Do Hong Kong passport holders need a visa for Canada?
By Pranav Muley · Software Engineer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
No visa, but flying requires an eTA. Canada’s immigration regulations exempt anyone holding a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport from the visitor visa requirement. Arriving by air needs an electronic travel authorisation first, costing 7 Canadian dollars and valid five years. The exemption is attached to the HKSAR passport itself, not to Hong Kong residence.
Quick facts
Travel authorisation- Visa required
- No, on an HKSAR passport
- Basis
- Passport type, not nationality or residence
- eTA required
- Only when arriving by air
- Cost
- CAD 7
- eTA validity
- 5 years, or until your passport expires
- Length of stay
- 6 months by default, or another period set by the officer
Entry requirements
- An HKSAR passport valid for the whole of your stay. The exemption is written against this document specifically.
- An approved eTA if you are arriving by air, which the airline checks before boarding.
- Nothing beyond the passport when arriving by land or by sea.
- Evidence you will leave at the end of the visit, and funds to support yourself, if the border officer asks.
- A return or onward ticket.
How to get an eTA
Apply on the Government of Canada site with your HKSAR passport, a credit card and an email address. The fee set in the regulations is 7 Canadian dollars, so a site charging you several hundred Hong Kong dollars for the same form is a reseller.
Most approvals land within minutes, but some are held for review, so this is not an airport task. Apply as soon as the flight is booked.
The authorisation lasts five years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first, and covers unlimited trips in that window. Renewing your passport means getting a new eTA, even if years remain on the old one.
Good to know
- The regulation exempts the holder of an HKSAR passport, which means the document decides this and not where you live or what your nationality is. A permanent resident of Hong Kong travelling on a mainland Chinese passport is not covered by this provision and needs a visitor visa. A British National (Overseas) passport is covered, but by the next paragraph along, s.190(2)(e), and only for a holder born, naturalised or registered in Hong Kong: BN(O) travellers are visa-exempt too, just not under the provision this page is about. A Hong Kong Document of Identity appears in neither paragraph and carries no exemption at all, so check which book you are actually flying on before assuming any of this applies to you.
- Whether you need anything at all depends on how you arrive, which catches out anyone combining Canada with a United States trip. Fly into Vancouver or Toronto and you need the eTA. Fly into Seattle and drive north, or arrive on a cruise, and you need no authorisation whatsoever, just the passport.
- Canada is a common destination for Hong Kong families with relatives already settled there, and a visitor eTA does not stretch to cover that. It is for visits: six months, no work, no study beyond a short course. Anything involving employment or a longer stay needs a permit arranged before you fly, and cannot be converted from a visit once you have landed.
Frequently asked questions
Do Hong Kong passport holders need a visa for Canada?
No. Canada’s regulations exempt holders of an HKSAR passport from the visitor visa requirement. If you are flying you need an eTA, which is not a visa.
How much is a Canadian eTA from Hong Kong?
Seven Canadian dollars, the fee set in Canada’s immigration regulations. It stays valid for five years or until your passport expires.
Does a BN(O) passport get the same exemption for Canada?
Yes, but under a different paragraph. s.190(2)(e) exempts holders of a BN(O) passport who were born, naturalised or registered in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong Document of Identity is not exempt under either paragraph and needs a visitor visa.
Do I need an eTA to drive into Canada from the United States?
No. The requirement applies to arrivals by air only. Crossing by land or arriving by sea needs just your passport, though the officer still decides admission.
How long can Hong Kong visitors stay in Canada?
Usually up to six months, set by the border services officer on arrival rather than fixed in advance.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2002-227), s.190(2)(d) — exempt if they "hold a passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China" (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca). Read 2026-08-17.
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s.190(2)(e) — separately exempts holders of "a passport issued by the United Kingdom to a British National (Overseas), as a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong". A Hong Kong Document of Identity appears in neither paragraph. Read 2026-08-17.
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s.7.1 — eTA required for entry by air
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s.294.1 — CAD 7 eTA fee; s.12.05 — valid five years or until the passport expires, whichever is earlier
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s.183(2) — the authorized period of stay is six months, or another period fixed by an officer
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
