Published On: July 4th, 2021 / Last Updated: August 1st, 2021 / 5.4 min read /

Canada Provides Travel Exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers who meet specific conditions, Starting 12:01 am ET on July 5, 2021

If you are fully vaccinated, you may be exempt from:

  • Quarantine
  • Hotel stopover for air travellers
  • Day – 8 testing requirement

What requirements do I need to meet?

You must be fully vaccinated, be eligible to travel to Canada and meet the travel exemptions, starting 12:01 AM Eastern Time (05 July 2021)

Fully vaccinated means:

  • be eligible to enter Canada, which means you meet travel exemptions
  • have received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of accepted vaccines
    • Accepted Vaccines are :
      • Pfizer (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)
      • Moderna (mRNA-1273)
      • AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria, AZD1222, Covishield)
      • Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) – single dose
  • have received your last dose at least 14 days prior to entering Canada
  • upload your proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN

If you received your vaccines outside Canada, it’s still accepted but proof of vaccination must be uploaded digitally in ArriveCAN and must only be in French or English, or certified translation into French or English.

Vaccines not currently accepted for fully vaccinated status in Canada:

  • Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C)
  • Cansino (Convidecia, Ad5-nCoV)
  • Gamalaya (Sputnik V, Gam-Covid-Vac)
  • Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV, Sinopharm-Wuhan)
  • Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)
  • Vector Institute (EpiVacCorona)
  • Other

Tourism to Canada continues to be prohibited and you are not allowed to travel to Canada for tourism.

All current travel restrictions to Canada remain in place and all other public health requirements continue to apply. Discretionary travel (i.e. tourism, recreation, entertainment) by foreign nationals remains prohibited. Travellers attempting to cross the border for these reasons will be turned away.

How it all works

You will need to:

  • Step 1 – Get a Pre-entry Covid test done, within 72 hours before the scheduled departure time of your flight and have a negative COVID test result.
  • Step 2 – Have a quarantine plan just in case you do not meet the exemption requirements.
  • Step 3 – Install the ArriveCAN app (New version of the app will be released on July 5, 2021, on the Play Store and App Store use the new version) and enter all details, before boarding, including your proof of vaccination, negative COVID test result, your quarantine plan.
  • Step 4 – Officer will examine at the airport in Canada, check all details, and let you know whether you meet the exemption requirements.
  • Step 5 – On landing in Canada you will need to get tested on the day you arrive, you can register in advance or be given further instructions on how to do so, follow those instructions.

Details below

  • Get a Pre-entry test
    All travellers 5 years of age or older, regardless of citizenship, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result. You don’t require a test to fly within Canada. There are no exceptions for vaccinated travellers, at this time. You must:

    • take the test within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of your flight to Canada
      • if you have a connecting flight:
        • the test must be conducted within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of your last direct flight to Canada
        • you may need to schedule the test in your transit city
    • provide one of the accepted types of tests, not an antigen test
    • keep proof of your test results for the 14-day period that begins on the day you enter Canada

    Airlines will refuse boarding to travellers who are unable to provide a valid molecular test result.

    Providing proof of your result

    You must present an accepted test result (paper or electronic proof) which must include:

    • Traveller name and date of birth
    • Name and civic address of the laboratory/clinic/facility that administered the test
    • The date on which the test was conducted
    • The type of test conducted
    • The test result

You must show proof of your test results even if you:

  • have tested negative for COVID-19 previous to the 72 hour period
  • have been vaccinated for COVID-19
  • recovered from COVID-19 and no longer test positive
  • recovered from COVID-19 and continue to test positive

At this time, travellers should have their test performed at a reputable laboratory or testing facility (i.e., one recognized by the local government or accredited by a third party, such as a professional organization or international standards organization).

Find out if your travel is exempt from the pre-entry test requirement

    • are symptomatic
    • don’t meet the requirements Have of a Quarantine plan in case you are required to quarantine
      You must have a suitable quarantine plan in place where you can stay for at least 14 days. This is required even if you are seeking a fully vaccinated exemption. The final determination is made by a government representative at the border based on the information presented at the time of entry into Canada. You must, therefore, be prepared to quarantine for 14 days, in case you:

If you don’t meet the requirements, you’ll be asked to follow the instructions provided by the government representative. If you meet all the requirements, you won’t need to quarantine.

  • Arrival testing on the day you arrive at the airport
    Register in advance for your test to save time at the border. Follow the instructions provided to you upon entry to Canada to complete your arrival (day 1) test. Airports and some land borders have on-site testing or sample observation services where you can complete your test before continuing on to your destination. If you receive a home test kit instead, complete it on the day you arrive and send it to the lab following the instructions provided. If your arrival test is negative:

    • follow local public health measures
    • maintain a list of all close contacts for your first 14 days in Canada
    • keep copies of your proof of vaccination for 14 days

If your arrival test is positive:

    • isolate yourself from others right away
    • you will be contacted by your local public health authority
    • follow their instructions
    • keep copies of your proof of vaccination for 14 days

No exceptions for partially vaccinated travellers

At this time, there are no exemptions from testing, hotel stopover or quarantine for travellers who haven’t received the full series of a vaccine or a combination of vaccines accepted by the Government of Canada.

Need a hand with your application, contact us today. Turningstone Immigration Consulting is a full-service Immigration consultancy. Our services are provided by a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC).

We deal in all types of immigration-related applications, like Permanent Residence (PR), Study Permits, Work Permits, PGWP, Visit Visa (Temporary Resident Visas), Super Visa, Family Sponsorships for PR Applications and much more. Contact Us Today.

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