Canada Eases Travel Restrictions for Fully Vaccinated US Citizens

This blog post is co-written by Eric Noble-Marks (Harvard Law Student and Summer Law Student for Moodys Private Client Law)

Over the past year or so, good news has been hard to come by. Well, not today.

With case numbers continuing to fall and vaccination rates climbing, the Canadian government announced measures that would significantly ease restrictions for US citizens traveling to Canada. Here’s what’s happening.

What’s New?

As of August 9th, fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents of the US, who currently reside in the US, will be permitted to enter Canada for non-essential travel. Dependent unvaccinated children under the age of 12 are also permitted to enter Canada provided that they travel with a fully vaccinated adult. Fully vaccinated travelers will also not need to submit to a day 1 COVID test at the border unless they are randomly selected for testing.

To qualify as fully vaccinated, travelers must provide evidence of having received the full series of a vaccine approved by the government of Canada (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or AstraZeneca) or a combination of these vaccines at least fourteen (14) days before entering Canada. Eligible travelers will not be subject to a compulsory quarantine, or a government-mandated hotel stay.

What Hasn’t Changed?

As we have previously detailed, all travelers to Canada must still provide proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of their scheduled flight or arrival at a Canadian land border. All travelers must also be ready to take a rapid COVID test at the border if randomly selected to do so and prepare a quarantine plan in the event that the traveler is declared ineligible for a quarantine exception. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated remain subject to the essential travel standard, a mandatory fourteen (14) day quarantine, and a day eight (8) COVID test, as well as a mandatory hotel stay if they travel by air.

Stay tuned for the latest from the Moodys immigration team as we closely monitor these restrictions and other significant changes in US and Canadian immigration.