Canadians who live in British Columbia can benefit from certain exemption to the border and travel measures at the Canada-US border, in an effort to support those affected by the floods in the region.

If Canadians must travel, they need to expect delays, which are likely to become worse during the holiday period. Restrictions are changing quickly and may be imposed by countries with little warning. Should Canadians choose to travel outside Canada, they need to recognize travel plans may be severely disrupted and they may be forced to remain outside of Canada longer than expected. Canadians should not depend on the Government of Canada for assistance related to changes to travel plans.

ArriveCAN remains mandatory for all travellers, regardless if entering by land/air/marine or the length of the duration of absence from Canada. All travellers must submit their mandatory information in ArriveCAN (free mobile app or website), including proof of vaccination in English or French and a quarantine plan before arriving in Canada.

Ottawa, Ontario – The Government of Canada has lifted the extraordinary measures for travellers returning from Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. This will be in effect as of December 18 at 11:59 pm.

Similarly, the requirements for Canadians and others with right of entry who have been in or travelled from these countries within 14 days to obtain a valid negative pre-departure molecular test in a third country, and to stay in a designated quarantine facility, upon the direction of a quarantine officer, while they await the results of their arrival test, will also be lifted.

Lifting short trip pre-arrival test exemption

As of December 21, the requirement for pre-arrival testing will be in place again for trips of all durations. It is important to note that this pre-arrival test MUST be taken in a country other than Canada.

Testing

The Government of Canada is working closely with airport authorities, airlines, and testing providers and many other partners to increase capacity at airports, manage traveller flow and make sure that the testing protocol is as efficient as possible.

Advice to travellers

As of December 15, the Government of Canada is advising Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada at this time. Travel restrictions continue to change around the world and return options could become limited at any time. Now is not the time to travel.

If need to travel, all fully vaccinated travellers are asked to follow public health measures, including wearing a well-fitted and well-constructed mask, maintaining a list of contacts for the 14 days after entry to Canada, and exercising extra precautions by avoiding high-risk settings such as long-term care facilities. All returning unvaccinated travellers must continue to quarantine for 14 days.

All travellers arriving, by all modes of travel, must submit their information into ArriveCAN. To reduce the wait time to access a test and ease congestion at airports, travellers allowed to enter Canada are strongly encouraged to pre-register with the testing provider at their arrival airport prior to coming to Canada.

All border measures will continue to be evaluated and are subject to adjustments based on the latest science, evidence, and data.