The travel from USA to Canada or Mexico

For travelers who have obtained ESTA, traveling to Canada from the United States by land, car or train is very simple. The only document to present at the Canadian border is the passport. As it is easy to guess, when you cross the border between two nations, you are subjected to security checks. During the checks, customs officials will check the traveler's documents, and if you are traveling by car, your documents. In addition, questions will be asked about the reasons for the visit to Canada, whether for tourism or business, the duration and in the event of an overnight stay, proof of booking will be asked. In some cases, they may inspect the contents of the luggage or vehicle.

Canadian officials will also provide a paper form to fill out which will be accompanied by a request for payment of an entrance fee (a few dollars). Waiting times can vary from 15 minutes to a few hours, this depends on the place where the border is crossed and, on the traffic, if you arrive by car. It will be possible to view the crossings between the USA and Canada with the relative waiting times on the Canadian government website.

The same applies if the transfer to Canada takes place by sea (for example with a cruise ship) starting from an American port.

Important: At the end of the process, Canadian officials will not issue any Canadian entry visas.

A separate discussion must be made if you enter Canada from the USA by air. In this case, an entry authorization called ETA Canada (Electronic Travel Authorization) is required for European citizens and therefore Italians. In many ways, the ETA is very similar to ESTA for the USA.

For European citizens, traveling to Canada via the United States by plane will require the request for 2 permits. If you depart from Italy and are headed to Canada with a stopover in the USA, you will have to apply for ESTA for entry to the United States and ETA for entry to Canada. There will also be two customs forms to fill out, the first provided on the route to the USA, the second after the stopover for Canada. Both visas must be requested before departure.

The documents required to enter the United States from Canada depend on how you cross the border between the two countries.

If the entry to the USA is a simple return from a short visit to Canada, it is assumed that the traveler is in possession of Valid ESTA and in this case, nothing is needed apart from the passport, as ESTA is electronically linked to the document number, already gives the possibility of entry into the USA.

If you are entering the United States for the first time, by land using the train, car or bus, ESTA USA will not be compulsory, but you will need to fill in the I-94W form, with all the required data (personal details, passport, reason for visit, criminal record, etc. ...). Once the officials have reviewed the documents and form I-94W, and given a positive opinion, they will return a certified paper copy of the entry permit. This copy must be kept with care. As for ESTA, also with the I-94W form it gives the possibility to stay in the USA for three months. Similar speech if entry is by sea.

To enter the United States from Canada, using the plane, it will be necessary to obtain ESTA or another US visa between

To enter the United States by plane, it will be necessary to have an ESTA permit for european citizens, or another ordinary visa. Transit conclusion Mexico-USA-Canada Crossing the border between Mexico, USA and Canada is quite simple, the important thing is to be prepared and informed.

If you are traveling from Europe and want to go to the United States for a short-term vacation you will need ESTA, and if your vacation continues in Canada you will also need ETA, for Mexico you will need to get the FMM, in case the travel takes place by plane. If the transits between the various countries are by land, the required permits will be represented by the I-94W modules for USA and FMM for Mexico.

For more information on how to apply for authorization to enter the United States, please consult our ESTA guide It is necessary to make a clarification on the length of stay in the USA with the ESTA Visa. The authorization gives the possibility to stay in America for a period of 90 days, but when you cross the border into Canada or Mexico, leaving the USA temporarily, the days spent in neighboring countries will be added to the days provided by ESTA and therefore they contribute to reaching the established 90 days.