“I applied an hour ago and still have nothing.” That is the message we get most often at GetETA. Nine times out of ten the eTA is already approved and the email is sitting in spam. Here is what to expect — and what to do when it is not that simple.

What normally happens

  • Most people: approved in 5–15 minutes. An email with your eTA number arrives and you are done.
  • Some people: same day. First a “we received your application” email, then the approval a few hours later.
  • A few people: 2–5 days. Usually a request for a document, or just a longer wait.
  • Very rarely: more than 5 days. Almost always a past refusal, a “yes” on a background question, or a passport problem.

This is what we see in practice, not a promise. Your case can differ.

Why some applications take longer

  • You answered “yes” to a question about a criminal record, a past visa refusal or a serious illness. Nobody rejects you automatically — a person has to look at it.
  • You travelled to Canada before under a different name or passport number, so the records do not match.
  • There is a typo in the passport number or birth date. The mismatch slows things down — and often ends in a refusal later.
  • Plain luck: some applications get picked for a closer look.
  • It is your second application. If the first one was refused or is still pending, the new one is flagged for a manual look — and that can take one to two weeks instead of minutes. This is why a typo three days before a flight is so dangerous: the fix is what takes weeks, not the mistake.

No email yet? Three things to check first

  1. Spam and Promotions folders. Automated approval emails land there all the time. Search your mailbox for “eTA”.
  2. The email address you typed. One wrong letter and the approval went nowhere. You can still find your eTA: run our eTA status check with your passport details and we tell you whether it is approved, pending or refused.
  3. Did the payment go through? If the card was declined, nothing was submitted.

What to do, depending on your flight date

Flight is more than 3 days away. Check spam, run a status check, then wait. Do not apply a second time — two applications slow each other down.

You got an email asking for more time or a document. Do what it asks, quickly. The clock only restarts once they have your document.

Flight is within 3 days and the status is still “pending”. Contact the processing office through their web form with your flight details. It does not guarantee a faster decision, but it is the only channel there is. Do not rebook yet — most of these resolve in time.

Status says “refused”. Do not reapply with the same answers — it will be refused again. Read what a refusal means and what to do next. And if you renewed your passport recently, the problem may simply be that your old eTA does not transfer.

Can anyone speed it up?

No. Not us, not anyone. The decision is made on the government’s side at its own pace. What GetETA does is make a slow review less likely: we check every character of your passport data, warn you before submission if an answer will trigger a manual review, and watch the status so you are not refreshing your inbox. Our priority options shorten our turnaround, not theirs.

The one rule that avoids all of this

Apply for your eTA the day you book your flight, not the day before you fly. It is valid for five years (or until your passport expires), so there is nothing to lose by applying early — and if you turn out to be one of the rare slow cases, you will still have time. Travelling as a family? Read tickets first or eTA first — it matters more than you think.

Official information: after you apply for an eTA