No visa needed

Do citizens of Canada need a visa for the United States?

Citizens of Canada don’t need a visa for the United States and can stay up to 180 days. You need a valid passport; border officers may ask for a return ticket and accommodation. For a longer stay you need a visa or an extension.

For citizens of Canada: the passport opens 113 countries visa-free; Ottawa — Washington, D.C.: ≈ 730 km, about 1.5 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

At a glance

No visa needed

Stay: 180 days

Can I travel to the United States without a visa on a Canada passport?

Yes, citizens of Canada don’t need a visa for the United States for up to 180 days. A valid passport is enough.

United States visa rules at a glance

With a Canada passport you can visit 113 countries visa-free, 34 with a visa on arrival and 33 with an e-visa; 18 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Canada passport ranks 37th of 199.
Canada passport: visa-free access to 113 countries; United States passport: 112.
Citizens of Canada and the United States can travel together visa-free to 108 countries, for example: Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Saint Lucia, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Iceland.
A language both countries share: English.
Canada and United States share a border, so you can also travel overland.
United States has an embassy in your country of citizenship, so you can apply without travelling abroad.
Citizens of the United States, in turn, don’t need a visa for Canada. Canada visa for citizens of the United States

Travelling to the United States: good to know

Ottawa — Washington, D.C.: about 730 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 1.5 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −3 hours.
Local time: Ottawa 12:00 — Washington, D.C. 09:00.
Local currency: US Dollar.
Languages: English.
United States is the 1st closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of Canada.