Travel Arrangements

Visa Requirements

Delegates from ICAO Member States and international organizations travelling to Canada must ensure that they have obtained either a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). To this end, the following procedures must be observed by the applicants:

Canadian Visa Requirements

States and territories, of which the citizens need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) to enter Canada, are listed at the following IRCC website: Check if you need a visa or eTA to travel to Canada.

It is highly recommended to submit the visa application at least eight (8) weeks prior to departure. A processing times tool is available at: Check our current processing times.

Citizens of some States and territories who need a TRV to enter Canada are also required to give their biometrics, more information on which is available at the following link: Biometrics. However, the following individuals are normally exempt from biometric requirements and processing fees: (i) Heads of State and Heads of Government; and (ii) designated officials of Member States who qualify for or hold a diplomatic or official visa.

Temporary Resident Visa Applications

Except for visa-exempt visitors, all applications for a TRV must be submitted to IRCC through an online application, available at the following link: Visitor visa (temporary resident visa).

Important: IRCC currently has three (3) online portals to apply for a TRV. IRCC recommends delegates to use the IRCC Secure Network to apply for the visa by clicking on this link: IRCC Secure Network. If a delegate chooses to use either of the other two (2) portals referred to as the “IRCC Portal” or the “IRCC Portal - New version”, fees must be paid and biometrics must be submitted even in cases where an exemption might otherwise apply.

In specific cases where participants are unable to apply online, they may do so through a paper application sent to a Visa Application Centre (VAC). Additional instructions on paper applications can be found at the following link: Guide 5256 - Applying for a visitor visa (temporary resident visa) - paper application. In order to facilitate the issuance of visas, paper applications and envelopes should be marked “ICAO”.

Where an IRCC Special Event code for ICAO meetings has been received in the visa-support letter issued by the ICAO Secretariat (see below) and a visa is required, the application must be submitted online through the IRCC Secure Network.

Applicants should submit passports to a Visa Application Centre (VAC) – either in their country of residence or at any VAC location in any other country – ONLY once they have received a letter or email from IRCC notifying them that the visa is ready to be issued. Unless applicants submit their passport to the same VAC where they initially submitted biometrics (if biometrics are required), they will have to pay a service charge for package transmission. Additional instructions can be found on the relevant VAC webpage – please see: Find a visa application centre - Canada.ca.

In addition to the requested personal information and other required documents, individuals should clearly indicate that they are coming at the invitation of ICAO or to attend an ICAO meeting, and include all relevant supporting documentation, such as their ICAO visa-support letter (see below), event registration confirmation, etc.

ICAO Visa-Support Letter

A visa-support letter, addressed to the appropriate Canadian Visa Office, can be obtained from ICAO. It is the responsibility of applicants to contact ICAO to request such a letter sufficiently in advance in order to respect visa application timelines.

Requests for visa-support letters must be submitted to the ICAO Secretariat (VisaSupport [at] icao.int (VisaSupport[at]icao[dot]int)), in the form of an official letter from government authorities of Member States or Heads of international organizations, and should contain the personal data of the delegate(s), i.e. full name, title (including entity/authority or place of work), date of birth, nationality and passport number. Requests will be assessed and, if approved, a visa-support letter will be provided.

The IRCC Special Event code for ICAO meetings, where applicable, should be provided in the visa-support letter issued by the ICAO Secretariat.

A copy of the visa-support letter provided by the ICAO Secretariat should be attached to the online or paper visa application submitted to IRCC.

Electronic Travel Authorization

Visa-exempt visitors travelling to Canada by air must obtain an eTA. It is recommended that applications for the eTA be submitted well in advance of travel. Citizens from select visa-required countries travelling by air may be eligible to apply for an eTA, instead of a visa. For more information on the eTA, the following link should be consulted: Electronic travel authorization (eTA): Who can apply.

Arriving in Canada

In order to facilitate entry formalities upon arrival in Canada, it is suggested that participants carry a copy of the document notifying that they are participants at an ICAO meeting, and where available, the ICAO-Secretariat-issued visa-support letter, and that they identify themselves as such to the Canadian immigration and border authorities at the port of entry.

It is NOT possible to obtain a visa upon arrival in Canada, at the point of entry.

Hotels

A list of hotels and apartment hotels within reasonable distance from ICAO Headquarters as well as the map of downtown Montréal are available on the dedicated website for the Assembly (https://www.icao.int/A43) under “Information for Delegates”.

Delegations may make reservations directly with the hotel of their choice. Delegates must provide a credit card number and expiry date to guarantee hotel accommodation.

Due to the fact that large-scale events will be taking place in Montréal during the time frame of the Assembly, it is strongly recommended that all delegates make hotel reservations as soon as possible.