Canada is now open to fully vaccinated international tourists

Canada opened its borders to fully vaccinated international visitors on Tuesday, giving them the green light to enjoy non-essential travel there for the first time since March 2020.

International visitors are permitted to travel to Canada without quarantining, provided they are fully jabbed with an approved vaccine. In Canada that means the double dose Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca vaccines, and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. To be eligible to enter Canada, visitors must have received their last recommended dose no less than 14 days before travel. They are also required to present a negative PCR result from a test taken within 72 hours of traveling to Canada.

Exterior of the Gooderham or Flatiron Building in downtown Toronto — Toronto is in the second phase of Ontario's three-phase reopening plan ©Diego Grandi/Shutterstock

Travelers must uploaded proof of vaccination and their test results to the ArriveCan app before boarding their flight to Canada, in addition to having a suitable quarantine plan in place should they contract COVID-19 on their trip. Those without a smartphone can submit the information at Canada.ca/ArriveCAN and print the document.

Fully vaccinated visitors are also allowed to bring unvaccinated children under 12 years of age to Canada, officials said. Unvaccinated children will still have to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival.

In August, Canada relaxed its entry rules for fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents currently living in the US. It was a preliminary step, to test the return of non-essential before allowing the rest of the world to visit in September after the country made progress with its vaccination rollout. According to Canada's official vaccine tracker, 77% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated and 84% have received at least one dose..

This story was first published on June 22 and updated on September 8, 2021.