Check visas and eTAs before booking
Entry rules are not exciting, but they decide whether the rest of the trip can happen.
Start With Official Rules
- Confirm visa, eTA, passport validity, blank page, onward ticket, and transit requirements before buying nonrefundable travel.
- Check rules for your passport nationality, destination, connection countries, and trip purpose.
- Keep official government pages as the final source even when paid services make the workflow easier.
Know When Paid Help Is Worth It
- Use paid visa help when the application is confusing, time-sensitive, language-heavy, or bundled with document upload steps.
- Skip paid help when the official application is simple and cheaper to complete directly.
- Watch for service fees, processing windows, refund rules, and whether the provider can actually handle your passport type.
Track The Paper Trail
- Save application IDs, receipts, approval PDFs, and entry documents beside the trip.
- Add reminders for application deadlines and passport renewal dates.
- Print only what counters are likely to ask for, then keep a private offline copy for everything else.