Canada already required non-essential travellers from foreign countries to be vaccinated before they could enter the country. From January 15, essential travellers must also be fully vaccinated prior to entering the country – which includes:
Unvaccinated Canadians must meet the requirements for pre-entry, arrival, day-eight testing, and quarantine. Foreigners who are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated will be allowed to enter Canada only if they qualify for an exemption.
Agricultural and food processing workers, marine crew members, people coming to Canada on compassionate grounds, new permanent residents, refugees resettling, and some children under the age of 18 are among the exempt groups.
Travellers who do not need to be vaccinated will still need to be tested, put in quarantine, and follow other entry requirements if they are travelling to Canada. Those who are unvaccinated and do not qualify for an exemption will be denied access.
If someone appears to have COVID-19 symptoms when arriving at the border, they will be directed to a Public Health Agency of Canada Health Official who will advise them to isolate for 10 days from the time the symptoms first appear.
Border officers are the ones who make the final decisions about who can enter the country and who must be quarantined.
To enter Canada, travellers must have been vaccinated with the full recommended dose of an approved vaccine. The last shot should be given at least 14 days before travelling to Canada. They also need to submit all required COVID-19 information to ArriveCAN before crossing the border.
Canada’s government-approved vaccines include:
It is not required to have a booster dose in Canada to be considered fully vaccinated