Lost AVE number: how to do it?

The Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is a document allowing you to go to Canada for a maximum of 6 months as part of a tourist trip or a business trip. To obtain this travel authorization, you must complete the online form . This will then be sent to the Canadian authorities to judge the admissibility of your file. If your eTA application is approved, you will receive an eTA number by email. But then what is this number for and what to do if you can no longer get your hands on it? We answer all your questions in this article.

When is the eTA number transmitted?

Any request for an eTA to travel to Canada requires an online request. This travel document is not accessible to everyone. To ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements of the Visa Waiver Program, the Government of Canada requires you to complete an online questionnaire.

The answers to the questions asked on the form will therefore determine the status of your eTA application . If the Canadian government gives a favorable response to your application for authorization to stay, you will be informed by a summary email with the eTA number. This identification number is unique and is associated directly with the passport with which the request was made.

The eTA number allows you to consult your file to check if your certificate of stay in Canada is still valid. To be sure to have an eTA still valid , the Canadian government provides foreign nationals with a tool to check the status of the eTA. To use it, all you need is the following:

• eTA application number;
• passport number ;
• country of issue of the identity document;
• date of issue and expiry date of the passport.

Note that if you already have a PVT Canada (Working Holiday Program), you will not need to apply for an eTA. This is also the case if you are in possession of a permanent resident card.

How to find your eTA number?

As said previously, the eTA admission necessarily leads to the generation of an AVE number. Note that this identifier is communicated via the e-mail address that was provided when completing the questionnaire. If you have several e-mail addresses, be sure to look for the one that corresponds to your eTA request. In addition, it happens that the email informing of the eTA number ends up in spam, so it is advisable to also check this part.

If you have not received an acknowledgment of receipt within 72 hours of your request, you must complete a form on the official Canadian government website. Your request will be processed within a few days. It goes without saying that to do this, you are required to be sure that you have provided the correct address and that you have checked your spam.

Loss of Canada eTA number: is it serious?

If after an in-depth search, you still cannot get your hands on the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) email, we can reassure you, this does not necessarily jeopardize your trip to Canada. Indeed, the eTA is an electronic authorization, there is no official paper version. When you receive approval for your application, the eTA number is computer-linked to your electronic or biometric passport. As a result, airline personnel and the Canada Border Services Agency will be able to access your eTA electronically simply by scanning your passport. No need to give them your Canada eTA number.

The validity period of an eTA is 5 years, if you have applied recently, but have lost your Canada eTA number , this is therefore not a problem. Be careful, however, to check that your passport is valid for the entire stay. If applicable, your eTA will end on the day your ID expires. The procedure to follow will be to order a new biometric passport from your town hall, then to reapply online.

Submit a new request to obtain another eTA number

On the other hand, if your application dates back several years, but we no longer have an exact memory of the date of issue, we simply advise you to reapply for an eTA. It would indeed be a shame to organize your trip down to the smallest detail only to end up being refused access to the airport because of an expired eTA.

To make a new request, you can go to the official website of the Canadian government or to our partner site. By choosing this second option, you will benefit from personalized support in your process of obtaining the AVE. If you ever lose your Canada eTA number after ordering your authorization via our partner site, the confirmation email is saved in your customer area. If necessary, customer service is also at your disposal.

Although making a new request generates eTA costs, the process is still advantageous compared to the acquisition of a Canada visa or a PVT Working Holiday Program , the price of which is around one hundred dollars. Canadians.

Be careful, if at the end of your stay on Canadian soil you plan to travel to the United States, you will probably need an ESTA authorization, which works exactly on the same principle as the AVE.