Latest Travel Update Canada - COVID19
All you need to know about the Vaccine Requirements and Quarantine.
The guidelines have been changed recently for travelers who wish to travel to Canada by Air or Land. The new changes will be in effect starting from July 5, 2021, at 11:59 pm EDT.
No travel exemptions have been made until July 5 at 11:59 pm EDT, all travelers regardless of vaccination status have to follow the regular testing and quarantine requirements, including the hotel stopover for those who are arriving by air, and the previous Travel restrictions are still in place.
Beginning July 5 at 11:59 pm EDT, Visitors may qualify for certain exemptions to quarantine and testing requirements in cases where specific conditions are met like, You are eligible to enter Canada, being asymptomatic, meeting the Government of Canada requirements of fully vaccinated travelers, and enter your information in ArriveCAN before arrival while meeting all other entry requirements by the Government of Canada
The individuals who meet the above criteria may be excluded from quarantine, hotel stopover (for air travelers), and day-8 mandatory testing requirements. However, previous travel restrictions are still in place. Any foreign national who may be coming to Canada for non-essential reasons will be turned away at the border.
The visitor must have received the vaccines accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days before entering Canada to be considered completely immunized. Any vaccines received outside of Canada are accepted with proof of vaccination uploaded digitally in ArriveCAN and must be in/or certified translation into French or English. Any other Vaccines that are not listed are currently not accepted for the fully vaccinated status in Canada
Accepted vaccines:
- Pfizer (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)
- Moderna (mRNA-1273)
- AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria, AZD1222, Covishield)
- Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) — single dose
Entry requirements for fully vaccinated traveler’s entry into Canada:
Planning for Quarantine
Every visitor must have a suitable quarantine plan, regardless of the status and exemption the individual is seeking. This is because the government representative has the final say in determining the visitor’s status and if the presented factors are found to be not in accordance with the requirements then the visitor will have to quarantine and follow the instructions provided by the government representative. In cases where all the requirements are met, then there won’t be a need to quarantine.
Additionally, it’s important to check for the most up-to-date travel requirements for the destination as many Provinces and territories have their own border measures as well as public health guidelines.
Arrival testing
It is important to register in advance for your test to save time at the border.
Following arrival, all travelers are given instructions upon entry to Canada to complete the arrival (day 1) test. Airports and some land borders have on-site testing services. In some cases, a home test kit is given instead, and the visitor is instructed to complete it on the day of arrival and send it to the lab following the instructions provided.
If the arrival test is negative:
The visitor is to follow local public health measures and maintain a list of all close contacts for the first 14 days in Canada and keep copies of the proof of vaccination for 14 days.
If the arrival test is positive:
The visitor is to isolate themself from others right away and will be contacted by the local public health authority with the instructions to follow.
Fully vaccinated exemption
The traveler must use ArriveCAN to enter the proof of vaccination, quarantine, with the travel information and must enter this information within 72 hours before the arrival in Canada.
If this information isn’t provided in ArriveCAN before arriving at the border, they won’t be considered for the exemption, even if they meet all the other requirements. In case of the exemption is met, the traveler may receive notifications from ArriveCAN.
Proof of vaccination
In ArriveCAN, the information to be provided are:
- the details of the first dose (date, country, and vaccine received)
- the details of the second dose if one was required (i.e., for Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines)
- a photo(s) or PDF file(s) of the record of the vaccination(s), such as receipts or confirmations from the vaccinating organization in English, French, or a certified translation into English or French.
If the proof of vaccination doesn’t meet all of the requirements it will be considered invalid and the visitor will be required to stay at a government-authorized hotel to await the results of the arrival test before continuing to the place of quarantine (if arriving by air) and complete a quarantine period of at least 14 days along with completing a second test on day 8 of the quarantine.
The final determination of the vaccination status will be made at the border. The visitor must bring a digital or paper copy of the proof(s) of vaccination with them. At this time, there are no exemptions from testing, hotel stopover, or quarantine for travelers who haven’t received the full series of a vaccine or a combination of vaccines accepted by the Government of Canada.
Testing and quarantine requirements for travelers
Until July 5, 2021, at 11:59 pm EDT, all travelers entering Canada, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, must follow current testing and quarantine requirements. Use the below checklist to meet all requirements:
