Effective September 7, Canada has opened its borders for all international travellers who are fully vaccinated and meet the exemption requirements.
Find out if you can travel to Canada and what measures are in place:
Travel restrictions
Canada plans to open borders to fully vaccinated travellers
Starting Aug. 9 at 12:01 a.m. ET. — fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents living in the US will be able to visit Canada without having to quarantine for two weeks.
Canada also plans to open Canada’s borders to fully vaccinated travellers from all other countries on Sept. 7.
And as of Aug. 9, children under 12 — who aren’t yet approved to receive a vaccine — will be exempt from the quarantine requirement after entering Canada and can move around with their parents if they follow public health measures.
The details will be published on the official website: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid
Exemptions for eligible fully vaccinated travellers to Canada
Starting July 5, fully vaccinated travellers might qualify for certain exemptions to quarantine and testing requirements.
To qualify you must:
- be eligible to enter Canada. More information about who is eligible to travel to Canada you will find on the website of travel.gc.ca and we recommend using the wizard: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/wizard-start.
- be asymptomatic
- meet the Government of Canada requirements of fully vaccinated travellers
- meet all other entry requirements, including entering your information in ArriveCAN before arrival
Those who meet the requirements may be exempt from 14 days quarantine, the mandatory hotel stopover and the day-8 testing requirement.
To be considered fully vaccinated you must:
- have received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of accepted vaccines
- have received your last dose at least 14 days prior to the day you enter Canada
For example: if your last dose was anytime on Thursday, July 1st, then Thursday, July 15th would be the first day that you meet the 14-day condition - upload your proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN
Currently accepted COVID-19 vaccines are:
- Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
- Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
- AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD COVID-19 vaccine
- Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine – single dose
The list of accepted vaccines may expand in the future. You can find the most current list here: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada
Fully vaccinated travellers must still follow the entry requirements:
- Pre-entry testing for travellers
- Quarantine plan
You must have a suitable quarantine plan where you can stay for at least 14 days. This is required even if you are seeking the fully vaccinated exemption.
The final determination is made by a government representative at the border based on the information you present at the time of entry into Canada. You must, therefore, be prepared to quarantine for 14 days, in case you: are symptomatic or don’t meet the requirements.
More information you find here: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid
If you need our assistance please contact us by email or book a consultation.
Update on travel restrictions announced
Although the travel restrictions are strengthened and will remain in place, the Government of Canada announced that a process is being introduced to support enhanced family reunification, including those in long-term exclusive relationships, international students and entry for compassionate reasons. The details of this new process will be published on October 8, 2020.
