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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Information for non-Canadians

To protect Canadians and to reduce the possible burden travellers could place on our health care system due to COVID-19, travel restrictions are in place across all ports of entry.

This section summarizes important information for non-Canadian travellers.

Entry restrictions

There are many factors that come into play when Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is determining if you are permitted to enter Canada. It is important to note that the final determination is made by a border services officer at the port of entry. They base their decision on the information presented to them at the time of entry into Canada.

In addition to the temporary entry restriction in place due to COVID-19, you must meet the entry requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and provide appropriate travel and immigration documentation.

Travel to Canada for discretionary reasons (non-essential), such as for tourism, recreation or entertainment is currently prohibited. Unless exempted, if you do not have a non-discretionary (essential) reason to travel to Canada, a border services officer will deny you entry.

If you are displaying symptoms of COVID-19, you will not be permitted to enter Canada, regardless of your reason for travel.

Full details of the travel restrictions are available in the applicable Orders in Council.

More information

Arriving from the United States

If you are a foreign national arriving from the United States, to enter Canada, you must prove to the CBSA that you:

The Canada-U.S. temporary border restriction continues. All discretionary/optional travel remains prohibited.

Transiting through Canada to Alaska

As of , at 12:01 am PDT, stricter rules and additional entry conditions are imposed on travellers transiting through Canada to Alaska for a non-discretionary (essential) purpose.

You may still travel through Canada while in transit to Alaska for non-discretionary (essential) reasons. To do so, you have to enter Canada at one of the following ports of entry:

As well as:

The CBSA will issue you a vehicle "hang tag" to attach to your rear view mirror for the duration of our transit. The tag will include the date you must depart Canada as well as information on the conditions imposed upon entry, the Quarantine and Emergencies Acts and a list of public health and safety measures to follow.

You may only make essential stops along the way, including to use facilities, refuel or for essential supplies.

You must follow all requirements outlined in the Public Health Agency of Canada handout that you received when admitted into Canada. You must practice social distancing and wear a non-medical mask or face covering when you are entering Canada and while in transit to your place of departure from Canada, unless you are alone (or with family members) in a private vehicle.

Arriving from a country other than the United States

If you are a foreign national arriving from a country other than the United States, to enter Canada, you must prove to the CBSA that you:

The temporary border restriction on entry into Canada from countries other than the U.S. continues. All discretionary/optional travel remains prohibited.

More information

Penalties and fines

Providing false information is considered misrepresentation and has consequences. If you provide false immigration information or false information about the purpose of your travel, you may be denied entry and/or be banned from returning to Canada.

Failure to comply with the current border restrictions is an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to:

If you cause a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while willfully or recklessly contravening this act or the regulations, you could be liable for:

To report violations of the Quarantine Act (such as failure to abide by the mandatory 14-day quarantine or isolation upon entry to Canada), persons should contact the Public Health Agency of Canada or the police agency of jurisdiction.

Members of the public should note, however, that there may be a legitimate reason for the presence of a US resident or US-plated vehicle in Canada.

Foreign nationals who are immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents

If you are an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you are exempt from travel restrictions and can enter Canada from the United States and from another country if you meet entry requirements and all of the following:

If you intend to stay in Canada for 14 days or less, you may continue to enter Canada for non-discretionary reasons only.

Immediate family members of temporary residents in Canada, such as those on a student or work visa cannot enter Canada.

More information

Students and temporary workers

In Canada

Until further notice, travellers should not visit a Canada Border Services Agency office to apply for a work permit, study permit or permanent residence.

Visitors, international students or temporary workers who are already in Canada can apply online to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to extend your temporary resident status.

Temporary foreign workers with employer-specific work permits who are currently in Canada can also apply online and do not have to wait to start a new job.

Learn more about Visitors, international students or temporary workers in Canada.

Outside Canada

If you are a temporary worker, you may enter Canada as long as you qualify under current entry restrictions and meet the criteria outlined in this section.

Arriving from the United States

If you are a temporary worker arriving from the United States, you must also prove to the CBSA that you meet one of the following criteria:

  • you currently live in Canada and have a valid work permit
  • you are coming to Canada for the first time to begin work (employment) and
    • you have a valid work permit or a work permit approval letter and
    • you have proof of employment at an operating Canadian business
  • you are eligible to apply for a work permit at a port of entry and have proof of employment at an operating Canadian business

More information

Arriving from a country other than the United States

If you are a temporary worker arriving from anywhere other than the United States, you must also prove to the CBSA that you meet one of the following criteria:

  • you currently live in Canada and hold a valid work permit
  • you are coming to Canada for the first time to begin work (employment) and
    • you have a valid work permit or a work permit approval letter and
    • you have proof of employment at an operating Canadian business

Entering Canada

All travellers entering Canada are given a Public Health Agency of Canada handout with instructions to quarantine for 14 days.

Before you travel, consult provincial/territorial entry, quarantine and public health requirements.

Screening

We assess all travellers, no matter their country of origin, upon arrival to Canada. Entry screening is one of many important public health tools and part of a multilayered government response strategy.

A border services officer will ask you when you arrive in Canada at an air, land, marine or rail border about the purpose of your visit and whether you are feeling ill or unwell. The border services officer may ask additional questions as part of their assessment.

CBSA officers will look for signs of illness, regardless of how you respond to screening questions. Officers will refer any traveller they suspect is ill for a further medical assessment by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Masks

You must wear non-medical masks or face covering upon arrival in Canada. Masks or face coverings may be provided upon arrival as appropriate.

Contact information

Note for non-commercial travellers

Effective , there is a dedicated lane at the Peace Bridge border crossing (Fort Erie, Ontario) for non-commercial travellers using the ArriveCAN app. To access this lane, download the app and submit your personal contact information up to 48 hours prior to arriving in Canada.

You must provide contact information upon arrival in Canada. A traveller contact information form is available in digital and paper form, or you may use the ArriveCAN mobile app.

The traveller contact information form allows the CBSA to capture your:

  • basic biographical data
  • personal contact information
  • quarantine-based information

All information collected is shared with the Public Health Agency of Canada. The agency then decides when and how to share this information with provincial authorities or law enforcement.

Exception: Asymptomatic travellers entering Canada for non-discretionary (essential) reasons, and who are exempt from the mandatory quarantine requirement, do not need to submit their traveller contact information.

More information

Mandatory quarantine

Foreign national travellers who are permitted to enter Canada must quarantine for 14 days.

Certain travellers are exempt from the requirements to quarantine. This includes those who:

  • cross the border regularly to ensure the continued flow of goods and essential services, or
  • receive or provide other essential services to Canadians

Find about the measures you must follow when returning to Canada, before you travel.

More information

Information for foreign boaters

Unless you are exempt, you cannot currently enter Canadian waters (territorial sea and internal waters) or boundary waters for discretionary (non-essential) reasons. These reasons include:

Consult Entry restrictions for more information.

Transiting boaters

You may still navigate through international or Canadian waters while in transit directly from one place outside Canada to another place outside Canada, if the transit is:

Transiting travellers may only make non-discretionary (essential) stops along the way, including to use facilities, refuel or for essential supplies.

You must follow social distancing practices and wear a non-medical mass or face covering during these stops.

Anchoring

You may stop and anchor out of ordinary navigation, particularly if it becomes dangerous to navigate at night or if the crew must rest before safely continuing your trip.

If you anchor to spend the night, you must quarantine on your boat. If this is not possible, you may quarantine at a hotel until you are ready to resume your trip.

Consult Quarantine requirement for more information.

Reporting requirements

If at any point a transiting vessel lands on Canadian soil, anchors, moors or comes alongside another vessel in Canadian waters, or if anyone onboard disembarks in Canada, the operator must report to the CBSA. All entry restrictions apply.

The CBSA and its law enforcement partners are actively monitoring Canadian waterways. If you fail to report to the CBSA, regardless if your purpose is non-discretionary (essential) such as to refuel, you may face severe penalties. Failure to report may also affect your immigration admissibility and ability to re-enter Canada in the future.

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