On December 31, 2020, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Marc Garneau, under the authority of the Aeronautics Act, is requiring effective January 7, all passengers five years of age or older, be required to test negative for COVID-19 before travelling by air from another country to Canada.
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Below are some notes from the Interim Order Respecting Certain Requirements for Civil Aviation Due to COVID-19, No. 18 for informational purpose.
The test must be taken within 72 hours prior to the traveller’s scheduled departure to Canada. Documentation of a negative laboratory test result must be presented to the airline prior to boarding a flight to Canada. Travellers are still required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering Canada.
There are only a limited number of exceptions where an individual is not required to show proof of a negative test. These are:
- children who are four years of age or younger (i.e., children who are five on the day of their travel must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test);
- aircrew members or a person who seeks to enter Canada only to become such a crew member;
- transiting passengers (not entering Canada through a border port);
- emergency, law enforcement or border personnel;
- specific individuals or groups identified by Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer or the Minister of Health; and
- Individuals or a group of individuals that have been granted an extraordinary exemption from Transport Canada.
The Interim Order contains two lists of countries/territories for which these new requirements have exceptions:
- Schedule 1 of the Interim Order identifies countries for which there is no requirement to demonstrate or validate the PCR or LAMP test at boarding, due to the absence or near absence of testing in those locations. The small number of travellers arriving in Canada without a negative PCR test will be subject to additional measures from federal Quarantine Officers. They will typically have a choice between taking a PCR test upon arrival or being directed to a federal quarantine facility at the point of arrival.
- Schedule 2 lists countries/territories where testing capacity is scarce and for which the 72-hour window is not feasible. For these locations, and only until January 14, additional flexibilities have been incorporated to give travellers an additional 24 hours (up to 96 hours) for the test validity period prior to departure of their flight to Canada.
See the two lists of countries/territories here: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2021/01/covid-19-pre-departure-testing-and-transport-canadas-interim-order.html
Violating any instructions provided when you enter Canada is an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines. Making a false declaration under the Interim Order carries the potential for a fine of up to $5,000 for individuals. If an air carrier suspects that a traveller has provided false or misleading information related to their PCR or LAMP test results, they are required to notify Transport Canada.
Check out the Government of Canada’s website for more up-to-date information, including Questions and Answer: Pre-departure COVID-19 testing and negative results for air travellers coming to Canada – Canada.ca
