Canada

VISA REGIME

ENTERING AND LEAVING THE COUNTRY
Citizens of the Republic of Serbia need a visa to enter Canada. The visa application form should be submitted at the Canada Visa Application Centre in Belgrade (address: Skenderbegova 3, tel. 00 381 17 32 00 35, e-mail: info.canseriom@vfshelpline.com). Visa applications can also be submitted online through http://vfsglobal.ca/canada.
When submitting an application for a Canadian visa, biometric data (the so-called matrix) must be provided: all ten fingerprints and a photograph. This is required of all persons applying for a travel visa, work permit, study permit or permanent residence in Canada. Children under 14 years of age and persons older than 79 years of age, ministers and accredited diplomats of other countries and the United Nations, who are on an official travel to Canada, heads of a state or governments, are exempt from providing their biometric data, as well as nationals exempt from obtaining a visa who are coming to Canada for tourism purposes with a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation (еТА). To check whether you need to provide biometric data, please visit: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/biometrics.asp.
All citizens who are travelling to Canada for private reasons/tourism purposes must go to the Visa Application Centre to submit their visa application form, pay the visa processing fee and provide their biometric data. Biometric data are taken every 10 years, and the visa applicant receives a certificate of validity of the biometrics.

SOCIAL SECURITY AGREEMENT
The signed Agreement on Social Security between the Republic of Serbia and Canada allows for the accumulation of pension benefits and contributions for people who have lived or worked in both countries. It also allows a beneficiary who has acquired pension rights in Canada (does not apply to all pension funds) but lives in the Republic of Serbia, to have the Canadian pension paid in the Republic of Serbia.

USEFUL INFORMATION

HEALTH SITUATION — Canada is a country of high hygiene standards, and there are no regions susceptible to epidemics. Due to high healthcare costs, compulsory travel health insurance is recommended.
There is no mandatory vaccination when travelling to Canada.

SECURITY SITUATION — There is a high security level in the whole territory of Canada. Crime in Canada is mostly concentrated in major cities. There are thefts, car break-ins and the like, but very rarely.

TRANSPORT — Penalties for non-compliance with traffic regulations are extremely strict. Speed limits in the city are between 50 and 60 km/h, and motorways 100 km/h. Speeding fines on the motorway can go up to 10,000 Canadian dollars. During your stay as a tourist in Canada, you may drive a motor vehicle with a Serbian driver’s licence only during a certain period of time, depending on the provincial regulations (British Columbia up to 6 months, Ontario up to 3 months, Quebec up to 6 months, Alberta up to 12 months). After the expiry of the prescribed time limit, beside the national, you will also need an international driving permit.
The Republic of Serbia and Canada do not have a signed agreement on the mutual recognition and renewal of driver’s licences which would allow Serbian citizens with a regulated stay in Canada to exchange their Serbian driver’s licence for a Canadian one, without re-taking the driving test.

OTHER INFORMATION — The national currency is the Canadian dollar. MasterCard, Visa, American Express payment cards are accepted. It is allowed to take 10,000 Canadian dollars in cash into the country.

Contact information:
During your stay in Canada, for consular assistance you may contact the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Ottawa (address: 21 Blackburn Avenue, K1N 8A2), at the following telephone numbers: 00 1 / 613 23 37 982, 613 23 36 280, 613 23 36 289, and e-mail: consulare@serbianembassy.ca, as well as the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Toronto (address: 40 Eglinton Avenue East, 7th floor, unit 701), at the following telephone number: 00 1 416 48 31 080, and e-mail: gkrstoronto@rogers.com.