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Under the Transit Without Visa (TWOV) Program, the Canadian government has defined the criteria under which citizens of four designated countries can pass through Canada without acquiring a Canadian visa.
According to the government’s official guidelines, the program is available to travelers flying via Canada to or from the United States.
Canada includes four countries whose people can travel without a visa under a special arrangement.
Canada TWOV: Which countries qualify
The service is exclusively available to passport holders from four countries. To be eligible, a traveler must hold a valid passport from one of the following:
- Indonesia
- Philippine
- Thailand
- Taiwan (the passport must not contain a personal identification number).
In addition to nationality, applicants must have a valid US visa and a confirmed airline ticket to the United States that departs Canada within 24 hours of arrival.
Travelers must also fly with an airline that participates in the TWOV program and transit via designated Canadian airports.
Canada TWOV: What happens during the stopover
Once inside the Canadian airport, participants in this program must remain in the sterile international transit area at all times.
This zone physically separates transiting passengers and their luggage from other passengers and goods in the airport.
If a traveler needs to leave this area for any reason, they must report to a Canada Border Services Agency officer for inspection.
For individuals traveling to the United States, the process begins at the arrival gate and continues to the US connection area, where bags and the traveler are rescreened for security before continuing to US Customs and Border Protection.
Once cleared, the traveler can proceed to the departures area and board their continuing aircraft.
Returning from the United States to an international location, passengers proceed from the arrival gate to a primary inspection kiosk in the connection center, scan their passport, and then wait in the international departures lounge until they depart.
The government advised that if a flight is canceled or delayed and the layover lasts more than 24 hours, the traveler will no longer be covered by the TWOV program and must report to a Canada Border Services Agency officer.
Before traveling, travelers should confirm their flight connections directly with their airline.