 1 for anyone applying under the conditional route. The two situations should not be mixed together.

Canadian citizens, dual citizens and permanent residents

Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, do not apply for an eTA. They generally need to travel with a valid Canadian passport. Canadian permanent residents also do not need an eTA, and they should carry a valid permanent resident card or permanent resident travel document with their passport.

U.S. citizens

U.S. citizens are exempt from the eTA requirement and travel with the identification appropriate to their citizenship, normally a valid U.S. passport.

An eTA is linked electronically to the passport used in the application. There is no paper label or stamp. The airline and the border services officer check the passport you present against the record, so the passport you travel on should be the same passport that was used for the application.

A new passport generally requires a new eTA. If you renew or replace your passport after your eTA has been approved, the earlier authorization is tied to a passport you no longer travel on. Apply for a new eTA that uses the new passport details before you travel. If your earlier Canadian visa is still sitting in your old passport and Condition 1 depends on it, keep the old passport safe because it records the visa you are relying on.

Check the passport expiry date before you apply. An eTA cannot outlast the passport it is linked to, so a passport with limited remaining validity will limit how long the eTA can last.

Once the application is submitted and the payment step is completed, you will receive notices by email. Processing times can vary, and some applications may require additional review. For that reason, it is sensible to apply before you commit to arrangements that are difficult to change, instead of waiting until the final stage of trip planning.

If you are asked for more information, respond completely and consistently with the details already provided. If an application is refused, read the notice carefully. A refusal does not always mean you can never qualify, but it does mean you should understand the reason before you try again. Where an eTA is not available to you, the Canadian visitor visa remains the appropriate alternative.

When the authorization is approved, save a copy of the confirmation with your travel papers. You do not need to print a separate document to show at the airport, but you will want the confirmation details available if a question arises about the application.

With the eTA in place, the remaining preparation is ordinary travel planning. Confirm that the name on your airline booking matches the passport exactly. Check the full route of every flight, including connections. Keep your passport, the confirmation of your eTA, and the supporting visa documents together in your hand luggage.

If you are arriving from or connecting through the United States, remember that your U.S. visa is a separate document with its own rules. It supports your eTA eligibility at the time of application, but it does not replace the authorization for Canada, and it does not change the requirement for a visitor visa if you decide to enter by land.

Consider carrying evidence of your plans, such as accommodation details, an itinerary, and proof of onward or return travel. None of these documents is a formal requirement of the eTA itself, but they can help you answer questions calmly at the border.