Let’s say you want to drive to Haines or Skagway from Anchorage next week. On Monday, the Canadian border is opening up for those wishing to drive, fly, or arrive by water into Canada. But it’s complicated, so if you are not in that special “essential worker” category, it’s best to know before you go.
All travelers must log into the ArriveCan mobile app or online portal and submit their information 72 hours before arriving at the border.
ArriveCAN is available to download as a mobile app or you can create an account and sign in online.
Whether you’re entering Canada by air, land or boat, you will need to submit:
- contact information for you and other people travelling with you, as long as you’re staying at the same quarantine location
- the purpose of your travel (such as exempt travel, work, study, family reunification or compassionate reasons)
- travel details, such as your:
- date of arrival
- port of entry if you’re entering by land or marine vessel or
- flight number, airport and airline if you’re entering by air
- your vaccination information, and upload proof of vaccination if asked (unless entering by marine)
- the trip reference code for your 3-night reservation at a government-authorized hotel (for air travellers only, unless exempt)
- 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).
- your quarantine plan if your travel isn’t exempt from quarantine requirements
For your quarantine plan, questions include:
- whether you have accommodation where you can quarantine for 14 days or possibly longer
- the address of your final quarantine location (the place where you’ll finish your 14-day quarantine)
- 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
- 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
If you do not travel with a smartphone, submit your information within 72 hours before your arrival to Canada by creating an account and signing in online. Have your receipt and take it with you when you travel.
If you are unable to access data on your phone when traveling, submit your information before you leave and take a screenshot or printout of your ArriveCAN receipt to show upon entry into Canada.
If you don’t submit your information through ArriveCAN, you won’t be denied boarding if arriving by air or entry into Canada at a land border
However, you won’t be eligible for the fully vaccinated exemption and may face additional delays at the border for public health questioning.
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 travellers, 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 (including the government-authorized hotel) and
- you have their permission to collect and share this information
If you’re travelling 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.
Exempt travelers must complete their own submission. They can’t be part of a group submission.
If you’re not the traveler, you can submit travel information on behalf of others who may be unable to use ArriveCAN.
You’ll need to fill out ArriveCAN with the traveler’s:
- quarantine address or plan information
- contact and travel information
You’ll then be able to print or email the receipt to the traveler.
The traveler can complete their post-border reporting by calling 1-833-641-0343 each day during their 14-day quarantine. The information they provide when they call must match what you submitted in ArriveCAN on their behalf.
You must send the receipt to the traveler to show to the Canada border services officer upon arrival to Canada. The traveler is responsible for ensuring they’re compliant with the requirements for entry into Canada.
You may be exempt from having to quarantine if you’re entering Canada under certain conditions. This includes if you provide essential services and maintain the flow of essential goods or people. Truckers and government workers are exempt.
If you’re exempt from quarantine, you don’t have to include a quarantine plan through ArriveCAN. However, you must still submit your contact information, travel details, and symptoms you may be experiencing. You don’t need to complete any reporting through ArriveCAN after you enter Canada.
Find out if your travel is exempt.
ArriveCAN won’t confirm your exempt status. An ArriveCAN receipt shows that you’ve successfully provided your information. It doesn’t validate your eligibility to enter Canada or exempt travel status. Your exempt travel status will be determined at the border.
Getting your ArriveCAN receipt
Once you submit your information through ArriveCAN:
- a receipt will be displayed and emailed to you
- show the receipt 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.
The day after you arrive in Canada, all travellers, whether you travel by air, land or marine, must use ArriveCAN to:
- confirm that you’ve arrived at a government-authorized hotel and/or 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 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.
If you’re exempt from having to quarantine, you don’t have to report after you’ve entered.
And in addition to all of that, don’t forget to bring your passport.
