Dubai: Under the tightened entry norms effective September 30, dual citizen Canadians will now be required to present their Canadian passports to enter the country.
An estimated 40,000 Canadians live and work in the UAE with many returning home for annual holidays or work-related matters, reported Gulf News.
In past years, the government reportedly said that dual citizens often entered Canada using their foreign passports backed up by a citizenship card or a provincial driver’s licence to confirm they were Canadian citizens. Now, this practice will end for dual citizens flying into Canada.
Without a proper Canadian passport, Canadian citizens will not be allowed to enter the country as part of a new electronic travel authorization system, the report said.
In a new advisory, the Canadian government has warned that “Canadian citizens will need to have appropriate documents to travel to Canada before they can board their flight. A valid Canadian passport is the only reliable and universally accepted travel document that provides proof that you are a citizen and have the right to enter Canada without being subjected to immigration screening. Make sure that the expiry date of the passport is well beyond your planned return date”.
Travelers were advised that the only valid documents to enter the country are “a valid Canadian passport, a Canadian temporary passport, or a Canadian emergency travel document”, said the news portal.
Canadian government has pointed out that although the electronic travel authorization system was put into effect earlier in 2016, it hasn’t been fully strictly enforced until now.
Visa-exempt foreign nationals, meanwhile, traveling to Canada have been shown leniency until the new system is fully online.
“A new entry requirement, known as an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), is now in effect for visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to or transiting through Canada by air. To make sure travelling to Canada stays easy and stress-free, leniency will be shown to travelers who are caught unaware until September 29, 2016.”
American-Canadian travelers will be exempt from the Canadian-passport-only rule and can enter Canada with a United States passport, reported Gulf News.
