Going to Canada from the US during Covid?
I’ve never driven to a foreign country before so going through customs in a car is going to be something new to me. I also haven’t been to a foreign country since the pandemic started and I knew there would be some additional things to consider. Here’s what I have learned.
First of all, things are constantly changing so check with the source, The Canadian Government keeps a travel page very up to date. In fact, just today, February 15th, 2022, some restrictions for entering the country have been eased. Of course, the easiest thing for you to do is to get vaccinated prior to crossing the border, otherwise you will be required to take a covid test upon your arrival and will be required to quarantine.
If you are vaccinated, you may still be asked to take a covid test upon arrival but they are now selecting people at random and you are not required to quarantine while awaiting the results. If you are selected, you would be given a self-test which will have instructions for you to complete upon arrival at your destination.
How do they know you’re vaccinated? The Canadian government has set up a free system called ArriveCAN, which you will need to upload a number of documents to prior to your arrival. This is mandatory and will greatly speed up the process crossing the border. You can access this system on any computer OR they even have a free app! You will have to upload the passports and traveler information of everyone in your party along with vaccination proof. They say that once this is done, you can use your smartphone to show the border officers the ArriveCAN acceptance, but really, just print it out on paper. There isn’t wifi at the border crossings and it would suck if your battery died.
Whether you’re vaccinated or not, they still want to see a negative test result. This test has to be taken within 72 hours before your arrival. This can be tricky because the results of a covid test can take up to 72 hours to come back. I’m taking my test first thing Wednesday morning with my planned arrival sometime Friday evening, I feel this is the best window I can give myself. They won’t accept a home self-test so you’ll have to go to a clinic or a doctor and get an official test result. Upload this to ArriveCAN as well. When this is all done, ArriveCAN will display and email you a receipt with an (A), (V) or (I) next to your name. If you don’t have one of these letters on the receipt, you’ve done something wrong and you will be denied entry into Canada so go back and see what you missed.
Like I said, you can use your phone to show the border agents all of this. But I highly recommend having a paper backup just in case.
Checklist of what you need to have ready at the border
To enter or return to Canada as a fully vaccinated traveller, you must follow all of these requirements. Have the following items with you for assessment by a government official at the border (land border crossings do not provide WiFi for travelers):
[ ] pre-entry test results
[ ] ArriveCAN receipt with letter I or, V, or A beside the vaccinated traveler’s name
[ ] proof of vaccination that was uploaded into ArriveCAN (original or paper copy)
[ ] have a quarantine plan in case of positive results
[ ] travel document entered in ArriveCAN (e.g. passport)
[ ] Air travelers: register in advance for arrival testing
Going through customs by car can take up to four hours, according to Wikipedia. But you can check the current wait time on Canada's own website. I've been watching for a week now and the most I've seen is 20 minutes, but it usually says less than 5. I'm sure there are peak times, probably Friday evenings when I'll be crossing, because that's just my luck.
On a side note, just because marijuana is legal in Washington State and in Canada doesn’t mean it’s legal to cross the US border. Don’t try it. You might get away with it on the way there but coming back the US border patrol would probably just shoot you in the face.
