Traveling to Canada While Pregnant: eTA, Visitor Visas, and Airline Pregnancy Limits

If you are traveling to Canada while pregnant, start with your passport. An ordinary passport issued by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that includes your personal identification number needs an eTA to fly. A Hong Kong SAR passport also uses an eTA. A People's Republic of China passport needs a visitor visa. But an eTA or visa does not guarantee entry. Whether you can enter, and how long you can stay, is decided by the border services officer when you arrive. Each airline also has its own pregnancy limits, and those need to fit into your travel plans too.

“I'm 28 weeks pregnant and have a Taiwan passport. Can I just get an eTA online and fly to Canada?” That question only covers the first step. From applying to boarding, entering, and leaving after the birth, each step is decided by a different party, and each looks at different information. Instead of asking “Is a Canadian visa easy to get?”, start with: “Who decides each step, and what information of mine will they look at?” If you are still weighing the whole plan, start with Giving Birth in Canada: What to Confirm First About Entry, Medical Care, Costs, Baby Documents, and Postpartum Plans.

The Short Answer: What Do You Need to Prepare to Travel to Canada While Pregnant?

• Step 1, applying: Your passport determines whether you need an eTA or a visitor visa. To get a visitor visa, you must meet the conditions IRCC lists, including having enough money for your stay and convincing an officer that you will leave at the end of your visit.
• Step 2, boarding: The airline decides whether to accept you based on how many weeks pregnant you are and how many babies you are carrying. EVA Air and China Airlines do not accept passengers with a single pregnancy at 36 weeks or more, and at earlier weeks you may need to apply for medical clearance first.
• Step 3, entering Canada: A border services officer checks your passport and documents, asks questions, and then decides whether to let you in and how long you can stay. Most visitors can stay up to 6 months.
• Step 4, after the birth: To stay longer, apply for an extension at least 30 days before your status expires. Your baby's status is handled separately and does not change the parents' length of stay.
• Costs: The Government of Canada does not pay visitors' hospital or medical costs. Before you leave, confirm how you will pay for medical care and check your insurance terms.

Does Your Passport Need an eTA or a Visitor Visa?

According to IRCC's entry requirements by country, here is how three common passports compare:

Key facts about the two documents:

• eTA: According to IRCC's eTA facts, an eTA is linked to your passport and is valid for up to 5 years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. The official application page lists the fee as CAD 7. Start your application from canada.ca.
• Visitor visa: According to IRCC's visitor visa information, a visa is generally valid for up to 10 years, or until your passport or biometrics expire, whichever comes first.

Your husband or older relatives traveling with you each need their own document based on their own passport. One person cannot apply for an eTA that covers the whole family.

What Conditions Does a Visa Application Look At?

According to IRCC's visitor visa eligibility page, applicants must:

1. Have a valid travel document, such as a passport
2. Be in good health
3. Have no criminal or immigration-related convictions
4. Convince an immigration officer that you have ties to your home country, such as a job, home, property, or family
5. Convince an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your visit
6. Have enough money for your stay

In some cases, you may also be asked to have a medical exam or to provide a letter of invitation from someone who lives in Canada. According to IRCC's medical exam requirements, visitors who plan to stay more than 6 months, and who lived for 6 months in a row in certain countries or territories in the year before coming to Canada, need an immigration medical exam. Check the official page for the list.

Families expecting a baby have one more thing to plan for: the cost of the birth. In 2020 materials for a parliamentary committee, IRCC said that travelers on visitor visas who state they are coming to Canada to give birth must show they can pay for the birth. That statement is from 2020, so check IRCC's latest notices for current practice. IRCC's Help Centre also states that Canada does not pay visitors' hospital or medical costs and advises getting insurance before you leave. All information you give in your application and at entry must be truthful. For questions about your case, consult a Canadian immigration lawyer or a licensed immigration consultant.

For how hospital, doctor, and newborn costs break down, see How Much Does It Cost to Give Birth in Canada? A Budget Framework for Non-Resident Medical, Hospital, and Unexpected Costs.

If You Have an eTA or Visa, Are You Guaranteed Entry?

Not necessarily. IRCC's Help Centre puts it plainly: an eTA is a document that supports your entry. When you arrive, a border services officer looks at your passport and documents, asks a few questions, and then decides whether to let you in. The same goes for a visitor visa. The border services officer decides how long you can stay, which may be shorter or longer than 6 months.

According to IRCC's guidance on preparing for arrival, your length of stay is marked like this:

Check the marking in your passport on the day you arrive, and write down the expiry date. According to IRCC's guidance on length of stay, if you want to stay longer, apply for an extension at least 30 days before your status expires. The days around your due date are hard to plan exactly, so build in these 30 days from the start.

How Many Weeks Pregnant Can You Fly? Start With the Airline's Rules

Each airline decides under its own rules whether a pregnant passenger can board, and the rules differ. Here is what three airlines' websites say (the pregnancy rules only):

Take a single pregnancy at 34 weeks as an example. Under EVA Air's and China Airlines' rules, you need medical clearance before you can fly. At 36 weeks, neither airline will accept you. When you choose a departure date, count back from the flight date and include the date your doctor issues the medical certificate and the airline's review time. For the week when medical clearance starts and the document deadlines, check each airline's latest notices on its website.

Airline rules only answer “Can I board?” They do not answer “Should I fly?” Before you go, ask your obstetrician to assess a long-haul flight based on your pregnancy, and include your connection time. Flying home after the birth has separate requirements, covered in the return section of Giving Birth in Canada Step by Step: Prenatal Care, Hospitals, Labor, and the Trip Home.

Before You Leave, When You Arrive, After the Birth: A Checklist

Before You Leave

• Confirm whether your passport needs an eTA or a visitor visa, and have each family member apply for their own
• Check the airline's pregnancy rules, and allow time to apply for medical clearance if needed
• Ask your obstetrician to assess long-haul travel, and get a medical certificate stating your due date
• Confirm how you will pay for medical care, and check your insurance terms to see whether pregnancy and childbirth are covered
• Book accommodation and flights that allow date changes

When You Arrive

• Check the entry stamp and date in your passport, and write down each family member's expiry date

After the Birth

• If you need to extend your stay, apply at least 30 days before it expires
• Your baby's birth registration, birth certificate, and passport are handled separately. For questions about your baby's status, see Is a Baby Born in Canada a Canadian Citizen? Why the Baby's Status and the Parents' Status Are Separate
• Schedule your return based on the airline's postpartum rules and your pediatrician's assessment

Which Part Can Jiaduobao (JDB) Help With?

JDB plans to expand its services to Canada starting in 2027, focusing on postpartum accommodation, recovery for mothers, and newborn care. Cities, opening dates, and service details will be posted over time in our announcement.

Visas, entry, medical care, and your baby's identity documents are handled separately by the Government of Canada, hospitals, and Taiwan's overseas missions. Jiaduobao provides accommodation, daily living, and newborn care services and does not provide individual visa, immigration, legal, or medical advice.

To learn more about our plans for Canada, contact us on LINE (ID: jdbmom828), WeChat (ID: jdbmom), WhatsApp (+1 828-866-8886), or through our online form.

Jiaduobao provides accommodation, daily living, and newborn care services and does not provide individual visa, immigration, legal, or medical advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: With a Taiwan Passport, Do You Need an eTA to Drive Into Canada From the U.S.?

No. According to IRCC, an eTA is only for flying to Canada or transiting through a Canadian airport. Visa-exempt travelers who enter by car, bus, train, or boat do not need an eTA. You still need a valid passport, and the border services officer still decides whether you can enter.

Q2: Is There a Minimum Amount for Proof of Funds?

There is no fixed answer. IRCC's condition is that you have “enough money for your stay,” and it has not published an amount that applies to everyone. How long you stay, how many people travel with you, where you stay, and medical costs all affect how much money you need. For your case, consult a Canadian immigration lawyer or a licensed immigration consultant.

Q3: Can You Leave Out Your Pregnancy When Applying for an eTA or Visa?

You may not hide information or give false information. Everything you provide in an application must be true and complete, and IRCC's forms and official guidance determine which documents to include. If you are worried that your pregnancy could affect your application, consult a Canadian immigration lawyer or a licensed immigration consultant first.

Q4: Can JDB Apply for an eTA or Canadian Visa on Your Behalf?

No. JDB does not provide visa or immigration services. Apply for an eTA or visitor visa through the Government of Canada website. The official eTA fee is CAD 7. If a website charges much more, check whether it is canada.ca.

For Families Preparing to Travel to Canada While Pregnant

Applying, boarding, entering, waiting for labor, giving birth, and then bringing your baby home: each step of giving birth in Canada is decided by a different party. Once you have an eTA or visa, you still need to line up the airline's pregnancy limits with the length of stay the border services officer gives you. Keep your documents organized by step, and leave some room in your dates. If the baby comes earlier or later than the due date, you only need to change one part instead of rebuilding the whole trip.

If you are planning to give birth in Canada and would like to talk about postpartum care plans, you can contact JDB through our contact form.

Sources

• Government of Canada (IRCC): What you need to enter Canada. Whether each passport needs an eTA or a visitor visa. The list may change.
• Government of Canada (IRCC): Visitor visa: Who can apply. General eligibility for a visitor visa.
• Government of Canada (IRCC): Find out about electronic travel authorization (eTA). eTA validity, the modes of travel it covers, and the fact that it does not guarantee entry.
• Government of Canada (IRCC Help Centre): How long can I stay in Canada as a visitor?. How long visitors can stay and when to apply for an extension.
• Government of Canada (IRCC): Birth on soil (2020 parliamentary committee materials). IRCC's 2020 statement on whether travelers coming to give birth can pay. This is older material, and current practice may differ.

This article is general information about Canadian visas, entry, and airline rules for pregnant passengers. It is not legal, immigration, medical, or case-specific advice. Rules and airline policies may change at any time. In any actual case, the official notices of the Government of Canada and the airlines, applicable law, and professional advice take precedence.