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Canada has finally opened to fully vaccinated U.S tourists yesterday after 17 months of closure due to the pandemic. Before today, Canada was closed for non-essential travel, and the country only allowed travelers in for special reasons.
The news is excellent for the travel industry, border towns, and people looking to reunite with family or friends across the border. Other people said they would return to their vacation properties and travel through Canada.
The border officially opened at 12.01 am on Monday morning, and that prompted numerous Americans to cross the border. Fully vaccinated Americans now have various travel options, including almost the entire European continent, Canada, Mexico, and much of Central and South America.
That is a stark contrast to last August when most nations had banned U.S travelers from visiting.
What American Tourists Need To Enter
Americans will need full proof of vaccination to enter Canada from today onwards. The Canadian government said they won’t allow unvaccinated American tourists for “quite some time.”
Travelers must have received their vaccination at least 14 days before arriving in Canada. Canada will accept the following vaccinations:
- Moderna
- Johnson & Johnson
- AstraZeneca
- Pfizer
At the current time, Canada doesn’t accept any other vaccines. U.S travelers can use cards issued by the CDC as evidence of proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated children that are below the age of 12 can enter Canada if they’re with a fully vaccinated adult.
Pre-Arrival Testing
American tourists will need to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 test that’s not older than 72 hours. Canada will accept the following tests:
- NAATs
- PCR
- RT-LAMP
- RNA
- TMA
Canada will not accept rapid lateral flow tests. Furthermore, if you’ve got evidence that you’ve fully recovered from COVID-19, you can show that instead of having a negative COVID-19 test.
However, you must have conducted the test between 14 and 90 days before your scheduled entry into Canada.
Some countries will allow you into the country if you can provide evidence that you’ve recovered from COVID-19 in the last 6 months, but Canada isn’t one of those countries.
ArriveCAN or Web Portal
All U.S travelers entering Canada must complete one of the following:
- Complete the ArriveCan app
- Complete the Web Portal
You must complete either of these options within 72 hours before you arrive in Canada.
The app or the web portal will ask for proof of vaccination when you complete the form, and once you’ve successfully completed the form, you’ll get a receipt which you must submit to Canadian border officials.
The following airports will currently accept U.S tourists:
- Toronto
- Halifax
- Calgary
- Quebec
- Ottawa
- Winnipeg
- Edmonton
- Vancouver
- Montreal
When America Will Open To Canadians
Despite Canada’s opening to vaccinated U.S tourists, America still remains closed to vaccinated Canadians. The U.S government is under pressure from people all over the world, including people from their own party to open up the border for non-essential travel.
Although there’s speculation that America is going to open to fully vaccinated tourists soon, there hasn’t been any confirmation. As of today, the border opening is only one way.
Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins, whose district includes Niagara Falls and important border towns stated, “It is essential that the United States reopens its land border with Canada — continual delay is unacceptable.”
Still, nothing is changing or looks set to change anytime soon.
Final Thoughts
Canada’s opening to U.S tourists is a significant step towards the world going back to normal. Americans should expect long delays if they’re crossing via the land border, as many border crossings still have reduced hours.
Read More:
Countries making exceptions for vaccinated travelers
List of countries A-Z open for American travelers
Carnival Cruise Line Adopts New Mask Policies
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.