Here’s What You Need To Know

As of Friday April 1, the Government of Canada no longer requires fully vaccinated travelers to provide a pre-entry Covid-19 test result (such as a PCR test or an antigen test) to enter Canada by air, land or water. Formerly even vaccinated Canadians had to show proof of negative test results to enter the country from abroad.

To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveler you must have received a minimum of two doses of a government accepted Covid-19 or at least one dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Having a mix of two accepted Covid-19 vaccines also qualifies as fully vaccinated. The government lists acceptable vaccines and doses on its website.

“Adjustments to Canada’s border measures are made possible by a number of factors, including Canada’s high vaccination rate, the increasing availability and use of rapid tests to detect infection, decreasing hospitalizations and growing domestic availability of treatments for Covid-19. As vaccination levels and healthcare system capacity improve, we will continue to consider further easing of measures at the borders. and when to adjust those measures, to keep the people in Canada safe,” said Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health in a press release.

Note that anyone entering Canada, even if they are fully vaccinated, must still complete the questionnaire on the ArriveCAN app within 72 hours before entering the country. You will have to answer a series of questions and you must also upload a digital copy of your vaccination proof in English or French.

Furthermore, unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Canadians must still undergo a Covid test. You’ll be given a molecular test upon arrival and on the eighth day after you arrive in Canada. You must also quarantine for 14 days. Children under the age of five do not need a pre-entry test. Fully vaccinated foreign nationals may be allowed to enter Canada for discretionary (tourism) travel. However, foreign nationals who don’t qualify as fully vaccinated will only be allowed to enter in specific circumstances, such as an international student or a temporary foreign worker.

“After a challenging two years, we all want the Canadian economy, including the tourism sector, to rebound and grow. We in government have been listening to the concerns of tourism businesses across the country. We are confident that, thanks to all that Canadians have done to protect one another, we can now take the next step forward and remove testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada. The economy, workers and tourism business owners will benefit from this next step in opening Canada up once again to the world,” said Randy Boissonnault Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance.

Canadians may still need to take a Covid test before traveling to other countries as some still have testing mandates so be sure to research the country you are traveling to beforehand.

You are also considered fully vaccinated if you have had a mix of two accepted COVID-19 vaccines. As a reminder, foreign travelers arriving to Canada from any country, who qualify as fully vaccinated, may need to take a Covid-19 molecular test on arrival if selected for mandatory random testing. Travelers selected for mandatory random testing are not required to quarantine while awaiting their test result.

“Decreasing Covid-19 case counts, coupled with Canada’s high vaccination rates and strict vaccination requirements for travel, have set the stage for the next steps in our Government’s cautious and calibrated approach to safely easing the measures at our border. Lifting the pre-entry testing requirements for travelers to Canada will make it easier for Canadians to safely take advantage of emerging opportunities for personal and business travel, as Canada’s transportation system recovers from the pandemic,” said Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport.