Transit Visa

A Transit Visa is a type of Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) required by anyone from a non-visa-exempt country who is travelling through Canada to another country and whose flight will stop in Canada for less than 48 hours. The typical transit visa is for a traveler who is merely connecting at a Canadian-based airport such as Vancouver International Airport or Montreal Trudeau Airport to a third country destination without entering Canada or passing through Canadian customs.

And so “yes” – despite the fact that a non-visa-exempt national such as an Indian or Russian citizen has no intent of going through Canadian customs, he still needs a Transit Visa to take a connecting flight to Hong Kong. The only advantage of a transit visa versus the regular visitor visa (Temporary Resident Visa) is the processing fee (i.e. free).

There are rare exceptions to the requirement for a Transit Visa for citizens of China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia who hold a valid US visa. This exception applies if they have never overstayed in the US, and have connecting flights to/from the US from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and/or Toronto Pearson International (YYZ) (Terminal 1) and are traveling via Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Air China, Philippines Airlines, Jazz Air, Sky Regional Airlines and Air Georgian.

This exception is referred to as the Transit Without a Visa (TWOV) program or China Transit Program (CTP). Note – the process of obtaining TWOV or CTP relief is driven by the airport administrator or airline; not the passenger or applicant.

If you need a transit visa, please contact our office to schedule an appointment to discuss the rigorous requirements for obtaining one.