What you need to know about Canada's changing travel rules

The federal government is lifting its non-essential travel advisory as well as the PCR test requirement at border crossings for fully vaccinated travellers on Feb. 28, as the peak of the Omicron variant passes.

Travellers can now choose the less expensive and more convenient rapid antigen test, which must be taken no more than 24 hours before their scheduled flight or arrival at a land border. Using an at-home rapid test is not enough for pre-entry, it must be authorized by the country in which it was purchased and be administered by a laboratory, healthcare or Tele-health service.

Currently, anyone entering Canada, regardless of vaccination status, must show proof of a negative molecular test, like PCR, within 72 hours of arrival.

“This will be a lot of their finances, especially if people are going in groups or as a family,” says Willy Lee, owner of Can’Air World Travel. “I’m expecting the phone to ring a few times and I have already been receiving emails for people looking at March Break travel.”

Lee says it’s important to be insured because if you test positive for COVID-19 while abroad, it will be ten days before you can re-enter Canada.

“The travel advisory is lifted, so you will get more coverage definitely,” says Lee. “Insurance will cover your accommodation and extra costs to rebook your tickets, up to a certain amount, they won’t pay one hundred per cent but at least you are covered for a good amount.”

Unvaccinated children under 12 years old, travelling with fully vaccinated adults, will be exempt from quarantine. This means, for example, they no longer have to wait 14 days before attending school, daycare or camps.

Travellers can still be randomly selected upon arrival at an airport to provide a molecular test, but no longer have to quarantine while waiting for results.

When travelling, it is important to know the entry requirements for the country you plan to visit, as many have their own set of rules. In Canada, all travellers, regardless of how long they were away, continue to be required to submit their travel information, vaccine status and negative COVID-19 test results via the ArriveCan free mobile app or website.

All Canadian entry requirements and checklists are available online.