Here's how to enter Canada without quarantining if you're fully vaccinated

Jul 2 2021, 9:11 pm

Canada is easing its quarantine requirements for international arrivals starting next week. However, only certain people are eligible to enter the country, and they must follow certain steps to avoid quarantine.

Citizens, permanent residents, essential workers, and international students will no longer have to quarantine for two weeks as of Monday, July 5, providing they submit proof of immunization in the ArriveCan app.

But the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is reminding would-be travellers that just because quarantine restrictions are relaxing on July 5 doesn’t mean entry requirements are.

Canada has a list of approved reasons people can enter the country right now. People wishing to cross the border should check if they can cross the border and if any additional documentation is needed.

Tourism and leisure are not adequate reasons to cross the border, and travellers who say that’s the purpose for their visit will be turned away. The Canada-US land border also remains closed for non-essential travel.

“It is important to note that travel restrictions remain in place for all foreign nationals, including US citizens, seeking to travel to Canada for discretionary (non-essential) travel – such as tourism and recreation,” CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy told Daily Hive via email.

I’m eligible to enter. What next?

Only fully vaccinated travellers who’ve waited 14 days since their second shot can skip the two-week quarantine. People who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will still have the old rules apply — they’ll need to stay in a hotel to wait for their arrival test results (if arriving by air) and spend the remainder of the 14 days at home.

To be considered fully vaccinated, a traveller must have two doses of a vaccine approved by Health Canada. Mixing of doses is permitted:

  • Pfizer
  • Moderna
  • AstraZeneca
  • Johnson & Johnson (one dose required)

Vaccines that won’t meet the criteria include Bharat Biotech (Covaxin), Cansino (Convidecia), Gamalaya (Sputnik V), Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV), Sinovac (CoronaVac), and Vector Institute (EpiVacCorona).

The Canadian Government notes the list of acceptable vaccines may expand in the future.

People who’ve had two doses of an approved vaccine must provide details on the type of vaccine, date received, and the country that administered it in the ArriveCan app. They must also upload a PDF or picture of their vaccination receipt in English or French. Travellers must also bring a digital or paper copy of their proof of vaccination with them.

In a statement issued Friday, CBSA reminded travellers that the quarantine exemption goes into effect at 12:01 am on July 5. Travellers who cross the border before then must still complete the entire quarantine.

Travellers must still bring proof of a negative pre-arrival COVID-19 molecular test.

The ArriveCan app for submitting documents is available on a desktop or through the app for Apple and Android users.

Megan DevlinMegan Devlin

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