Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Who can travel to Canada – Citizens, persons registered under Canada’s Indian Act, permanent residents, foreign nationals and refugees
COVID-19 testing required for people flying into Canada
As of January 7, 2021, air travellers 5 years of age or older will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result to the airline prior to boarding international flights bound for Canada. See the news release for air travellers.
Mandatory 14-day quarantine or isolation
Everyone entering Canada must follow mandatory isolation or quarantine requirements. Not respecting the mandatory requirements is a serious offence with consequences and penalties.
To protect Canadians from the outbreak of COVID-19, the Prime Minister announced travel restrictions that limit travel to Canada. Until further notice, most foreign nationals cannot travel to Canada, even if they have a valid visitor visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA).
These restrictions stop most non-essential (discretionary) travel to Canada.
On this page
- Who can enter Canada
- Foreign nationals who are eligible to travel to Canada
- Immediate family members of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident
- Extended family members of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident
- Foreign nationals authorized to come for compassionate reasons
- All other foreign nationals
- Foreign nationals who are eligible to travel to Canada
- Public health measures for travellers to Canada
Who can enter Canada
You can travel to and enter Canada if you’re a
- Canadian citizen
- dual Canadian citizen with a
- permanent resident of Canada
- person registered under Canada’s Indian Act
- protected person
Foreign nationals, including United States (US) citizens, can travel to Canada only if they’re eligible.
Foreign nationals who are eligible to travel to Canada
To be eligible to travel to Canada as a foreign national, you must meet the requirements for one of the following:
- an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident who is staying in Canada for 15 days or more
- an extended family member of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident who is staying in Canada for 15 days or more
- a person who is authorized by the Public Health Agency of Canada to travel to Canada for compassionate reasons
- all other foreign nationals
Immediate family members of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident
To be eligible, you must be both
- an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident
- staying in Canada for 15 days or more
You must also have a quarantine plan that shows how you’ll quarantine for 14 days when you arrive in Canada. This plan is mandatory.
Immediate family members staying for less than 15 days must be travelling for a non-discretionary purpose.
Find out who’s considered an immediate family member and how to unite with them
Extended family members of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident
To be eligible, all of the following must apply:
- You’re an extended family member of a Canadian citizen, person registered under Canada’s Indian Act or permanent resident.
- You’re staying in Canada for 15 days or more.
- You have written authorization from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
You must also have a quarantine plan that shows how you’ll quarantine for 14 days when you arrive in Canada. This plan is mandatory.
Extended family members staying for less than 15 days must be travelling for a non-discretionary purpose.
Find out who’s considered an extended family member and how to unite with them
Coming for compassionate reasons
If you’re a foreign national travelling to Canada for a compassionate reason, you must get authorization from the Public Health Agency of Canada to travel to and enter Canada.
Examples of compassionate reasons can include:
- being present during the final moments of life for a loved one
- providing support to a person deemed critically ill
- providing care to a person who medically requires support
- attending a funeral or end-of-life ceremony
If you’re not eligible to come for compassionate reasons, you must meet the requirements for immediate or extended family members or all other foreign nationals who are eligible to travel to the country.
All other foreign nationals
To be eligible, you must meet one of the following requirements:
- You must be travelling directly from the US for a non-discretionary purpose.
- You must be exempt from the travel restrictions and be travelling for a non-discretionary purpose.
Travellers coming from outside the US who are exempt from the travel restrictions
- temporary foreign workers
- some international students
- some people who have been approved to become a permanent resident of Canada, but who are not yet permanent residents
- immediate family members with written authorization from IRCC to reunite with a temporary resident of Canada (see Uniting with immediate family members for more information)
- transiting passengers (must remain in the secure transit area of a Canadian airport to complete their connection)
- members of the Canadian forces, visiting forces coming to perform official duties, Department of National Defence and their immediate family members
- accredited diplomats and their immediate family members (includes North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO], those under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement, other organizations)
- air and marine crew members
- French citizens who live in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and have been in only Canada, the US or Saint-Pierre and Miquelon during the 14 days before the day they seek to enter Canada
- any person who does not pose a significant harm to public health, in the opinion of the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, and who will provide an essential service while in Canada
- any person whose presence in Canada is in the national interest, in the opinion of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness; or Minister of Foreign Affairs
- If you fall under this exemption, you don’t have to demonstrate that you’re entering Canada for a non-discretionary reason.
- This exemption may be applied only by any of the 3 ministers listed above.
- This exemption is for exceptional circumstances only. All other options must be considered before it will be considered.
- If you think you may qualify for a national interest exemption, you can contact your nearest visa office.
- any person who is coming at the invitation of the Minister of Health for the purpose of COVID-19 assistance
- any person whose purpose is to make medical deliveries
You must also have a quarantine plan that shows how you will quarantine for 14 days when you arrive in Canada. This plan is mandatory.
Public health measures for travellers to Canada
If you’re travelling by air, you need to
- pass a health check conducted by airlines before you’ll be allowed to board your flight
- wear a non-medical mask or face covering during travel (including to the place you’ll quarantine)
Arrival in Canada
ArriveCAN
You must use ArriveCAN before checking in at the airport or crossing the border to submit your
- travel and contact information
- quarantine plan
- COVID-19 symptoms self-assessment
Please bring your ArriveCAN receipt (electronic or paper) with you to show the border services officer upon arrival.
Travellers entering Canada by air, land or sea must
- provide basic information using the traveller contact information form, available through
- the ArriveCAN mobile app
- a paper form
- be screened by a border services officer or quarantine officer to assess symptoms
Quarantine requirement
When you arrive in Canada by air, land or sea, we’ll assess your health before you leave the POE. If you’re a foreign national, and you have symptoms of COVID-19, you won’t be allowed to enter Canada.
You must have a plan to quarantine for 14 days when you arrive in Canada, including
- a place to stay
- how you’ll
- get to your destination
- get your groceries
- access essential services and medical care
This plan is mandatory, even if you have no symptoms. If you don’t have a plan, you should not travel to Canada. Otherwise, you may not be allowed to enter the country. A border services officer will determine if you can enter the country.
The penalties for not following your quarantine plan once you’re in the country can include
- a fine of up to $750,000
- 6 months of jail time
- being found inadmissible, removed from Canada and banned from entering for 1 year
Only people who provide essential services, for example truck drivers who regularly cross the border to maintain the flow of goods, are exempt from the quarantine requirements.
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