New travel requirements for Bermudians going to Canada will come into effect next month.

The Electronic Travel Authorisation, or eTA, which is a mirror of the electronic system for travel authorisation for the United States, becomes mandatory on March 15.

The number will be required for almost all visa-exempt travellers coming to or through Canada by air, as well as all British passport holders.

There are no group applications for the eTA, which must be used when travelling.

An eTA costs C$7 per traveller and lasts five years, or until the expiry of the passport to which it is linked.

Canadian and US citizens are exempt and the requirement does not apply to travellers coming by land or sea.

Students with a valid study permit issued on or after August 1, 2015 should check their approval letter, as they may already have the eTA.

Applications can be made online, with most finished within minutes and the great majority processed within three days.

• For details on the requirement, check the website www.canada.ca/eta