Visiting Canada from Europe, with weekend trip to the US – will we need testing when going back to Canada?
We are two Europeans (EU/Schengen area) visiting Canada for two weeks (Nov 21st - Dec 06th). We are fully vaccinated.
To visit Canada, we have to take a PCR Covid-19 test before boarding the plane from here in Europe. Now, when in Canada, we’d like to take a weekend trip to the US (by land). If I got it right, from November 8th onwards, we’ll be able to enter the US without any testing, since we are vaccinated. Now I’m wondering if getting back to Canada after that short trip will be just as easy. Will we need another PCR test to re-enter Canada after being in the US for a short amount of time? Even if it were just a day or a few hours? Or are the rules any different if you’re coming from the US rather than Europe, or are there any exemptions for short stays that you are aware of?
Thank you!
Best Answer
There are no exemptions for short stays. Since the tests can be hard to get quickly in the US, Canadians going for trips of less than 72 hours get a test in Canada before leaving and use that test when returning to Canada. However, visitors can't do that.
Here is a CBC article about how people would like there to be exemptions for short trips or for people who are fully vaccinated, but it's not happening at the moment.
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