It's official: Canada announces it's dropping the Covid-19 test requirement for vaccinated travelers

The Canadian government announced that it will no longer require a Covid-19 test for fully vaccinated travelers entering the country starting Friday, April 1.

Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) made the announcement March 17, a few days after speculation circulated in Canadian media that travelers would no longer need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 to enter the country. Until April 1, travelers will still need a negative antigen test taken within 24 hours of travel or a negative molecular test taken within 72 hours of travel.

Rules will not change for unvaccinated and partially-vaccinated travelers.

Travelers are still required to submit their information into ArriveCAN before crossing the border; those who don’t may be asked to test on arrival and quarantine for 14 days. Travelers taking a cruise or plane need to submit their ArriveCAN information within 72 hours of departure, according to PHAC.

Fully vaccinated travelers won’t need a test at land, air or water ports of entry. Travelers who use ArriveCAN could still be selected for random testing when entering the country but they are not required to quarantine while awaiting results.

"Adjustments to Canada's border measures are made possible by a number of factors, including Canada's high vaccination rate, the increasing availability and use of rapid tests to detect infection, decreasing hospitalizations and growing domestic availability of treatments for COVID-19,” said Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada’s health minister. “As vaccination levels and healthcare system capacity improve, we will continue to consider further easing of measures at the borders-and when to adjust those measures-to keep the people in Canada safe."