Canada Extends Travel Vaccination Requirement Through at Least June 30

Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada on Tuesday announced that it was extending Canada’s COVID-19-era travel requirements through at least June 30.

All travelers will continue to be required to show proof of full vaccination upon entry and unvaccinated Canadians and permanent residents will be required to show proof of a negative PCR test and quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.

Unvaccinated inbound travelers will still not be able to enter Canada until at least July.

All travelers, whether they are residents or not, will also still be required to submit all information through the ArriveCAN app.

“All travellers, regardless of vaccination status, must continue to submit their information in #ArriveCAN through the free app or website,” Health Canada wrote in an update on Tuesday.

Travelers will also continue to be subject to a random, mandatory arrival test whether they are arriving in Canada by air or at a land border crossing. Those who provide a positive COVID-19 molecular test result, conducted at least 10 days and no more than 180 days before entering, are exempt from that test.

Unlike the U.S., Canada removed the pre-entry COVID-19 testing for international travel in March. That decision was applauded by travel industry groups across Canada, including the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), and the Canadian Airports Council, which called that news “great news for Canadians.”

 In the U.S., industry groups continue to push for the removal of the pre-entry COVID-19 tests. U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow, who met with the White House this week, said it was “long past time” to ax the mandatory testing.  

“It is long past time for the Biden administration to remove the pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated air travelers to the U.S. While nearly all other U.S. industries are operating without restrictions, the travel industry remains disproportionately harmed by this requirement, even though the science no longer supports it,” he said.