Canada eTA for Indonesian and Malaysian Citizens: New 2026 Eligibility Rules

Every few months, a post goes viral in Indonesian and Malaysian travel groups: "Canada eTA is now open to our passports." It isn't. And by the time you've read three contradictory blog posts and a Facebook comment thread, you're less sure than when you started.

So let's strip it right back. Canada runs two separate systems for visitors. One is the eTA, for travellers from countries that don't need a visa.

The other is the visitor visa, for everyone else. Indonesia and Malaysia sit firmly in the second group. Nothing changed for 2026.

This guide explains exactly why that is, what the "2026 rules" story actually refers to, and what you need to do instead — with real fees, real timelines, and the specific steps where applications from Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur usually go wrong. This is general information, not immigration advice, and requirements do change — always confirm on IRCC's official pages before you book anything.

Can Indonesian and Malaysian citizens get a Canada eTA in 2026?

No. The Canada eTA is only available to citizens of countries and territories that Canada has designated as visa-exempt. Indonesia and Malaysia are not on that list.

That's the whole answer. No workaround, no special 2026 opening, no "new rules" that quietly made it possible. If you hold an ordinary Indonesian or Malaysian passport, the eTA application on IRCC's own website will reject your nationality at the eligibility stage.

Here's the part that trips people up. The eTA is not a visa. It's a light-touch security pre-screen for people who already have the right to board a plane to Canada without a visa.

Think of it as the door key for people who already live in the building — not a way in for everyone else.

What most guides get wrong about this

Two widespread misconceptions do real damage to travellers' plans.

• "Malaysia is visa-exempt for Canada." It isn't. Malaysian passport holders need a Temporary Resident Visa for Canada, exactly like Indonesian passport holders. Malaysia's strong passport ranking reflects visa-free access to many countries — Canada isn't one of them.
• "You can apply for an eTA anyway and it gets upgraded." There's no upgrade path. An eTA refusal isn't a soft version of a visa refusal, and applying for one when you're not eligible just wastes CAD $7 and a week of your time.

Anyone telling you otherwise is either confused about how the system works or trying to sell you something.

What is a Canada eTA, and who is it actually for?

The eTA — Electronic Travel Authorization — launched in March 2016. It's electronically linked to your passport, so there's nothing to print. It costs CAD $7 and is valid for up to five years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.

You need one to fly to Canada or to transit through a Canadian airport. You don't need one to enter by land or sea from the United States, if you're a visa-exempt traveller.

Who qualifies? Citizens of visa-exempt countries and territories. That includes the UK, Ireland, most of the EU and EEA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, Israel, Chile, the UAE, and a long list of others.

US citizens don't need an eTA at all — they just travel on their US passport.

Notice who's missing. No Indonesia. No Malaysia.

No Thailand, no Vietnam, no Philippines — with one narrow exception we'll get to in a moment.

eTA vs visitor visa vs transit visa: the differences that matter

If you're an Indonesian or Malaysian passport holder, this table is the one to screenshot.

Fees are set in Canadian dollars and reviewed periodically. IRCC publishes them on the official eTA page — check there rather than trusting any figure you saw on a forum.

The "2026 eligibility rules" — what actually changed?

Let's deal with the headline directly. As of early 2026, IRCC has not announced any change that would make Indonesian or Malaysian citizens eligible for a Canada eTA. There is no published consultation, no transitional arrangement, and no pilot programme.

So where does the story come from? Usually one of three places.

1. Confusion with other countries' systems. Australia, Sri Lanka, the UK and soon the EU all run travel authorisations with similar names. A headline about one of those gets shared as if it were about Canada.
2. Confusion with the eTA expansion programme. In 2018, Canada extended eTA eligibility to citizens of a short list of additional countries — but only for travellers who either hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years. Indonesia and Malaysia are not on that list. IRCC publishes the full list on its eTA eligibility page.
3. Third-party sites inventing demand. Some commercial "visa assistance" sites publish optimistic articles to capture search traffic, then sell you a service that can't deliver.

How the visa-exempt list really changes

Canada does adjust its visa-exempt list — it just doesn't do it quietly, and it doesn't usually do it for a whole region at once.

Take Mexico. In February 2024, Canada re-imposed a visa requirement on Mexican citizens travelling by air. But it built in an exception: Mexican citizens who hold a valid US non-immigrant visa, or who have held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years, can still apply for an eTA and fly without a full visitor visa.

That's the pattern to remember. When Canada opens an eTA route to a visa-required country, it tends to be conditional — tied to existing US or Canadian visa history — and it's announced formally by IRCC, not by a travel blog.

Nothing of that shape has been announced for Indonesia or Malaysia. If it happens, you'll see it on canada.ca first.

What Indonesian and Malaysian citizens actually need: a Temporary Resident Visa

The Temporary Resident Visa — usually just called a visitor visa — is a physical counterfoil placed in your passport. It's what lets you board a flight to Canada as an Indonesian or Malaysian passport holder.

To get one, an officer has to be satisfied of a few things. These aren't box-ticking exercises; they're the actual legal test.

• You'll leave Canada at the end of your authorised stay.
• You have enough money to cover your trip and your return.
• You're not inadmissible — for example, on criminal, security or medical grounds.
• You've been honest in your application and supplied genuine documents.

The fee is CAD $100 per person, covering single or multiple entry at the same price. Biometrics cost CAD $85 per person, capped at CAD $170 for a family of two or more applying together. Your biometrics stay on file for 10 years.

A visitor visa normally lets you stay up to six months per entry. How long the visa itself is valid depends on the officer — IRCC updated its guidance in late 2024 so that long-validity multiple-entry visas are no longer issued automatically.

How to apply for a Canadian visitor visa from Indonesia — step by step

Here's the actual process, in the order it happens. There is no paper route for most applicants.

1. Create an IRCC Secure Account. Everything happens inside this account — the questionnaire, the forms, the uploads, the decision letter.
2. Answer the eligibility questionnaire honestly. It generates your personalised document checklist. Answer it accurately; a mismatch between your answers and your documents is a fast route to refusal.
3. Complete form IMM 5257 (Application for a Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside Canada) and IMM 5645 (Family Information). If you're using a paid representative, add IMM 5476.
4. Upload your documents. Passport bio page, a compliant digital photo, bank statements covering three to six months, an employment or business letter, a rough itinerary, and an invitation letter if you're visiting family or friends. Previous travel stamps help — especially US, UK, Schengen or Australian visas.
5. Pay CAD $100 plus CAD $85 biometrics in the currency IRCC shows at checkout.
6. Give biometrics within 30 days. You'll get a Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) almost immediately. Book at the VFS Global visa application centre in Jakarta. If you're legally in the United States, you can give biometrics at a USCIS Application Support Center instead.
7. Wait, and check the processing time tool. IRCC publishes country-specific estimates. Treat them as estimates, not promises.
8. Respond to the passport request letter. If approved, you'll be asked to submit your passport to the VAC — in person or by courier — so the visa counterfoil can be printed.
9. Fly. Carry the passport with the visa, plus copies of your supporting documents. Border officers can ask to see them.

The field that trips people up

It's the purpose-of-visit and funds section. Applicants often write "tourism" and then upload three months of bank statements with a balance that wouldn't cover a week in Vancouver. Be specific and be consistent.

If a relative in Canada is hosting you, say so, name them, and attach their invitation letter along with proof of their status. A vague application reads as a risky one.

Applying from Malaysia — what's different?

The process is identical. The main practical difference is where you give biometrics: the VFS Global visa application centre in Kuala Lumpur. Applicants in Sabah and Sarawak usually fly in for the appointment, so build that cost into your budget.

Two things worth knowing for Malaysian applicants.

• Malaysia doesn't recognise dual citizenship for adults. So the "I'll just use my other passport" fix doesn't exist for most Malaysian citizens — you're applying for a visitor visa, full stop.
• Strong travel history helps. A Malaysian passport with previous UK, Schengen, Japan or US visas supports your application. Include copies of those visa pages, not just the stamps.

Beyond that, there's no separate rulebook for Malaysia. Same forms, same fee, same biometrics requirement.

How long does a Canadian visitor visa take from Indonesia or Malaysia?

This is the question that decides whether your trip happens. The honest answer: it varies, and it has been getting longer.

IRCC publishes current processing times by country on its website, and the numbers move week to week. Through 2025 and into 2026, times for many Southeast Asian markets have commonly run from several weeks to a few months. Don't rely on a figure you read three months ago — check the tool the day you apply.

The single most expensive mistake is booking flights first. Buy refundable or flexible tickets, or wait until the visa is physically in your passport.

Transiting through Canada: do you need a visa just to change planes?

Yes — and this catches people out constantly.

Canada does not operate a blanket sterile-transit system. Unlike, say, Singapore or Dubai, you can't simply stay airside at Toronto or Vancouver as a visa national and assume you're fine. In most cases you need a transit visa, applied for through the same IRCC portal, before you board.

Canada runs a small number of transit programmes for specific nationalities, with strict conditions about routes and airports. Indonesia and Malaysia aren't covered by them.

Practical example: you're flying Jakarta → Vancouver → New York on a single ticket. Even if you never leave the terminal, you need a Canadian transit visa for the Vancouver leg. If you build a US itinerary through East Asia or the Middle East instead, you skip the Canadian requirement entirely — often worth the extra routing.

Travel by land from the United States is different. If you're driving from Seattle to Vancouver, you present yourself at a land border crossing — but as an Indonesian or Malaysian national you still need a valid visa for that entry.

The exceptions that genuinely do exist

There are a few routes around the visitor visa. They're narrow, but they're real.

1. You hold a visa-exempt passport as well

This is the biggest one. If you're an Indonesian or Malaysian citizen who also holds a passport from a visa-exempt country — the UK, an EU state, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan — you can travel to Canada on that passport and apply for an eTA like any other visa-exempt traveller.

Malaysia doesn't permit dual citizenship for adults, so this mostly affects people who renounced Malaysian citizenship and naturalised elsewhere. Indonesia has a similar rule, though children under 18 may hold dual nationality until they choose.

If you're now travelling on a British passport, our guide to the canada eta for uk citizens walks through that route in detail.

2. You're a US lawful permanent resident

IRCC treats some non-citizen travellers under separate rules, and green card holders are the main example. If you hold a valid US green card, check IRCC's eligibility tool with your exact circumstances before paying for a visitor visa — some green card holders can travel with an eTA instead.

3. You're a Canadian permanent resident

If you hold Canadian permanent residence, you don't need a visa or an eTA. You travel with your valid PR card or a permanent resident travel document. Just make sure the card hasn't expired — airlines will refuse boarding without valid status documentation.

4. You're travelling on a diplomatic or official passport

Different agreements can apply. Check with your issuing government and with IRCC before assuming anything carries over from your ordinary passport.

Scam warning: "apply for your Canada eTA" sites targeting Indonesian and Malaysian travellers

Search for "Canada eTA" from Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur and you'll find polished websites offering to process your application for USD $40 to $100. Some take the money and vanish. Others take the money, produce a fake PDF, and leave you at the check-in desk.

Here's what to know.

• If you're an Indonesian or Malaysian passport holder, there is no such thing as a Canada eTA for you. Nobody can obtain one on your behalf.
• The genuine visitor visa application happens on IRCC's own website. The government fee is CAD $100, and no legitimate service can promise a different outcome.
• If you pay someone for immigration advice in Canada, they must be authorised — a member of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, or a lawyer or notary in good standing.
• A paid "form-filling" service isn't illegal in itself, but it's never required. The questionnaire is straightforward.

If a site asks for your passport scan, a payment, and promises a "Canada eTA within 24 hours" for an Indonesian or Malaysian passport, stop. Verify everything directly with the official IRCC eTA eligibility page before you part with a single rupiah or ringgit.

Other travel authorisations people mix up with the Canada eTA

A lot of the confusion isn't really about Canada. It's about a cluster of similarly named systems that all sound the same and all work differently.

• The sri lanka eta is Sri Lanka's own online travel authorisation. It genuinely is open to Indonesian and Malaysian passport holders, which is part of why the confusion spreads.
• Australia's ETA and eVisitor are Australia's systems. Australian ETA eligibility is tied to specific passports and is separate from anything Canada runs — our guide to the australia eta visa for uk citizens explains how that programme works for one passport in particular.
• The UK ETA is the UK's new pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors. It's expanding in stages, and Indonesia and Malaysia aren't in the current eligible group either.
• ETIAS is the EU's forthcoming system for visa-exempt travellers to the Schengen area. It doesn't replace Schengen visas, and it won't help with Canada.
• The US ESTA works only under the Visa Waiver Program. Indonesia and Malaysia aren't members, so a US visitor visa (B1/B2) is the route there too.

If you want the full picture on how Canada's own system fits together — including how the eTA works for the nationalities that can use it — our canada eta guide covers the whole programme in detail.

Two worked examples: what this looks like in practice

Rina from Jakarta

Rina, an Indonesian citizen living in South Jakarta, planned a two-week trip to Vancouver and Banff for July 2026 with her husband and two children. She found a site offering a "Canada eTA for Indonesian citizens" for USD $79 each. She paid, waited, and received a blank PDF.

She started again in mid-February 2026 — properly this time.

• Created an IRCC Secure Account and applied for four visitor visas.
• Paid CAD $400 in visa fees plus CAD $170 for family biometrics.
• Gave biometrics at the VFS Global centre in Jakarta within a week of receiving the BIL.
• Uploaded six months of bank statements, employment letters for both adults, and a hotel itinerary.
• Received the passport request letter about seven weeks later, and submitted all four passports by courier.

Total government cost: CAD $570. Total elapsed time from application to visas in hand: just under nine weeks. She booked flights only after the passports came back.

The USD $316 she lost to the fake eTA site was the cheapest part of the lesson — and the one she couldn't get back.

Ahmad from Kuala Lumpur

Ahmad booked a non-refundable Kuala Lumpur to Vancouver ticket in December for a February conference. He applied for his visitor visa in early January, assuming a few weeks would be enough.

His decision didn't arrive in time. He rebooked at short notice, paid a change fee and a higher fare — a few thousand ringgit, gone. His application wasn't refused; it simply hadn't been decided.

That's the trap: processing times are estimates, not commitments, and no amount of calling speeds them up.

The fix is boring and it works. Apply four to six months ahead. Don't book non-refundable long-haul flights until the visa counterfoil is in your passport.

Will Indonesia or Malaysia ever be added to the eTA list?

Possibly, one day. Not on any published timeline.

Adding a country to the visa-exempt list is a formal decision by the Canadian government, usually informed by factors such as overstay rates, information-sharing agreements, document security and broader diplomatic relations. It isn't a technical upgrade that happens quietly.

If it does happen, it will be announced on IRCC's website, in the Canada Gazette or through an official government release. When you see it there, believe it. Until then, plan around the visitor visa.

Key takeaways

• Indonesia and Malaysia are not eTA-eligible. As of 2026, there's no Canada eTA available on either passport, and no announced change.
• What you need is a Temporary Resident Visa. CAD $100 per person, plus CAD $85 for biometrics (CAD $170 family cap), plus any VFS service fee.
• Apply through IRCC's own portal. Nowhere else. Third-party sites selling "Canada eTA" to Indonesian or Malaysian travellers cannot deliver it.
• Apply early — months, not weeks. Processing times vary and have been lengthening. Book flexible flights or wait until the visa is in your passport.
• Transiting counts. If your route touches a Canadian airport, you need a transit visa even if you never leave the terminal.
• Check the exceptions. A second, visa-exempt passport, US green card status or Canadian permanent residence can change everything.
• This article is general guidance, not professional immigration advice. Always verify current requirements, fees and processing times with official sources before you travel.

For official guidance, visit the UK Government ETA.

See also: the multiple-entry Schengen visa