Making it easier for families to travel, Canada loosens more COVID-19 restrictions

On the heels of ending pre-arrival testing requirements for vaccinated travelers, Canada's Public Health Ministry has announced another rollback that may make it easier for families to travel.

Canada no longer requires pre-arrival testing from children ages 5-11 so long as they are traveling with a vaccinated adult. Children under age 5 are exempt from testing.

Pre-arrival tests and quarantine are still required for unvaccinated travelers age 12 and older.

Unvaccinated foreign nationals are still not able to travel to Canada unless they have received an exemption. Partially and unvaccinated travelers who have permission to travel to Canada will still need to show proof of a negative COVID test and quarantine.

All travelers still need to register online with ArriveCAN and need to submit to random secondary COVID-19 testing upon arrival. Vaccinated travelers selected for random testing do not need to quarantine while awaiting the results of these tests.

"We are confident that, thanks to all that Canadians have done to protect one another, we can now take the next step forward and remove testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers entering Canada. The economy, workers and tourism business owners will benefit from this next step in opening Canada up once again to the world," said Randy Boissonnault, Canadian Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance.

Canada’s updated entry requirements for fully vaccinated travelers

If you are not a Canadian citizen, you must be fully vaccinated to enter Canada. Those who wish to travel to Canada should still check to make sure they are eligible to enter as well as register online with ArriveCAN.

The pre-arrival testing requirement ended on April 1.

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Children age 12 and younger who are traveling with a fully vaccinated adult are exempt from quarantine and do not need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

Note that some of Canada’s provinces and territories may have additional requirements for entry so make sure you check with your final destination before departing.

Canada’s entry requirements for unvaccinated travelers

Unvaccinated foreign nationals still are not allowed to travel to Canada unless they qualify for one of the country’s exemptions. Those who are permitted to travel must present proof of an observed negative antigen test taken no more than one day prior to arrival or a PCR test administered within 72 hours prior to departure.

They can also, as proof of recovery from the virus, present proof of a positive molecular test taken at least 10 calendar days and no more than 180 calendar days before their initially scheduled flight departure time or arrival at the border.

Unvaccinated travelers still face a 14-day quarantine and testing upon arrival and Day 8 of quarantine.

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Safety recommendations and restrictions during a pandemic can change rapidly. Lonely Planet recommends that travelers always check with local authorities for up-to-date guidance before traveling during Covid-19.