Canada opens the border for U.S. travelers today, here’s how to use ArriveCAN

All travelers, with limited exceptions, whether entering Canada by air, land or marine vessel, must use ArriveCAN. You’ll need to submit your information within 72 hours before your arrival to Canada. If you’re entering by air or land, you must use ArriveCAN before entering Canada. If you’re traveling by marine vessel, you must use ArriveCAN before or upon entering Canada; this is to accommodate for Wi-Fi issues on the water. ArriveCAN is available to download as a mobile app or you can create an account and sign in online.

If there is no data on your phone while traveling, submit your information before you leave and take a screenshot or printout of your ArriveCAN receipt to show upon entry into Canada.

As of August 9, fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents residing in and traveling from the U.S. and French citizens residing in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon can enter Canada for discretionary purposes. To qualify, you must:

• select the following as your purpose of travel in ArriveCAN:
  • U.S. citizens and permanent residents residing in the U.S. and citizens of France residing in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon traveling for discretionary/optional travel
• enter the details of your COVID-19 vaccine(s) and upload proof
• complete your submission and get an ArriveCAN receipt
  • You will only get a receipt if all travelers over the age of 12 have received the full dosage of a vaccine or combination of vaccines accepted by Health Canada at least 14 days prior to entry and each traveller has uploaded proof of their vaccination
• show your receipt to the air carrier in order to board your flight and to the border services officer upon entry.

If you are traveling with others for discretionary purposes, including unvaccinated children and dependent adults:

• include children under 12 in your ArriveCAN submission. You will be asked about their vaccination status; however, as long as all other travelers in the submission are fully vaccinated, ArriveCAN will issue a receipt that is required for travel
• don’t include unvaccinated dependent children aged 12-17 or unvaccinated dependent adults in your ArriveCAN submission. You will provide their information before boarding your flight or upon entry to Canada
• don’t include travelers who have a medical condition that is a contraindication that prevents them from completing a COVID-19 vaccine dosage regimen in your ArriveCAN submission. They will provide their information upon entry to Canada
• Don’t include other travelers who are entering Canada for other purposes of travel or who are not fully vaccinated (unless they are less than 12 years old). For example,
  • if you are a US citizen entering Canada for discretionary purposes and traveling with another person who is a Canadian citizen, you should complete individual submissions
  • if you are traveling with a group of adult US citizens or permanent residents with mixed vaccination statuses, do not include unvaccinated travelers in your submission; you will not be issued an ArriveCAN receipt as unvaccinated US citizens or permanent residents are not eligible to enter Canada for discretionary travel

Whether you’re entering Canada by air, land or marine vessel, submit:

• required contact information for you and other people traveling with you
• the purpose of your travel (such as exempt essential travel (cross-border work, essential services, medical support or trade and transport); Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person registered under the Indian Act returning to Canada; US citizen or permanent resident or French citizen of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon entering for discretionary travel; foreign work, study, family reunification or compassionate reasons)
• travel details, such as your:
  • date and time of arrival
  • port of entry if you’re entering by land or marine vessel or
  • flight number, airport and airline for the flight that will bring you into Canada if you’re entering by air
    • Don’t include information about legs of your journey before you enter Canada or connecting flights within Canada.
• your vaccination information, and proof of vaccination if you are seeking the fully vaccinated exemption
• information about your pre-entry COVID-19 test and confirm that you understand the testing requirements
• information about the countries you stayed in or visited in the 14 days prior to your arrival in Canada (don’t include countries where you had a connection stop along the journey from one destination to another).

For your quarantine plan, questions include:

• whether you have accommodation where you can quarantine for 14 days or possibly longer
• the address of your quarantine location (the place where you’ll quarantine for 14 days)
  • If you are arriving by marine vessel, include the address where the vessel will be moored.
  • If you are fully vaccinated and seeking the fully vaccinated exemption, include the location where you will be for the most time in the 14 days after entry
• whether you can avoid all contact with other people who didn’t travel with you while in your place of quarantine
• whether you’ll have access to basic necessities of life, including water, food, medication and heat, without leaving quarantine
• if there are people at increased risk from COVID-19 at that place who:
  • are 65 years or older (unless you are fully vaccinated)
  • have underlying medical conditions
• have compromised immune systems
• if there are any people at that place who work or assist in a facility, home or workplace that includes people at increased risk from COVID-19
• whether it’s a group living environment or houses multiple families, such as:
  • group residence
  • care facilities
  • living with roommates you can’t avoid who didn’t travel with you

Getting your ArriveCAN receipt

Once you submit your information through ArriveCAN:

• a receipt will be displayed and emailed to you
• show the receipt to your airline carrier, if flying and to a Canadian border services officer when you enter
• you can show your ArriveCAN receipt from:
  • the app
  • a screenshot
  • your email
  • a printout

The ArriveCAN mobile app saves your contact information (name, date of birth and travel document information) for travel at a later date.

If your travel details change before you enter Canada

If you’ve already submitted your information and have an ArriveCAN receipt, start over in ArriveCAN. ArriveCAN will clear your previous information.

After you’ve entered Canada:

If you qualified for the fully vaccinated exemption

You may receive notifications from ArriveCAN asking you to complete your reporting; however, you won’t be required to complete daily symptom reporting and you may ignore these notifications. Follow the instructions of the border services officer upon entry, including the paper handout you were provided.

If you didn’t qualify for the fully vaccinated exemption

The day after you arrive in Canada, all travelers, whether you travel by air, land or marine, must use ArriveCAN to:

• confirm that you’ve arrived at the address you provided for your quarantine or isolation location
• complete daily COVID-19 symptom self-assessments until the completion of your quarantine period or until you report symptoms

Government of Canada officials will call you to ensure that you’re complying with your mandatory quarantine or isolation. You must answer calls from 1-888-336-7735 and answer all questions truthfully to demonstrate your compliance with the law. You may also receive a visit from a designated screening officer to confirm your compliance with the quarantine or isolation order.

If the provincial or territorial quarantine requirements in your area conflict with the federal quarantine requirements, please follow the directions that are more strict.

If you’re directed to a designated quarantine facility, you won’t have to report through ArriveCAN. However, you’ll be subject to reporting requirements at the facility.

Download the ArriveCAN mobile app

To download and install the mobile app, you’ll need to have one of the following:

• an Apple device running iOS 12 or above
• an Android device running OS 6 or above

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

Sign in or create an account with ArriveCAN online here

Additional Tips:

No computer or smartphone

You can sign in online on any computing device, like those found in Internet cafés or libraries.

If you don’t submit your information through ArriveCAN, you:

• may be denied boarding if arriving by air and may be denied entry into Canada if crossing at a land or marine border crossing (if you are a US citizen or permanent resident residing in and traveling from the US or French citizen residing in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon traveling for discretionary purposes)

Canadian citizens, permanent residents or persons registered under the Indian Act and foreign nationals eligible to enter Canada under another entry exemption (such as foreign work, study, compassionate grounds) will not be denied boarding or entry, but you:

• won’t be eligible for the fully vaccinated exemption
• may face additional delays at the border for public health questioning
• may be subject to fines or enforcement action

Transiting through to another country

Travelers who are transiting through Canada to another country (and aren’t leaving the secure area at the airport) don’t need to submit their information through ArriveCAN.

Using ArriveCAN for someone else

If you’re traveling with others, you can include multiple travelers in your ArriveCAN submission.

As the primary traveler, you may provide travel information for yourself and for:

• your spouse or common law partner
• your children (or children for whom you have legal guardianship), aged 18 years or younger
• any other adult for whom you’re a legal guardian

You can provide information for up to 8 travelers, including yourself, in a single submission. Use this when:

• you’ll all stay together at the same address for the entire quarantine or isolation period and
• you have their permission to collect and share this information

If you’re traveling with a child whose only documentation is a birth certificate, you don’t need to submit their information in ArriveCAN. You’ll be provided with an alternative option at the Canadian border.

Essential travelers must complete their own submission. They can’t be part of a group submission.