Canada
Verified- Region:
- North America
- Time zones:
- America/Toronto, America/Winnipeg, America/Edmonton, America/Vancouver
- Last verified:
Overview
Most visitors to Canada may stay for up to 6 months from the date of entry. What makes Canada different from a fixed-allowance destination is how much rests on the border services officer: they may grant more or less than 6 months, and where they stamp a date in your passport or issue a visitor record, that date replaces the default entirely.
There is a second limit that catches people out. A traveller who enters through a primary inspection kiosk and receives no stamp may stay for 6 months from the date of entry or until their passport expires, whichever comes first. A passport with only four months left therefore shortens the stay to four months, regardless of the 6-month default.
Stay rules
Visitor
- Permitted stay
- 6 months
- How it is calculated
- Most visitors may stay for up to 6 months from the date of entry. A border services officer may grant more or less, and where a date has been stamped in the passport or written on a visitor record, that date governs instead.
- Effective from
- Notes
- The 6-month figure is the usual maximum, not a guarantee. Where a traveller entered through a primary inspection kiosk without receiving a stamp, the stay is limited to 6 months from the date of entry or the passport expiry date, whichever comes first. An officer-issued date always takes precedence over this calculation.
Last verified:
Passport validity
Information requires verification
DAYOZA has not yet confirmed this rule against an official source, so no result is shown. Check directly with the relevant official authority.
Check your stay
Enter when you arrived and the permission you are travelling on, and DAYOZA works out the last day you may still be present. Allowances written in months are treated as calendar periods, not as a fixed number of days.
Where you are travelling to.
What you are travelling on.
Optional. Add it to check your plan against the deadline.
A stamped date always wins
Where a border officer has stamped or written a specific date in your passport or on an entry record, that date is the one that counts, not this calculation.
Last verified:
Notes
The 6-month figure is the usual maximum, not a guarantee. Where a traveller entered through a primary inspection kiosk without receiving a stamp, the stay is limited to 6 months from the date of entry or the passport expiry date, whichever comes first. An officer-issued date always takes precedence over this calculation.
Common questions
What if my passport was not stamped?
IRCC states that a visitor who entered without a stamp may stay for up to 6 months from the date of entry, or until their passport expires, whichever comes first. Check your passport expiry date before assuming you have the full 6 months.
What if the officer wrote a different date?
That date is the one that counts. An officer-issued date, whether stamped in the passport or written on a visitor record, takes precedence over the 6-month default and over this calculation.
Is 6 months guaranteed?
No. Six months is the usual maximum, not an entitlement. A border services officer may allow a shorter stay, and will record the date you need to leave by.
How long must my passport be valid?
DAYOZA has not verified a Canadian passport validity requirement against an official source, so it publishes no figure. Note separately that a passport expiring during the stay can shorten the permitted period, as described above.
Sources
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — How long can I stay in Canada as a visitor? — Last verified:
Report incorrect information
Calculators for Canada
Each one uses the rules published on this page.
- Visa Stay CalculatorWork out the exact date your permission to stay runs out, from the allowance your visa or entry actually grants.
- Visa Overstay CalculatorCount exactly how many days a stay runs past its permitted departure date, and how many are left if it has not.
- Passport Expiry CalculatorCheck your passport against a destination's actual validity requirement — not a one-size-fits-all six-month rule.
- Travel Days CalculatorCount the days of a trip the way border authorities do, with both the arrival and departure days included.
Nearby countries
Other verified pages in North America.