Applying for a Canadian eTA as a Brit - Play "hunt the country"!
Mar 16, 2016, 4:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC GGL, HHonors Diamond, IHG Uninspired, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium, UK AMEX Plat
Posts: 2,152
Applying for a Canadian eTA as a Brit - Play "hunt the country"!
As some of you may know, since the 15th of March, all visa-waiver nationals travelling to Canada by air should have an eTA - the Canadian version of an ESTA. I say should, as they have a bit of a leniency period, where they apparently will be a bit grumpy but still let you in. Details on the Canadian Government website
Anyway, whoever designed their forum is apparently geography nerd, and seems to likes mocking us Brits!
On the first page, when prompted to say the Country/Territory of our passport, "our" dropdown option is this!
That's right, our "country" is "British Citizen"....
Next we have the Country/Territory of birth:
Yup, this time it's England!
Finally, onto the passport details section, and this time...
Even more bizarre, it's "United Kingdom And Colonies"!
I hope the Canadians got a suitable laugh out of this... And I hope this is helpful for anyone else trying to find the right entry in those crazy dropdowns!
Anyway, whoever designed their forum is apparently geography nerd, and seems to likes mocking us Brits!
On the first page, when prompted to say the Country/Territory of our passport, "our" dropdown option is this!
That's right, our "country" is "British Citizen"....
Next we have the Country/Territory of birth:
Yup, this time it's England!
Finally, onto the passport details section, and this time...
Even more bizarre, it's "United Kingdom And Colonies"!
I hope the Canadians got a suitable laugh out of this... And I hope this is helpful for anyone else trying to find the right entry in those crazy dropdowns!
Mar 16, 2016, 5:08 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Seniors Bus Pass
Posts: 5,529
I didn't, so thanks for the warning!
I am not at all surprised that even commonwealth countries have problems with this as often even UK ministers get it wrong.
I have lived in the UK almost all of my life, but have not lived in Britain or Great Britain for most of the last 40 years.
On the front of my passport it says the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Whereas most Scots know the difference, very few English in my experience know the differences between Britain, Great Britain, the British Isles and the United Kingdom.
I will cut the canucks a bit of slack - they have (like the British
) a bit of a problem with the french 
I am not at all surprised that even commonwealth countries have problems with this as often even UK ministers get it wrong.
I have lived in the UK almost all of my life, but have not lived in Britain or Great Britain for most of the last 40 years.
On the front of my passport it says the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Whereas most Scots know the difference, very few English in my experience know the differences between Britain, Great Britain, the British Isles and the United Kingdom.
I will cut the canucks a bit of slack - they have (like the British
) a bit of a problem with the french
Mar 17, 2016, 5:03 am
#5
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
In Canada (and to a lesser extent in the US) there is much less awareness of the the UK/GB/England/Scotland/Wales/NI context, so people will generally speak of, and address letters to, 'London, England', which you won't get as much elsewhere. I can see that the (almost certainly not European-WASP) person(s) putting this page together and just generally not having much of a clue.
Mar 18, 2016, 10:43 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,573
As some of you may know, since the 15th of March, all visa-waiver nationals travelling to Canada by air should have an eTA - the Canadian version of an ESTA. I say should, as they have a bit of a leniency period, where they apparently will be a bit grumpy but still let you in. Details on the Canadian Government website
Anyway, whoever designed their forum is apparently geography nerd, and seems to likes mocking us Brits!
On the first page, when prompted to say the Country/Territory of our passport, "our" dropdown option is this!
That's right, our "country" is "British Citizen"....
Next we have the Country/Territory of birth:
Yup, this time it's England!
Finally, onto the passport details section, and this time...
Even more bizarre, it's "United Kingdom And Colonies"!
I hope the Canadians got a suitable laugh out of this... And I hope this is helpful for anyone else trying to find the right entry in those crazy dropdowns!
Anyway, whoever designed their forum is apparently geography nerd, and seems to likes mocking us Brits!
On the first page, when prompted to say the Country/Territory of our passport, "our" dropdown option is this!
That's right, our "country" is "British Citizen"....
Next we have the Country/Territory of birth:
Yup, this time it's England!
Finally, onto the passport details section, and this time...
Even more bizarre, it's "United Kingdom And Colonies"!
I hope the Canadians got a suitable laugh out of this... And I hope this is helpful for anyone else trying to find the right entry in those crazy dropdowns!
There are 4 types of British Citizen - so to put "British", "Britain" or "Great Britain" only would not work. UK is not your citizenship so wouldn't work for those who are BOCs etc.
The country you were born in is pretty clear, and I think the list is comprehensive to include countries that no longer exist. You couldn't just have UK for example, as it would exclude British citizens born in the Channel Islands (although it does seem to be missing the Isle of Mann!)
The passport is issued by the UK passport agency, so that is correct, but my passport was not issued IN the UK so the colonies part is needed there too I guess!