This one catches experienced travellers more than first-timers. You got an eTA in 2023, valid to 2028. You renewed your passport in 2025. You show up at the airport in 2026 — and the airline cannot find your eTA. The reason is simple: the eTA is stored against your passport number, not against you.

The rule in one line

An eTA lives and dies with the passport you applied with. Valid for five years or until that passport expires — whichever comes first. New passport, new number, no eTA.

This applies any time the passport number changes:

  • Renewal after expiry
  • Early renewal (more pages, name change)
  • Replacement after loss or theft
  • A second passport from a second citizenship — each one needs its own eTA if you intend to fly on it

What happens if you fly on the old eTA

The check-in agent scans the new passport. The system finds nothing. Depending on the airline and the agent, you are told to apply on the spot (works if the approval comes within minutes — it usually does, but not always) or you are denied boarding. There is no fixing it at the border: for air travel, the eTA has to exist before the plane leaves.

What to do

  1. Apply for a new eTA with the new passport the day you receive it — not the week of your flight.
  2. Type the new passport number exactly. This is the moment where a fresh typo creates a fresh problem. See how to fix a mistake on your eTA.
  3. Keep the new approval email on your phone. You do not need to print it, but the eTA number helps if an agent asks.
  4. Forget the old eTA. It cannot be transferred, cancelled or refunded, and it does not interfere with the new one.

Special cases

  • Renewed, but the passport number stayed the same? A few countries do this. If the number is identical and the old eTA is within its dates, it generally still works. When in doubt, run a status check with the new passport details.
  • You also hold a Canadian passport. You do not need an eTA at all — but you must fly on the Canadian passport. An eTA on your other passport will be refused.
  • You are a permanent resident of Canada. No eTA; travel with your PR card.

Trip is close?

Passport renewals are one of the most common reasons people contact us in a hurry. A status check tells you within minutes whether a valid eTA exists for the passport you will actually carry. If it does not, we can prepare the new application the same day. Not sure you even need an eTA on the new passport? See eTA, visa, or nothing.

Official information: eTA facts