This page was last updated on 16 December, 2021.
At a Glance
Travel Restrictions
Entry For Vaccinated Travelers: Partially Allowed
Vaccination Requirements: All travellers can be eligible to enter Canada as a fully vaccinated traveller regardless of citizenship. Canadians must meet and follow all of the same entry requirements.
Accepted vaccines:
-Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
-Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
-AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD COVID-19 vaccine
-Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine – single dose
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
The list of accepted vaccines may expand in the future.
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.
Tourist Entry: Partially Allowed
Testing: Negative COVID-19 test is required for all countries.
Quarantine Required: Depends
Quarantine Details: Self-isolation for 14 days required for all countries.
Local Restrictions
Lockdown in Effect: Partial
Events: Partially Allowed
Transport: Operational with restrictions
Shopping: Open
Restaurants and Bars: Open with restrictions
Detailed Travel Advisory
Published 15.12.2021
1. Until January 31, 2022, passengers who in the past 14 days have been in Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa or Zimbabwe, are not allowed to enter.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals and residents of Canada;
– passengers with status under Canada’s Indian Act.
2. Passengers who in the past 14 days have been in Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa or Zimbabwe:
– are subject to COVID-19 test upon arrival and quarantine for 14 days; and
– must have a negative COVID-19 test taken at most 72 hours before departure of the last direct flight to Canada. The test result must not be issued in Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, India, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa or Zimbabwe.
Tests accepted are: CRISPR, Ct, detection of the E gene, detection of the N gene, detection of Orf1a/b, detection of the RdRp gene, detection of the S gene, ddPCR, isothermal amplification, LamPORE, NAAT, NAT, NGS, PCR, qPCR, RNA, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR, sequencing and WGS. More details can be found at https://tinyurl.com/uuf5nntc
3. Until 31 January 2022, passengers are not allowed to enter.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals of Canada;
– permanent residents of Canada;
– persons registered under Canada’s Indian Act with the Certificate of Indian Status (CIS) or the Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS);
– passengers with a Canadian Refugee Travel Document or a Single Journey Document for Resettlement to Canada;
– immediate family members of nationals of Canada, of permanent residents of Canada and of persons registered under Canada’s Indian Act. They must stay for at least 15 days and have a quarantine plan. Staying for less than 15 days is allowed if they have a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 15 days (day of vaccination + 14 days) before arrival. The certificate must be in English, French or accompanied by a certified English or French translation. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Covishield), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm or Sinovac. A combination of vaccines is accepted.
– extended family members of nationals of Canada, of permanent residents of Canada and of persons registered under Canada’s Indian Act. They must stay for at least 15 days, have a quarantine plan, and have a written authorization issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Staying for less than 15 days is allowed if they have a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 15 days (day of vaccination + 14 days) before arrival. The certificate must be in English, French or accompanied by a certified English or French translation. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Covishield), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm or Sinovac. A combination of vaccines is accepted.
– passengers with an authorization from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC);
– passengers with a letter of authorization from the Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage (PCH);
– passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate uploaded in ArriveCAN showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 15 days (day of vaccination + 14 days) before arrival. The certificate must be in English, French or accompanied by a certified English or French translation. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Covishield), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm or Sinovac. A combination of vaccines is accepted.
– passengers younger than 12 years accompanied by a guardian with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate uploaded in ArriveCAN showing that the guardian was fully vaccinated at least 15 days (day of vaccination + 14 days) before arrival. The certificate must be in English, French or accompanied by a certified English or French translation. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Covishield), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm or Sinovac. A combination of vaccines is accepted.
– passengers arriving directly from the USA and traveling on an essential purpose listed on https://tinyurl.com/4absxrpa ;
– passengers with a study permit or a post-graduation work permit, issued by Canada. They must be attending a designated learning institution (DLI) with a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by its province or territory. They must travel only to attend their study;
– passengers with an application for permanent residence. They must have a written notice issued under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
– members of the Canadian forces traveling on duty, and their immediate family members;
– more exemptions can be found at https://tinyurl.com/s4tbrc8
4. Passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test taken at most 72 hours before departure of the last direct flight to Canada. The test result must not be issued in Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, India, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa or Zimbabwe.
Tests accepted are: CRISPR, Ct, detection of the E gene, detection of the N gene, detection of Orf1a/b, detection of the RdRp gene, detection of the S gene, ddPCR, isothermal amplification, LamPORE, NAAT, NAT, NGS, PCR, qPCR, RNA, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR, sequencing and WGS. More details can be found at https://tinyurl.com/uuf5nntc
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 5 years;
– nationals and residents of Canada and passengers registered under the Canada’s Indian Act, returning to Canada within 72 hours of their initial scheduled departure time from Canada until the initial scheduled departure time of their return flight to Canada, with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 15 days (day of vaccination + 14 days) before arrival. The certificate must be in English, French or accompanied by a certified English or French translation.
– Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Covishield), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm or Sinovac. A combination of vaccines is accepted;
– passengers younger than 12 years traveling with their vaccinated parents/guardians, returning to Canada within 72 hours of their departure from Canada;
– passengers with a positive COVID-19 test taken at least 14 days and at most 180 days before departure of the last direct flight to Canada. Tests accepted are: CRISPR, Ct, detection of the E gene, detection of the N gene, detection of Orf1a/b, detection of the RdRp gene, detection of the S gene, ddPCR, isothermal amplification, LamPORE, NAAT, NAT, NGS, PCR, qPCR, RNA, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR, sequencing and WGS;
– passengers arriving directly from India;
– passengers arriving directly from Morocco;
– passengers arriving from Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa or Zimbabwe;
– more exemption can be found via https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/exemptions
5. Passengers and airline crew must submit their information electronically, at most 72 hours before arrival, through the ArriveCAN app or the website https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/arrivecan.html . Passengers must present an ArriveCAN receipt before boarding.
6. Passengers arriving directly from India must have a negative COVID-19 test taken at most 18 hours before departure. The test result must be issued by the laboratory Genestrings at the New Delhi airport (DEL) and have a QR code. Tests accepted are: CRISPR, Ct, detection of the E gene, detection of the N gene, detection of Orf1a/b, detection of the RdRp gene, detection of the S gene, ddPCR, isothermal amplification, LamPORE, NAAT, NAT, NGS, PCR, qPCR, RNA, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR, sequencing and WGS.
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 5 years;
– passengers with a positive COVID-19 test taken at least 14 days and at most 180 days before departure. Tests accepted are: CRISPR, Ct, detection of the E gene, detection of the N gene, detection of Orf1a/b, detection of the RdRp gene, detection of the S gene, ddPCR, isothermal amplification, LamPORE, NAAT, NAT, NGS, PCR, qPCR, RNA, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR, sequencing and WGS.
7. Passengers arriving directly from Morocco must have a negative COVID-19 test taken at most 72 hours before departure. The test result must be issued by Morocco and have a QR code. Tests accepted are: CRISPR, Ct, detection of the E gene, detection of the N gene, detection of Orf1a/b, detection of the RdRp gene, detection of the S gene, ddPCR, isothermal amplification, LamPORE, NAAT, NAT, NGS, PCR, qPCR, RNA, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR, sequencing and WGS.
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 5 years;
– passengers with a positive COVID-19 test taken at least 14 days and at most 180 days before departure. Tests accepted are: CRISPR, Ct, detection of the E gene, detection of the N gene, detection of Orf1a/b, detection of the RdRp gene, detection of the S gene, ddPCR, isothermal amplification, LamPORE, NAAT, NAT, NGS, PCR, qPCR, RNA, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR, sequencing and WGS.
8. Passengers must arrive at Abbotsford International (YXX), Calgary (YYC), Edmonton (YEG), Halifax (YHZ), John C. Munro Hamilton International (YHM), Kelowna International (YLW), Montreal (YUL), Ottawa (YOW), Quebec (YQB), Regina International (YQR), Region of Waterloo International (YKF), Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International (YXE), St. John’s International (YYT), Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Toronto Billy Bishop (YTZ), Vancouver (YVR), Victoria International (YYJ) or Winnipeg (YWG).
– This does not apply to passengers arriving on direct flights from St. Pierre and Miquelon.
9. Passengers could be subject to quarantine for 14 days; details can be found at https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/flying-canada-checklist
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 12 years traveling with their vaccinated parents/guardians;
– passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 15 days (day of vaccination + 14 days) before arrival. The certificate must be in English or French or be accompanied by a certified translation to English or French.
– Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Covishield), AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm or Sinovac. A combination of vaccines is accepted.
– More details can be found at https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada;
10. Passenger could be subject to COVID-19 molecular test upon arrival. Details can be found at https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada for vaccinated passengers and https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/exemptions#unvaccinated for unvaccinated passengers.
11. All travel restrictions may be prolonged as necessary for public health reasons.
Detailed Tourist Information
Foreign nationals who have travelled in any of these countries South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Eswatini within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents and people with status under the Indian Act, regardless of their vaccination status or having had a previous history of testing positive for COVID-19, who have been in these countries South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Eswatini in the previous 14 days are allowed to enter Canada and will be subject to enhanced testing, screening, and quarantine measures
-Fully vaccinated foreign nationals may be allowed to enter Canada for discretionary travel.
-Foreign nationals who don’t qualify as fully vaccinated will only be allowed to enter in specific circumstances:
Find out if you can enter Canada (https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/wizard-start)
Travelers entering Canada, regardless of citizenship, must follow testing and quarantine requirements to keep everyone safe.
If you qualify as a fully vaccinated traveler you are:
-Required to show a pre-entry molecular test
-Required to use ArriveCAN
-Exempt from quarantine
-Exempt from Day-8 testing
To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveler to Canada, you must:
-have received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a full series of a combination of accepted vaccines
-have received your last dose at least 14 full days prior to the day you enter Canada
For example: if your last dose was anytime on Thursday, July 1, then Friday, July 16 would be the first day that you meet the 14-day condition
-upload your proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN
-have no signs or symptoms of COVID-19
-meet all other entry requirements (for example, pre-entry test result)
To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, you must also follow these requirements:
1. Get a pre-entry test
2. Quarantine plan in case you don’t qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller
3. Upload proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN
4. Checklist of what to have ready at the border
5. Arrival tests – randomized testing and exemptions
Click here to see full details.
https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid and here https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/exemptions
Lockdown Details
To help curb the spread of coronavirus, provincial governments have introduced a number of measures. If you want to learn more about how each province is reopening you can visit this page (https://www.osler.com/en/resources/in-focus/returning-to-work)
Canada’s borders are open for vaccinated travelers, while domestically, restrictions are being lifted with variations between provinces.
Unvaccinated immediate families of Canadian citizens and permanent residents can enter, as well as few other exemptions, after receiving approval.
Restaurants and bars in most of Canada are open with varying limitations on operating hours and capacity.
Some provinces impose stricter measures including limiting restaurants for takeout and delivery only.
Some provinces impose stricter measures, and leisure facilities remain closed or open only outdoors.
Some provinces are requiring proof of vaccination to enter some facilities.
Wearing face masks is required in public places.
Sources
https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2021/01/government-of-canada-introduces-further-restrictions-on-international-travel.html
Data Source: covidcontrols.co
