Canada’s visa-free entry list includes the Philippines

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced the list of countries eligible for visa-free entry to Canada starting in 2026, which includes the Philippines.

From the traditional visa fee of $100 CAD, eligible Filipinos may now travel to Canada by paying only $7 CAD (around P301) through the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) system.

The countries included in the visa-free list are the Philippines, Thailand, Argentina, Costa Rica, Morocco, Panama, Seychelles, Uruguay, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

According to TravelZilla Philippines, the rules include strict air travel to Canada, as a regular visa is still required for entry via cruise ship. The eTA is also available only to known travelers—those who have held a Canadian visitor visa in the past 10 years or who currently hold a valid non-immigrant visa for the United States.

Applicants need only a valid passport, a working email address, and a credit or debit card to pay the online fee. Once approved, the eTA is electronically linked to the passport and remains valid for up to five years or until the passport expires. Philippine payment cards such as GCash, Maya, BPI, or BDO automatically convert the fee to approximately P305–P320 to cover bank charges.