Do vaccinated Canadians still have to take a pre-entry COVID test?
We want to go to Florida to check on our place as we didn’t go last winter. I’m fully vaccinated, do I still have to get tested to go to the U.S. and to come back to Canada?
Last Updated: August 5, 2021
The short answer is yes. Here are the rules for both countries:
Flying to the U.S.:
All air travellers 2 years of age or older arriving in the United States are required to present a negative COVID test taken within 3 days of the flight departure. The test must be a SARS-CoV-2 viral test (nucleic acid amplification test [NAAT] or antigen test) with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Full details about U.S. pre-entry COVID testing requirements are available on the CDC website here.
At this time, Canadians are still not allowed to travel to the U.S. by land for non-essential travel, as the United States has extended its land border closure until at least August 21st, 2021.
Returning to Canada:
Effective August 9, 2021, all Canadians returning to Canada by air or land must provide a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of their flight departure time or when they arrive at the land border, depending on their mode of travel.
Fully vaccinated Canadians no longer need to quarantine but may be subject to random testing on arrival.
Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Canadians arriving in Canada must be tested on arrival or take home a test kit and be tested again on Day 8. They must also quarantine for 14 days – however, a hotel quarantine is no longer required.
All travellers must provide a quarantine plan and other pre-arrival information through the ArriveCAN app or website before arriving in Canada.
Full details about Canadian pre-entry COVID testing are available on the Government of Canada website here.
