Requirements for travelling to Canada from Spain

Welcome to this post where we detail all the requirements to travel to Canada from Spain within our super guide to travel to for immigration to Canada.  

On this occasion we are going to try to summarize everything you need to take into account before traveling to second largest country in the world, after Russia, and the country that has the 60% of the world's lakes. Not even the sum of all the countries would surpass it in lakes!

Un super safe country full of wild nature in its purest form. They say it is one of the best places to live in the world. 

An easy country to move around in and easy to access, although as in all places outside the European Union, there are many things to keep in mind that, as I will try to detail here, you should do before setting off on your trip to Canada.

Have a valid passport

The first thing on your checklist for traveling to Canada should be to check that your passport is valid for the days you will be flying both outbound and inbound.

in Canada It is not necessary that it be valid for 6 months before the trip The Spanish passport is valid only if it is valid at the time of each flight you take. And if you read otherwise, other blogs are wrong.

 The official information from the Canadian government states this for those of us who are Spanish nationals. If you are from another country, you should look carefully at this information.

Our son's vaccine was due in 4 months and there was no problem, but as I say, for Spaniards and those from the European Union.

Processing the eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) the electronic visa: one of the requirements to travel to Canada from Spain or Europe

During the month before traveling remember to check that your passport is valid and then you should process the eTA, the fast electronic visa which you can find on the official website of the Canadian government. Easy to process yourself, the general information is even in Spanish, although to process it it is only in English or French, which you can translate with the Google Translate web plug-in if you need to.

It is a fast electronic visa for Spanish and European citizens who fly to Canada as tourists and that is valid for a maximum of 6 months.

Its cost is $7 and it is very easy to do it at the Official Canadian government eTA website.

Taking out travel medical insurance for Canada

Canada is spectacular but… It is a very wild place, so before continuing to plan your route the first thing you should do is buy travel medical insurance which is mandatory, according to the Canadian embassy website! Oh, and if you want that includes cancellation and get your money back for the flights, remember to do it before purchasing the flights or just before the 5 days after purchasing them! Save this advice because it is important.

AN IMPORTANT TIP: Don't travel to Canada without a good travel insurance, avoid big problems. It is one of the first requirements that they tell you on the Canadian government website along with the processing of the And so.
We recommend you the Iati Star We hired this insurance after a good comparison and study of the different ones on the market. It is the only one that exceeds one million euros of coverage. Without a doubt, it is the best for North America, where breaking a leg costs you €150.000, as happened to a friend of ours in the USA. Another positive thing is that Iati has an app for virtual visits.
I leave you here a link where you have a 5% off for any Iati travel insurance.

Buy a plug adapter for Canada

Before leaving, remember to take the Canada plug adapter, is the same type as the one in the United States. flat pins, calls on power outlets Type A and B voltage 120V at frequency of 60 Hz.

We have had this one for years, it has a lot in one and it works great.

In short, if you are going to need to plug something in in Canada (mobile, laptop, travel hairdryer...), this is one of the requirements for travelling to Canada from Spain or Europe, where we have other plugs.

For your safety, register as a traveler to Canada to receive alerts from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Register as a traveler so that in case of emergency or alert, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs can locate you and inform you of emergency warnings such as hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes or others. It is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended that you do so. You must do so here: https://registroviajeros.exteriores.gob.es/

Also, check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for any alerts from Canada: https://www.exteriores.gob.es/es/ServiciosAlCiudadano/Paginas/Detalle-recomendaciones-de-viaje.aspx?trc=Canad%C3%A1

If there is any warning of a hurricane, flood, earthquake or something, it will be here.

Download the Alertable App for emergency alerts in Canada

A safety must in Canada is to download the Alertable official app or visit their website periodically to view all Canadian emergency alerts.

In our case it was very useful when traveling in Summer season is the season of fires. Fires are a big issue there and no small thing. They are very big at the slightest thing and there are evacuation alerts for towns. On our trip we experienced the evacuation and closure of Jasper National Park, north of the Canadian Rockies. A park that we were unable to visit during our route.

 Apart from fire alerts, there are also storm alerts and even warnings of poor air quality.

In short, if you are going to travel to Canada, this is one of the requirements for traveling to Canada from Spain or wherever to have peace of mind during your trip to Canada.

Apply for an international driving license if you are going to drive in Canada

To drive in Canada you will need the International permit that you must request from the DGT before going. I have already explained to you how to process it at the DGT DGT Electronic Headquarters website. If not, look up in the checklist.

It's easy you go to the DGT Electronic Headquarters website and you process it electronically through the electronic registry logging in with your electronic certificate or PIN code, paying the issuing fee which is about 11 € uros approx. 

Once this is done, you should go from after 2 business days pick up the international permit at the DGT headquarters.  You must go to the office you indicated on the application and bring a photo of your passport. No appointment is necessary To pick up the international permit, they will give you the number there and you have to be patient because there is usually a queue.

In short, if you are going to drive in Canada, this is one of the requirements for traveling to Canada from Spain or Europe.

Buy a data card to have internet on your mobile if you need GPS 

In Canada you won't have the European roaming that we are so used to, and there roaming can cost you an arm and a leg.

In short, buying a data card is one of the requirements for travelling to Canada from Spain or wherever you are if you are going to need to use GPS or connect to the internet.

Or you buy a card with data to have internet there or you won't be able to access the internet in Canada with your mobile phone, which I don't recommend. You'll need the internet to navigate with the GPS and for a thousand other things, so what I recommend is to do as we did and buy a couple of SIM cards for Canada that you can easily install before you go, all from Spain, and then have internet from the airport in Canada.

TIP FOR HAVING INTERNET IN CANADA: Internet in Canada is essential, although coverage outside the towns leaves something to be desired, I can tell you that in advance! We use a card with unlimited data Holafly and it was great for us. You can buy it with a 5% OFF through this link.

Planning your route and booking accommodation in advance is a requirement for travelling to Canada with peace of mind

I believe this already happens in all countries and tourist places, but I would also like to emphasize how essential it is to plan your route and book accommodation as far in advance as possible.

If you are going to travel to National Parks, not only is there a shortage of accommodation within the park, but the less there is left, the more expensive they are. So, a piece of advice, do as we did and book with your accommodation with cancellation well in advance, in case you have to change something later and it doesn't cost you anything to cancel. 

Have a card that does not charge you commissions for currency exchange

The best thing about this section is that you have to know that the Canadian dollar is weaker than the Euro and everything will cost you around 30%-40% less currently. 1 Canadian dollar currently costs you around 0,66 Euro cents.

In Canada, you can pay for everything with a card, so we recommend that you take out very little cash on the first day and then always pay with a card and in dollars to get the best deal possible.

We do recommend withdrawing cash, because in In many places you will find that you pay in a cash box., for honesty, as they say there. For example, to rent a canoe on a lake there may not be anyone or an office, just a mailbox and a sign for cash payment.

Regarding cards, it's a whole new world, each one charges you what they want in commissions, exchange rates and cash withdrawals.

We advise you Evo's smart account card, which is the one we have had since it was Nova Caixa Galicia and which has 0 commissions for everything worldwide, but on the contrary you have to have the payroll or a minimum monthly income in that account, or the Revolut card. A card that can be activated in minutes from the Internet in an easy way and that allows unlimited recharges so that you can pay at the currency exchange rate with 0 commissions and the best currency exchange. The only bad thing we see is that you can only withdraw 200 euros per month at ATMs without commission, otherwise it is one of the best commission-free cards for traveling around the world.

Suitcase for traveling to Canada in summer: what to pack in your suitcase 

Below, I detail our luggage for 21 days in Canada in August and early Septembere  and that we advise you to take on your trip.

Above all, think that the best To go trekking in the mountains along the Rocky Mountains, you should always wear long pants, closed shoes and socks.

Clothes per person (we will wash by hand during the route what is necessary, it is better to travel light based on experience):

• 3 complete changes of long technical summer mountain trousers + short-sleeved T-shirt 
• 2 changes of shorts + short t-shirts 
• 5 changes of underwear and socks
• 2 fleece or long-sleeved sweatshirt-type jackets
• 1 light down jacket, the kind that folds into a Decathlon bag 
• 1 cap
• 1 raincoat
• 1 flip flops
• 1 swimsuit
• 1 microfiber bathrobe
• 1 Gore-tex trekking shoes
• Toiletry bag with solid soap and bamboo toothbrush to be sustainable

Things we carry in addition to clothing that are the result of experience and very useful on our motorhome trips:

• Canada plug adapter
• Small Italian coffee maker + a packet of ground coffee, if you are a coffee drinker like us and you are going to campsites, bungalows or apartments like us.
• Foldable memory foam travel pillow, if you have trouble sleeping on those thin pillows from Ikea, which is what they will give you in the rental motorhome. Also, it is useful for the plane, which low-cost airlines do not provide.
• A couple of small travel blankets, for the cold-blooded people in the house and for the plane, which low-cost airlines don't provide. 
• 2 extendable skewers for barbecues and making marshmallows 
• 1 multi-purpose knife with a whistle for the mountains and a compass if possible
• 1 lighter to light the barbecues
• Mosquito repellent
• Sunscreen

Above all, remember that the following are not allowed on the plane to go to Canada: Fresh foods such as fruit, sausages, meat or fish, and also no dangerous products such as bear spray, which if you buy one you cannot take back with you.

Book a motorhome or camper in advance

Of course, if you are going to travel to Canada and you are a family like us or you like flexibility and nature, I recommend that you book a motorhome or camper well in advance, as we did, so that it costs you as little as possible. Travelling to Canada in a motorhome is the cheapest option for accommodation and food for a family of 4, as well as giving flexibility to the trip and being able to enjoy nature more.

When booking the motorhome, keep in mind that if you can travel outside of the high season, the rental costs can be almost half of what they are in the high season. If I could have, we would have traveled in April and not in August, as we did due to the price and the people we met, so keep that in mind.

TIP: If you want to do this route by Canada by motorhome Like us, we recommend renting a motorhome. Do it in Calgary or Vancouver with Road surfers, a company we would repeat with. Roadsurfer  gave us un discount of 150 $ that you as readers can also benefit from applying the DISCOUNT CODE: KUCAVANAAMERICA

Conclusions on the requirements for travelling to Canada from Spain

This is all the information that we can provide you with based on our experience regarding the requirements for travelling to Canada. A super guide to requirements that we hope will be of support in your travel planning.

I hope this article has helped you and if it has, please the best way to thank us is to comment below and write to us on social media to tell us about it, remember.

Good route friends!