Canada eases entry requirements for some travellers

City of Toronto, Canada. Photo: Conor Samuel / Unsplash

Plan on travelling to Canada? The country will soon easy entry requirements for certain travellers.

Canada will soon scrap pre-travel negative PCR test certificate requirements for international visitors from 1 April. This will, however, only apply to fully vaccinated travellers.

Canada will be the latest in a growing list of countries around the world that have removed expensive and inconvenient pre-travel testing for vaccinated passengers.

According to Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Minister of Transport:

“Decreasing COVID-19 case counts, coupled with Canada’s high vaccination rates and strict vaccination requirements for travel, have set the stage for the next steps in our government’s cautious and calibrated approach to safely easing the measures at our border. Lifting the pre-entry testing requirements for travellers to Canada will make it easier for Canadians to safely take advantage of emerging opportunities for personal and business travel, as Canada’s transportation system recovers from the pandemic.”

Who qualifies for entry to Canada sans PCR test?

Only fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed to enter Canada without the need for a pre-travel PCR test. Here’s what that means:

To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, you must:

Have received at least two doses of a vaccine accepted for travel, a mix of two accepted vaccines
- or at least one dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Have received your second dose at least 14 calendar days before you enter Canada
- Example: if your second dose was anytime on Thursday, 1 July, then Thursday, 15 July would be the first day that you meet the 14 day condition
Have no signs or symptoms of COVID-19
Follow pre-entry testing and entry requirements
- upload proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN
- complete your ArriveCAN submission and and have ArriveCAN receipt with letter I, V, or A beside your name
- complete arrival test if selected

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Sundeeka Mungroo

Sundeeka Mungroo is a content writer, foodie and all-round adventure-seeker. She's a graduate of the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and has worked as a copywriter and editor in the digital marketing industry. Sundeeka currently writes for I Love South Africa and The South African. She lives in the beautiful Mother City and loves exploring all that South Africa has to offer.