Canada drops pre-arrival tests for vaccinated travellers from April 1

Fully immunised arrivals no longer need negative Covid-19 results before flying, but may still be tested at airports

Canada has followed a cautious and calibrated approach to safely ease Covid-19 measures at its borders. Unsplash

Fully vaccinated travellers flying to Canada will no longer need to take pre-arrival Covid-19 tests from next month.

Canadian authorities updated rules for immunised travellers on Thursday, with no more negative results needed to board flights to the country from April 1.

Travellers must provide their proof of Covid-19 vaccination through the ArriveCAN app no less than 72 hours before boarding. Other mandatory travel information must be completed on the app by all passengers, regardless of vaccination status.

Some tourists may still need to undergo Covid-19 testing on arrival at airports in Canada. These selections are random and tourists do not need to quarantine while waiting for the test results.

“Decreasing Covid-19 case counts, coupled with Canada's high vaccination rates and strict vaccination requirements for travel, have set the stage for the next steps in our government's cautious and calibrated approach to safely easing the measures at our border,” said Omar Alghabra, Canada's Minister of Transport.

“Lifting the pre-entry testing requirements for travellers to Canada will make it easier for Canadians to safely take advantage of emerging opportunities for personal and business travel, as Canada's transportation system recovers from the pandemic.“

Previously, all travellers entering Canada had to present proof of a negative Covid-19 antigen test taken within 24 hours of their flight or arrival at the border. This followed the easing of requirements in February that allowed antigen test results to be accepted in place of PCR tests which were previously required.

Unvaccinated tourists are not currently allowed to enter Canada unless for transit, study, work or a few other exempted circumstances. This online tool allows people to check if they are eligible to travel to Canada.

Canadians can continue to fly home even if they are not fully-vaccinated, but must have a negative test result before travel and quarantine for 14 days on arrival.