Canada: Authorities to lift all COVID-19-related travel restrictions effective Oct. 1 /update 43

Event

Officials in Canada have announced that all COVID-19-related travel restrictions will be lifted for all travelers effective Oct. 1. The country will no longer require arriving passengers to submit any health information via the ArriveCAN website or provide any proof of vaccination or pre-travel testing. Quarantine and self-isolation requirements will also be lifted, and travelers will no longer be required to report any COVID-19 symptoms. Passenger health checks for air and rail travel will no longer be enforced, and the requirement to wear facemasks on planes and trains will be lifted. However, authorities will continue to strongly recommend that passengers use facemasks when traveling.

Until Sept. 30, the following requirements remain in place for travelers entering Canada:

• Nonresident foreign nationals aged 12 and older must be fully vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine (those manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVIDSHIELD, or Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) at least 14 days before entering Canada and have proof of their vaccination.

• Travelers must upload their proof of vaccination and other travel information to the ArriveCan website within 72 hours before travel. For more details, click here.

• Unvaccinated children under the age of 12 can enter without undergoing quarantine and without a pre-travel test if accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent or guardian.

• Unvaccinated individuals aged 12 and older (or five and older if not accompanied by a vaccinated adult) allowed to enter Canada must show proof of a negative result from either an antigen test taken within one day before travel or a molecular test taken within 72 hours before travel.

• Unvaccinated nonresident foreign nationals remain banned from entering Canada, except for those traveling for essential reasons, temporary workers, international students, and diplomats. Those allowed entry must self-quarantine for 14 days. Some workers, including those who cross the border regularly, may be exempt from the quarantine requirement, provided they do not display COVID-19 symptoms.

• Unvaccinated Canadian citizens and permanent residents can enter the country but must also quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. All unvaccinated individuals must take tests on arrival and on day eight of their 14-day quarantine period.

All air passengers must wear a protective facemask. Persons exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms are generally not allowed to board planes to Canada or take domestic flights or trains. Travelers within Canada are no longer required to be fully vaccinated to travel by plane or train domestically or to board international flights.

Random testing of fully vaccinated passengers arriving by plane is in place at four major Canadian airports: Vancouver International (YVR), Toronto Pearson International (YYZ), Montreal-Trudeau International (YUL), and Calgary International (YYC). The testing is performed outside of the airports, either at a pharmacy or via a self-test. Mandatory random testing for travelers entering by land is ongoing. Passengers selected for random testing will not have to quarantine while awaiting the results.

Foreign nationals traveling by land to Alaska from the US Lower 48 may only enter Canada through one of five border crossings: Abbotsford-Huntington, Kingsgate, or Osoyoos in British Columbia; North Portal, Saskatchewan; or Coutts, Alberta. Authorities will refuse travelers who attempt to enter Canada northbound through any other border crossing and reroute them to an approved crossing. Persons entering Canada from Alaska may use any border crossing.

Authorities could reimpose, extend, further ease, or otherwise amend any restrictions with little-to-no notice depending on disease activity over the coming weeks.

Advice

Heed all official directives. Reconfirm all health-related travel requirements before travel. Confirm appointments in advance.

Resources

WHO Coronavirus Knowledge Base
Canada - Coronavirus Updates
Canada - Travel Restrictions
Canada - ArriveCan website