You are currently viewing Here are the entry rules for the 211 countries/territories Canadians can travel to

Canadians have never had so many options to travel test-free. So Flytrippers is sharing the updated list of 211 countries and territories Canadians are allowed to travel to. For “fully vaccinated” Canadians, 201 countries are open with NO entry test requirement. For unvaccinated Canadians, 141 countries are open with NO entry test requirement and traveling is now much easier since Canada’s vaccine requirement to board a plane has been lifted on June 20th.

We’ll soon have a very useful resource page to answer all of your questions about pandemic travel.

SIGN UP for our free newsletter to get it first (well, with the 90,000+ savvy Canadian travelers already subscribed) and to also get the updates to this guide of each country’s rules… and plenty of pro tricks to travel more!

⚠️ And as much as I’d love to just give you the list of countries right away…

First, there are VERY IMPORTANT disclaimers to keep in mind, because Flytrippers takes its responsibility as the resource for Canadian travelers very seriously.

Please read them.

 

Important warnings to read

Here are the 16 major ones:
  • To be considered fully vaccinated, some countries now require a booster shot (or a recent dose)
  • Every country’s rules can change at any time (always double-check and be flexible & easygoing)
  • Only one official source exists (IATA) and it’s the same for every country (the link is at the end for each country)
  • Many countries also require filling out some type of form (it’s not very restrictive… but it’s mandatory)
  • We split the countries based on the main rules (antigen tests, PCR tests, quarantines, and complete closures)
  • The map of countries is simplified for more clarity (always read the details for the country below)
  • The finer details about each rule are completely different from one country to another (read)
  • There are 2 separate lists (one for fully vaccinated Canadians and one for unvaccinated Canadians)
  • Restrictions are being eliminated at crazy speed so more should keep being lifted (we’ll update regularly)
  • These are the rules to enter by air (land border rules can be more strict… or less strict)
  • Check rules for transit countries too (and some may allow transits even if entry is not allowed)
  • Rules can be different if you’ve been in countries other than Canada (more strict… or less strict)
  • We focus only on the rules for leisure travel (there are often exemptions for other specific cases)
  • We had to exclude edge cases like rules for those who were recently infected (check individually)
  • This guide only covers entry rules for your destination (check Canada’s entry rules as well; they’re simple)
  • There are still a few restrictions and requirements for travel to some Canadian territories (see the separate guide soon)

I’ve added more details about each one of those points below the list of countries if you want to learn more.

By the way, absolutely everything you need to know will be in our upcoming ultimate guide to pandemic travel, with tens of tips (like how to get tested, travel insurance, and more) from our own many pandemic travel experiences these past years. Because Flytrippers’ mission is to help you travel more for less.

But now… let’s look at the list of countries Canadians can travel to!

Here is the summary in an infographic first.

See full-size infographic

 

And here is a useful map to highlight the 201 that don’t require a test to enter, the least restrictive countries in the world.

See full-size map

 

Keep reading for all the details — and also the 3 other countries that require only a rapid antigen test available for as low as $17 in some provinces and at most $25 anywhere in Canada (virtually) for countries that accept tests performed in telehealth mode. That’s also not very restrictive and gives you even more destination options.

 

Choosing the right list based on your situation

Choose the right list for you:

 

List of countries fully vaccinated Canadians can visit

 

You can see the full-sized map.

 

 

 

List of countries Canadians can visit without being fully vaccinated

 

You can see the full-sized map.

 

Warning: Keep in mind that Canada still has entry rules even though it has stopped being one of the only countries in the world to ban unvaccinated travelers from boarding flights departing from Canadian airports.

 

 

More details about each warning

Here is everything you need to know to be a pro about which countries Canadians can travel to.

 

Rules change all the time

We cannot stress this enough: rules change all the time. Constantly. So many people keep asking us what rules would be for their trips in the summer… No one can know what the rules will be next week, much less next month (and beyond).

What is true today might not be tomorrow, but thankfully now most countries are loosening restrictions, not the other way around. But that doesn’t mean they can’t add restrictions, and some could still be doing that.

So double-check the rules with the link provided and do as much research as you can about the country’s situation and its history of changing travel rules.

It’s always been savvy to be easygoing to make travel more enjoyable, but now it’s even more important. And it’s always been important to be flexible to make travel more affordable, but now it’s even more important.

 

Reopenings are just getting started

While many countries have been open for months, more and more are announcing reopening plans and plans to remove ALL restrictions. So even if there is a lot of red on that map today, don’t worry: Every week that goes by will offer more and more options for Canadian travelers.

Again, it won’t take months for the map to change significantly: It’s happening now. We will update the map as frequently as we can, but it’s a costly endeavor given the time investment required, so please feel free to click on the link to let us know if you see that a country’s rules have changed.

 

Simplified map

Don’t just look at the color on the map, you absolutely have to read the details. Some countries require a test done in the 1 full calendar day before, others only give you 24 hours (not the same thing), and others only give you 48 or 72 hours…

We didn’t want 12 different colors that would have made the map unreadable, so it’s simplified. It makes it easier to see the important rules at a glance, but always check the finer details.

Read the list below the map (as mentioned, if you are not on a mobile device, you can also hover your mouse over a country on the map for some details to appear).

 

Finer details

There are ≈ 200 countries and territories, and there are probably ≈ 100 different combinations of restrictions and rules. As I just said in the previous point, just the testing requirements can vary wildly, never assume anything about the rules unless you really checked it.

So it’s worth repeating this, as many are still have trouble with this complex subject even after nearly 2 years: Each country has its own rules. There is absolutely nothing standardized. Nothing. And it’s going to stay that way too!

You need to read the details carefully, there’s just no way around it.

 

Entry by air

These are the rules to enter a country by air. Land border rules are often completely different, so if you want to know these, you’ll have to use your Googling skills (which are always handy for a traveler anyway).

The rules can be less strict for land borders… but they can also be more strict. Again, it really depends. The most well-known example is obviously the USA, which requires no test by land… but requires a test by air.

In the European Schengen area, there are countries where you can’t enter by plane… but by first flying to a country where you are allowed to enter, you can then make your way overland to the theoretically closed country (or even by air on a separate ticket).

Even worse: I was in Kyrgyzstan in May and the country was opened to Canadians by air, but while one of its land border crossings with Uzbekistan was open, only certain nationalities were allowed to enter there—and Canadians were not on that list…

It depends! Like everything else! You have to read.

 

Transit rules

Even if the country you are going to is open, you also have to check the rules in the country where you would transit in, if any. Some allow transits completely (even if you are not allowed to enter)… others don’t even let you transit.

Some only allow airside sterile transits (no leaving the international area of the airport) while others allow all transits. Some require the booking to be on the same ticket…

Others have the same requirements for transits as they do for entry (testing for example) and others will not require testing for those who are just transiting… Again, every country is different.

And just to be very clear, just because flights are operating between countries does not mean you are allowed to transit (or enter) either. Flights from Montréal-Paris never stopped during the entire pandemic… yet from March 2020 to September 2021, French citizens couldn’t enter Canada and for most of that time, Canadian citizens couldn’t enter France either.

Available flights and entry restrictions are completely unrelated.

 

Where you have been

While a majority of countries don’t have complex origin-based rules, some do: the rules can be different based on where you have been in recent weeks.

We’ve marked the main ones, namely when you are barred from entering if you’ve been in certain countries in the 14 previous days.

The most common issue is if you’ve been in the few countries that are considered the top coronavirus hotspots, but some countries have much broader restrictions.

But others are also less strict instead of more strict based on where you have been. For example, some European countries don’t allow you to fly in directly from Canada… but will let you if you fly in from another country, even after just a layover.

 

Leisure travel

Obviously, almost every single country has exemptions for essential travel and the definition of essential varies with every single country. Work, family, studies… those are cases where you might be allowed in even if Canadians cannot enter for leisure.

These rules are for leisure travel only, since we are the reference for Canadian travelers and those traveling for leisure outnumber others on our site by a huge margin.

It would also be simply unfeasible to include all exemptions for all countries, so check them out yourself: if you’re traveling for essential reasons, you almost certainly only have one country on your list so it is pretty simple to check with the link we provide.

 

Edge cases

For simplicity, we just could not include edge cases like for those who were infected recently; our apologies. Some countries may allow special exemptions regarding testing and quarantine for those with recent infections, please check individually.

Every country’s rule for unvaccinated children will also vary, like every country’s definition of what is considered fully vaccinated can also vary (combination with proven infection, timing after dose, timing between dose, type of vaccine).

 

Deciding to travel or not

Finally, we’ve said this countless times since the summer of 2020 but it’s worth repeating. There are still some risks involved with pandemic travel, even if statistically you might be very unlikely to be hit hard by the coronavirus, not to mention that factually most countries have always had lower infection rates than Canada so you’re odds of being infected are likely lower elsewhere (especially if you take all the same precautions as here).

Financial risks, logistical risks… every traveler should consider all factors carefully based on their own personal situation.

As mentioned, you can download our free checklist for pandemic travel to do so. And you’ll automatically be the first to get the updated version, along with our upcoming ultimate guide to pandemic travel and so much more content to help Canadians travel for less.

 

Want to get all coronavirus updates for Canadian travelers?

Sign up for our free newsletter

 

Summary

This is the current list of countries and territories Canadians can travel to, one that will obviously grow longer with every week that goes by.

What else would you like to know about pandemic travel? Tell us in the comments below.

 

See the deals we spot: Cheap flights

Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration

Learn pro tricks: Travel tips

Discover free travel: Travel rewards

 

Featured image: Map of every country’s entry rules (photo credit: Flytrippers)

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Andrew D'Amours

Andrew is the co-founder of Flytrippers. He is passionate about traveling the world but also, as a former management consultant, about the travel industry itself. He shares his experiences to help you save money on travel. As a very cost-conscious traveler, he loves finding deals and getting free travel thanks to travel rewards points... to help him visit every country in the world (current count: 71/193 Countries, 47/50 US States & 9/10 Canadian Provinces).

This Post Has 20 Comments

  1. b

    Hello, have the rules changed for unvaccinated travellers to the US? I have a transfer there.

      1. Royce

        Hi Andrew we just found your blog and have to commend you on a nice job! We’re planning a trip to Palm Springs this/next year however the only downer is the vaccination as we are (both Canadians) unvaccinated and will never get vaccinated or take a sneaky PCR test. In your post you say, “That said, the US will remove its requirement soon”. As this post was written in August 17, 2022 do you mind sharing where you have seen this because we have contacted CDC and every other agency we can think of (even the White House) for any of when the U.S. will lift the travel restriction for unvaccinated visitors. Keep up the good work!

  2. Cann

    Hi Andrew
    Above you say no vacc. requirement to fly to U.S.
    How about in a bus or car?
    SEA is cheaper to fly to S. America than getting a plane in YVR right?
    Thanks a lot.

    1. Andrew D'Amours

      There is most definitely a vaccination requirement to enter the USA (and has been for a while), are you sure it says no vaccination somewhere (if so let us know where so we can fix it)?

  3. Oliver

    You are a true hero putting this list together.

    Thank you

  4. Jen

    My nephew is flying to UK from YVR via San Francisco (connecting there) then to Heathrow on Saturday April 9. Does he need an antigen test to fly through San Fran? Where does he get it done in Lower Mainland and when?

    1. Andrew D'Amours

      Yes everyone over the age of 2 flying to the US needs a test done the day of the flight or the full calendar day before, regardless of the time of the flight or test. Details here: https://flytrippers.com/how-canadians-travel-united-states/

      As for where to do it, we haven’t quite gotten around to listing all spots for tests in all provinces (coming soon) but the simplest way is that you can do a virtual one if you already have the home tests (or Google “antigen tests Vancouver” for all your options). Details here: https://flytrippers.com/self-administered-test-virtual-enter-canada/

  5. Catherine

    The article seems to have disappeared… I can only see your bio and other links.

    1. Andrew D'Amours

      Hi, yeah sorry, there seems to be an issue for some readers for some reason. Could you try Ctrl+F5 and tell us if that still doesn’t work, and if so, what browser you are using so we can find a fix. Thanks 🙂

  6. Leon

    Hey Andrew, wanted to keep you updated for UK’s test on arrival – Now they’re open for rapid antigen test as well and the cost is about $20-25 GBP that the lab ships to your address (perhaps hotel) so you can do it and upload the photo yourself and get result within 24 hours. It would be way cheaper than the PCR test for sure. 🙂

  7. Doug

    Can you address the possibility of a vaccinated Canadian going to e.g. Spain, which is allowed, and then proceeding to e.g. Switzerland, which is not allowed but might work if coming from a Schengen country? e.g. by spending 10 days in Spain first?

    1. Andrew D'Amours

      Hi, sorry for the delayed response.
      This trick is definitely possible in many countries, but it’s on a country-by-country basis. You’d have to read carefully on the IATA website for both destinations and make sure it’s allowed (assuming you fly between both countries) as this type of edge case rules will be very specific to each country unfortunately :S

  8. Andree Ferland

    Hello,
    When it say fully vaccinated does one person who had covid and one dose of vaccin is egual?

    1. Andrew D'Amours

      It really depends on each country unfortunately, but yes in many cases they consider that valid (but not always).

    2. J’Neene Coghlan

      Hello,
      Thank you for providing this valuable information in a simplified format.

      As the US did not utilize the Astra Zeneca vaccine we are hearing that Canadians who were fully vaccinated with this brand cannot fly to the US. Do you have any information on this specific circumstance?

      1. Andrew D'Amours

        This is not true, the US has no vaccination requirement whatsoever to fly there. Just a pre-entry antigen test:)

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