Canada on April 1 removed all testing requirements for COVID-19 for all travelers returning to or entering the country, except for those who are at least double vaccinated.
Going to the United States
What do I need to fly to the United States?
As of June 12, at the behest of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), travelers traveling to the United States by air are no longer required to present a negative test for COVID-19, regardless of their nationality or status. of vaccination.
Mandatory testing may be reinstated if new variants of COVID-19 are considered of concern.
Additionally, fully vaccinated travelers must continue to provide proof of their vaccination status to the airline prior to departure for the United States to be allowed to enter the United States.
Canadians do not require a visa or travel authorization for tourist stays of less than six months in the United States. Citizens of other countries may need a visa or travel authorization to enter the country.
What do I need to travel to the United States by land or sea?
Unlike entry by air, land border crossing, which has been permitted since Nov. 8 for non-essential travel, does not require a negative COVID-19 test result. However, travelers should be adequately vaccinated.
This rule is also valid for essential travel from January 2022.
Is it mandatory to take a COVID-19 test for vaccinated people?
For travelers arriving in the United States by air, yes. A negative test or proof of recovery for COVID-19 is required to board an aircraft bound for or passing through the United States.
What types of exams are accepted?
According to the website of CDC, accepts molecular tests (examples: PCR test, TAN, NAAT or RT-LAMP) as well as antigenic tests (unlike in Canada). Rapid tests are acceptable if they fall into these categories and are tested in the laboratory.
The test used must be authorized by the competent national authority for SARS-CoV-2 detection in the country where the test is performed.it is also defined.
Is vaccination necessary to travel to the United States?
Beginning Nov. 8, yes, vaccinations are mandatory to enter the United States, regardless of your travel to the country, for non-essential travel. It has been mandatory for essential travel since the beginning of January. Americans and immigrants to the United States are not included in this rule.
What vaccines are accepted?
Beginning October 15, 2021, the United States has confirmed that it will consider people with mixed doses to be fully vaccinated, if the vaccines are authorized by Food and Medicine Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO).
This means that Canadians who have received any combination of the following approved vaccines are allowed to cross the border:
- Pfizer-BioNTech
- Modern
- Astra Zeneca
- Covaxin
- Covishield
- BIBP/Sinopharm
- Sinovac
- Novavax/Covovax
Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccines are also accepted.
What vaccination exemptions are accepted?
The CDC shows certain types of exemptions that include people under the age of 18, those with documented medical contraindications to COVID-19 vaccination, or those traveling to the United States for humanitarian reasons.
If you get one of these exemptions, however, you may need to be tested 3 to 5 days after your arrival, isolate yourself for 7 days.
You will also need to self-isolate if you are infected or show symptoms of COVID-19.
Each U.S. state may impose restrictions associated with COVID-19 depending on the health situation.
If you plan to stay in the United States for more than 60 days, you will need to get vaccinated, unless there is a medical contraindication.
Back to Canada
In Canada, the procedures for entering the country remain the same, regardless of mode of transportation. They vary, however, depending on a person’s status in the country (citizen, permanent resident or temporary resident), vaccination status and whether the traveler has had COVID-19 in the past.
Am I allowed to enter Canada?
The government developed a questionnaire (New window) which allows this question to be answered on a case-by-case basis, but here is the general rule:
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, persons registered under the Indian Act and protected persons (or persons with refugee status) are permitted to enter Canada.
Foreign nationals may be allowed to enter Canada for discretionary travel if they are fully vaccinated. Depending on the case, a visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA) is required. Another government questionnaire (New window) allows you to verify this information.
What do I need to return to Canada?
For fully vaccinated travelers:
- You must have proof of vaccination.
- You should use the ArriveCAN mobile app that displays proof of vaccination and a quarantine plan as a preventive measure.
- You must have an ArriveCAN receipt with the letters I, V or A next to the name of the vaccinated traveler.
Vaccinated travelers are not included in quarantine and testing on the eighth day after returning to Canada. However, they may undergo random screening at the airport of arrival. Those selected are not required to remain in quarantine while awaiting their test result.
For unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travelers over the age of 12 who are allowed to enter Canada:
You must show a negative test result taken less than 72 hours before arriving in the country.
You must use the ArriveCAN mobile app detailing your quarantine plan.
You must be tested on arrival and on the eighth day.
You must quarantine for 14 days.
Children aged 5 to 11 who have not been fully vaccinated must also show a negative test result before arriving in the country, but they are not included in additional tests and 14 -day quarantine.
What are the admission requirements for children under 5 years of age who are not vaccinated?
Children 5 and under do not have to show a negative test result.
Beginning Feb. 28, these children traveling with fully vaccinated adults will no longer have to wait 14 days before they can enter school, daycare or camp.
who is considered to be fully vaccinated in Canada?
People who received two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or AstraZeneca vaccine (or a combination of both of these vaccines) or one dose of Janssen-Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and completed a period of 14 days after administration of the last dose.
Since November 30, Canada has expanded this list to other vaccines: Sinopharm, Sinovac, Novavax and Bharat Biotech.
The Canada site also states that if you have recovered from COVID-19, you still need the full series of accepted vaccines for COVID-19 or a combination of the two accepted vaccines..
What types of exams are accepted?
PCR tests, nucleic acid test (NAT), nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) or reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) tests are examples of tests accepted for entry into Canada.
The full list of Canadian -recognized tests can be viewed here (New window). Rapid antigen detection tests, whether they are done by a health service or a laboratory, have been accepted since Feb. 28.
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
