[Updated] Canada's Border Restrictions During COVID-19

canada's border restrictions under covid-19

Mr. Thrifty has first-hand experience navigating Canada’s border restrictions during COVID-19 and wants to provide you with a primer on the most recent changes.

Read on for a summary of the new rules for entering Canada during COVID-19.

New (Relaxed) Border Restrictions For Fully Vaccinated Travellers Went Into Effect April 1

Canada no longer requires pre-arrival COVID tests for fully vaccinated travelers.

What Does It Mean to be “Fully Vaccinated”?

To be considered fully vaccinated, you must:

be eligible to enter Canada
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
- 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

Accepted vaccines:

AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222)
Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C)
Janssen/Johnson & Johnson
Moderna (mRNA-1273)
Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)
Sinopharm BIBP (BBIBP-CorV)
Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)

For full details, including what to do if you are travelling with children or other dependents who are not fully vaccinated, check out the Government of Canada website.

Pre-Entry Testing Still Required; Arrival Testing Random

Even fully vaccinated travellers must:

furnish the results of a pre-entry COVID-19 test referred to above
complete an arrival test – if randomly selected

Note that determination of whether you meet the exemptions rests with the discretion of the border control agent at your point of entry. If you meet the exemption requirements you do not have to quarantine – even while awaiting the results of your arrival test. Remember to take a paper copy of your vaccination record with you (a photocopy is acceptable) even though you are required to upload a copy to ArriveCan.

Eligibility to enter Canada

First off, if you’re not a Canadian citizen, check if you’re eligible to enter Canada.

Canadian citizens (including dual citizens), people registered under the Indian Act, permanent residents of Canada, or protected persons (refugee status) are allowed to enter Canada
Fully vaccinated foreign nationals may be allowed enter Canada for discretionary (tourism) travel.
Foreign nationals who don’t qualify as fully vaccinated will only be allowed to enter in specific circumstances

The full list of categories of foreigners who are potentially allowed to enter Canada is at: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/wizard-start#travel-exempt

However, note that final approval to enter the country rests with the discretion of the border control agent at your point of entry. Because of this discretion, all travelers must have a quarantine plan (which is generally submitted through the ArriveCAN app.)

Quarantines and COVID-19 testing

Assuming you are eligible to enter Canada, you must furnish the results of a recent COVID-19 molecular test (or, starting February 28, a rapid antigen test) to the Canadian border authorities and, if you do not qualify for the exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers, complete a mandatory quarantine period.

General quarantine rules if you are not eligible for exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers

All persons arriving in Canada must undergo a 14-day quarantine.
The day after you arrive in Canada, all travelers, whether you travel by air, land or marine, must use ArriveCAN to: (1) confirm that you’ve arrived at the address you provided for your quarantine or isolation location and (2) complete daily COVID-19 symptom self-assessments until the completion of your quarantine period or until you report symptoms

While in quarantine

Do not leave your place of quarantine unless it is for a medical emergency, an essential medical service or treatment, to obtain a COVID-19 test, or it is pre-authorized by a Quarantine Officer
Use only private outdoor spaces (i.e., balcony)
Do not have any visits from friends, family or other guests
Do not use shared spaces such as lobbies, courtyards, restaurants, gyms or pools

Expect calls, emails and visits from the Government of Canada

The Government of Canada uses the information you provided in ArriveCAN to verify that you:

arrived at your place of quarantine
are providing daily symptom reports

You will receive live or automated calls. You must answer calls from 1-888-336-7735 and answer all questions truthfully to demonstrate your compliance with the law.

You will receive email reminders of your quarantine requirements.

COVID-19 testing during your quarantine

All travellers are required to take a COVID-19 test on arrival and another on Day 8 of their quarantine.

Current COVID-19 testing rules for international arrivals to Canada

Arriving over land (from the US)

Driving to Canada Checklist: read over the checklist posted on the Government of Canada website. Here are a few highlights:
ArriveCAN app: you must use the ArriveCAN app to enter your travel and contact information, quarantine plan, and COVID-19 symptom self-assessments.
COVID-19 tests: you must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test (PCR or RT-LAMP test) taken in the United States within 72 hours of your arrival, or (starting February 28) a rapid antigen test taken in the United States one day prior to your arrival or a positive test taken 14 to 90 days prior to arrival. In addition, you may be required to test on arrival. For a fully vaccinated traveler the testing is random. If you are required to quarantine, you will be required to test on arrival and test on day 8 of your quarantine before you’re allowed to exit your quarantine in Canada. The test on arrival is self administered and at the border a CBSA official may provide you with up to 2 testing kits: one to self-administer (if required to quarantin e or randomly selected for testing) and, if you are required to quarantine, the other to self-administer on day 8 of your quarantine. Some border crossings have on-site assistance but you will need to set up an account with Switch Health, the CBSA service provider (if you cannot set up an account you will be instructed to administer the test at your place of quarantine).

Arriving by air

International arrivals are currently permitted only via the international airports in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.

ArriveCAN app: you must use the ArriveCAN app to enter your travel and contact information, quarantine plan, and COVID-19 symptom self-assessments.
COVID-19 tests: you must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test taken within 72 hours of your flight departure or (starting February 28) a rapid antigen test taken one day prior to your arrival. You’ll need to provide this to the airline at your point of origin before being allowed to board the flight to Canada. In addition, you may be tested again at the airport upon arrival and (if subject to quarantine) you’ll collect an additional test kit for use during your quarantine.

Final advice: double check the details before you attempt to enter Canada

Canada’s border restrictions during Covid-19 are constantly evolving. Our summary of the new rules covers the most common situations. As things can change quickly, you should monitor the news and the Government of Canada’s official statements. If you are travelling by land you may want to plan in advance by checking the current border wait times which are updated in real time.

For greater assurance, you should also examine source documents directly rather than relying on guidance even on official Canadian government websites (they have been incomplete and/or misleading in the past). Even then, final approval to enter the country rests with the discretion of the border agent.

For more details and a more comprehensive coverage of different scenarios, please refer to the official Government of Canada website here:

Travel Restrictions in Canada

Is there a money-saving angle?

Mr. Thrifty continues to recommend that travelers consider a travel health insurance plan. Some plans, including SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance Plan, cover COVID-19. Note that these plans will generally only cover COVID testing if deemed medically necessary by a physician.

Mr. Thrifty wishes you well and hopes he has enlightened you on Canada’s border restrictions during COVID-19.

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