Canada's Travel Restrictions Were Just Updated & Here's What You Need To Know

Testing requirements

As of Monday, February 28 at 12:01 a.m. EST, the federal government will ease on-arrival testing measures for fully vaccinated travellers.

Fully vaxxed individuals arriving in Canada (from any country) will be randomly selected for arrival testing — just like before the discovery of the Omicron variant.

Those who are chosen for testing will no longer be required to quarantine, either.

At the moment, everybody who arrives in the country is subject to on-arrival testing and must quarantine while awaiting their test result.

From the same date, travellers will also have the option to use a rapid antigen test or a molecular test to meet pre-entry requirements.

It means people will be able to choose a cheaper rapid antigen test to enter Canada if they want, although it must be authorized by the country in which it was purchased and be administered by a laboratory, health care entity or telehealth service.

A rapid antigen test must be taken the day before an individual's arrival in Canada, while a molecular test result must be taken within 72 hours prior to entry.

Global travel advisory

The feds also confirmed their plans to adjust Canada's Travel Health Notice from a level 3 to a level 2.

It means that as of February 28, the government will no longer urge Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel, like vacations, abroad.

Instead, they will just advise travellers to be cautious when taking international trips and to keep in mind that they could face complications if travel measures were to change at short notice.

Travellers will likely find it easier to get travel insurance coverage for their trips now that officials are no longer advising against all discretionary holidays.

Travel rules for kids

It's also going to get easier for fully vaxxed parents to take their kids on international vacations.

Restrictions on unvaccinated children under 12 will be lifted as of February 28, meaning they will no longer need to wait before going to school or daycare.

Airports reopening

As of February 28, Transport Canada's Notice to Airmen will also be lifted, meaning that more international passenger flights will be permitted to arrive in Canada again.

Right now, only 18 Canadian airports are currently able to receive international flights. However, this will soon be expanded to include all international airports in the country.

Announcing the news, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said, "This is great news for communities like Windsor, London, Fort McMurray, Moncton and many others."

"By receiving international flights, this will support local tourism, create good jobs and grow our economy."

He said that the government will work with airports to put appropriate safety measures in place to allow international flights to return.