As of 1 October 2022, all measures related to COVID-19 have been lifted for travel to Canada. From that date, international travellers to Canada no longer have to show proof of vaccination or testing. However, an eTA Canada is still required for a holiday or business trip to the North American country.
Can I travel to Canada?
The British government considers Canada to be a safe country to travel to. At present, it is permitted for both vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers to travel to Canada again, regardless of age. Furthermore, travellers are not required to be tested for COVID-19 before departure or after arrival.
If you want to travel to Canada in 2024, you can start planning your trip right away, as there are no longer any Covid-19 measures in place for travel to Canada. In this case, you can also immediately apply for an eTA Canada for your trip. Even if you do not yet know when you want to travel to Canada, you can already submit an eTA application. The validity period of the eTA is 5 years, giving you enough time to plan a trip to Canada after receiving the eTA.
The last measures related to COVID-19 in Canada have been lifted.
The course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
Like most other countries, Canada was also struggling with the pandemic that was caused by the coronavirus early 2020. From the start, strict measures were taken to control the spread of COVID-19. Schools, non-essential stores and other public institutions were closed. The borders were immediately closed for foreigners, allowing entry into the country only in exceptional cases.
In December 2020, the first COVID-19 vaccinations were administered and in September 2021 over 80% of the population was fully vaccinated. Partly due to the successful course of the vaccination campaign, in the fall of 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic was deemed less serious than was previously expected by many experts. Even though more people got infected with the Delta and Omicron variants than from earlier variants of COVID-19, the public health consequences appeared to be less severe.
Gradual relaxation of travel restrictions in Canada
In January 2021, it was announced that travel to Canada would be possible again for everyone. Back then, there were still strict measures that had to be followed, like taking a PCR-test before departure and after arrival. Furthermore, travellers had to be quarantined for two weeks after arrival.
From November 2021, it was announced that it was required to show a vaccination certificate in addition to a test certificate to be able to travel to Canada. Over time, the travel restrictions related to COVID-19 were relaxed gradually. In April 2022, the requirement for fully vaccinated travellers to take a COVID-19 test before departure was lifted. In September 2022 it was finally announced that from 1 October, all measures related to COVID-19 would be lifted for inbound travellers, regardless of their vaccination status. The requirement to apply for an eTA or a visa before departure is still in force.
All COVID-19 related travel restrictions lifted
If you want to travel to Canada in 2024, you will not have to show proof of vaccination or testing. You can also no longer be selected for a random COVID-19 test after arrival in Canada. The ArriveCAN app still exists, but international travellers are no longer required to use it.
Apply for your eTA Canada
Despite the relaxations of the COVID-19 related measures in Canada, it is still required to apply for an eTA Canada. Everyone who travels to Canada with an eTA has to meet the eTA Canada requirements. Keep in mind the validity of the eTA, so you know exactly when and how long you can stay in Canada.
Apply for an eTA Canada now
Only transiting in Canada
Do you want to travel to the United States through Canada? For a long time, this was impossible because of the American travel restrictions related to COVID-19. The border is open again. You can read on the COVID-19 page of the US which measures are still in force.
Returning home
Are you travelling back to the UK from Canada? It is no longer required to complete a health declaration form. The testing requirement has also been lifted and you no longer have to be quarantined upon arriving back in the UK. You can travel back to the UK without any problems.
Are you travelling back to Ireland from Canada? Ireland likewise dropped all COVID-19 related rules for international travellers entering the country.
Disclaimer: the effects of COVID-19 are sometimes difficult to predict, in which case measures can change regularly. Therefore, it is not possible to guarantee that the information from this article is always complete and up to date. However, this page is regularly updated about travel with an eTA Canada, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
e-Visa.ie is a commercial and professional visa agency, and supports travellers in obtaining, among others, the eTA Canada. e-Visa.ie acts as an intermediary and is in no way part of any government. You can also apply for an eTA directly with the immigration service (7 CAD per eTA, via onlineservices-servicesenligne.cic.gc.ca). However, not with our level of support. If you submit your application via e-Visa.ie, our support centre is available to you 24/7. We also check your application before submitting it to the immigration authorities on your behalf. If we suspect any errors or omissions while doing so, we will personally contact you to ensure that your application can still be processed quickly and correctly. To use our services, you pay us 7 CAD in consular fees, which we pay to the immigration service on your behalf, as well as € 25,17 in service fees as compensation for our services, including VAT. Our services have saved many travellers from major problems during their trip. Should an application be rejected despite our support and verification, we will refund the full purchase price (unless an application for a previous eTA Canada was rejected for the same traveller). Read more about our services here.