Passports & visas

It’s crucial that every traveller has their travel documents in order before tour. Please take time to review these items:

Passports

A passport is required for all EF Educational Tours. We recommend applying for a passport as soon as you enroll on a tour, as it can take up to eight weeks to process. Canadian citizens travelling abroad must bring a passport that is valid for at least six months after the tour’s return and has at least three blank pages.

Once you have received your passport, please confirm your passport information to EF by logging in and visiting your “My Tours” page. (This information is required by 110 days before your tour departs.)

Make sure that the first, middle and last name on your EF account matches your passport. We'll use this information when purchasing your flights, and airlines may not permit passengers to board if their ticket does not match their passport exactly. Name changes after 110 days prior to departure carry a minimum $200 fee up to the cost of a new ticket.

For tours travelling outside of North America, EF will need to compile a list of travellers’ passport details (including name, passport number, gender, expiration date, birth date and citizenship) in order to make travel arrangements. EF will contact travellers directly to collect this information. For all other groups, EF will contact travellers to confirm their name and birthdate for ticketing purposes.

Group Leaders can log in to their account to keep tabs on travelers’ passport information. In addition, we recommend that all Group Leaders collect a photocopy of each traveller’s passport to verify that it has been signed and to double check that the name on the passport exactly matches the name in our records.

For more information, please visit the Canadian government passport website or call Traveller Support at 1-800-263-2806.

Visas

Depending on where you’re travelling or your citizenship, you may need a visa for your tour. Because visa applications must be personally completed by the applicant, all travellers must obtain their own visas, both for countries they are visiting and those they are passing through. We recommend using Visa Central, which gives a discount to EF travellers for visa processing.

Electronic visa

Many destinations, like Cambodia and Vietnam, allow for travellers to apply for an eVisa. We recommend our Canadian and non-Canadian travellers to use Sherpa for visa processing for their destination as applicable.

Paper visa

Some destinations, like mainland China, require a paper visa for entry. For these destinations, we recommend using Visa Central, which for these destinations, gives a discount to EF travellers for visa processing.

Electronic Travel Authorization

An Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is necessary for countries like Australia or New Zealand. The eTA is an online application completed using the specific country’s government website. Please visit the applicable government website directly to submit your application. Please note: We don’t recommend beginning the visa application process until your tour itinerary is confirmed, which happens at approximately 70 days before your scheduled departure date.

Some countries that require a visa from Canadian citizens are Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Turkey and Vietnam. Please visit travel.gc.ca for the most up-to-date requirements.

Requirements for non-Canadian citizens

All travellers are responsible for obtaining the necessary visas and/or travel documents for all countries on their tour. Once the tour itinerary is confirmed at approximately 70 days before departure, non-Canadian citizens should contact Visa Central, or the embassies or consulates of all countries they will be visiting and travelling through, to verify which documents are required.

Please note: This also includes those destinations in which you have only a layover or stop at the airport. Travellers should inquire at the embassies and/or consulates two weeks before departure to ensure that the information hasn’t changed. For instance, if you are flying to Madrid via Frankfurt, check with both the German and Spanish embassies.

For a list of embassies and consulates in Canada, visit Global Affairs Canada.

The embassies and/or consulates of your destination countries may require that you submit documentation from EF verifying your travel plans. If so, please contact Traveller Support at 1-800-263-2806 for a sample template.