From 30 September 2022, travellers to Canada will only need an eTA Canada. The Canadian government has announced that all travel requirements related to coronavirus will be withdrawn from 30 September. Continue reading for more information and to learn the remaining conditions for travelling with an eTA Canada.
End of vaccination requirement
Until now, Canada was still subject to strict travel conditions regarding Covid-19. To enter the country, travellers had to either be fully vaccinated or take a coronavirus test on arrival. A positive result required quarantine in Canada. Vaccinated travellers generally did not have to take a test, but could be selected for random sampling.
These strict measures will end as of 30 September 2022. This is a welcome development for anyone wishing to travel to Canada. Checking all passengers caused many delays on arrival in Canada, much to the annoyance of many travellers. The Canadian government has tried several methods to solve these delays. In the end, abolishing the vaccination and testing requirement will prove to be the only real solution.
From 30 September, proof of vaccination will no longer have to be shown, and all unvaccinated travellers will also be allowed to travel to Canada without additional measures. From then on, it will no longer be necessary to take PCR or antigen tests and the quarantine obligation will also automatically end. The eTA Canada does remain mandatory for international travellers arriving in Canada by plane. It can be easily applied for online with the eTA Canada online application form.
ArriveCan to become optional
Until now, it was mandatory for all travellers to Canada to provide vaccination status and other details before departure via the ArriveCan app. Besides the app, one could also use the web version of ArriveCan. Although the use of ArriveCan was mandatory, in practice, some 35% of all travellers did not comply. In addition, the system reportedly experienced frequent glitches, with vaccinated travellers appearing in the system as unvaccinated, for instance. This, on top of staff shortages at Canadian airports, caused additional delays.
In earlier reports, the Canadian government announced that ArriveCan would remain mandatory despite the relaxation of travel conditions. However, they seem to have changed their mind on the matter. It is not completely certain yet, but ArriveCan is expected to no longer be mandatory from 30 September 2022. This responds to complaints from Canadian border control staff, among others, who have been calling for a long time that entry conditions to Canada should be relaxed
Which travel conditions will continue to apply?
With the termination of both vaccination and testing requirements and the mandatory use of ArriveCan, it will once again become easier for travellers to travel to Canada. However, some conditions will still apply to international travellers:
For all travellers who do not hold a Canadian or US passport, it remains mandatory to apply for a visa or eTA Canada. This applies to travelling to Canada by air. A travel authorisation is not required if you arrive in Canada by land, or by cruise.
Apply for your eTA Canada here
The face mask requirement is likely to remain in place on public transport, such as trains and planes. More information on the relaxation of coronavirus measures will still follow from official reports from the Canadian government.
Please note: this news article about the eTA for Canada is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the eTA for Canada.