Crossing the US-Canada Land Border: Quarantine Exemption for Family Members of Canadians

Disclaimer: Immigration’s rules and procedures are changing constantly. Information included in this article is current as of July 27, 2021.

As of July 5, 2021 fully vaccinated family members of Canadians may be exempted from undergoing a
14-day quarantine and a Day-8 COVID 19 test. There are, however, no guarantees that a quarantine
exemption will be granted; Canadian border officers will ultimately decide whether the exemption will
be granted.

A. Who qualifies as a family member?

Immediate and extended family members of Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents and
persons registered under the Indian Act may qualify for the exemption.Immediate family members are:

Immediate family members are:

• legally married spouse;
• common-law partner (if a foreign national has been living with a Canadian in a conjugal relationship for at least one year);
• dependent children, including step-children;
• dependent grandchildren;
• parents and step-parents, including in-laws and
• guardians or tutor.

Extended family members are:

• foreign nationals who are in an exclusive dating relationship with a Canadian for at least one year and who have spent some time in the physical presence of the Canadian (for example: fiancé(e)s, boyfriends, girlfriends or committed romantic partners);
• dependent children of the foreign national who is in an exclusive dating relationship with the Canadian;
• non-dependent children (adult children);
• grandchildren (dependent children of non-dependent adult children);
• siblings, half-siblings or step-siblings and
• grandparents.

B. How to qualify for the quarantine exemption?

To qualify for the quarantine exemption, foreign nationals need to

1. Plan to stay in Canada for 15 days at least.

2. Get a written authorization if the foreign national falls in the extended member category.

3. Have a quarantine plan.

4. Prove that their family member in Canada is Canadian (a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a person registered under the Indian Act).

5. Prove their relationship with the Canadian family member.

6. Show that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to their arrival at the land border crossing. The vaccination record must show:

• the name of the person who received the vaccine;
• the name of the government or the name and civic address of the non-governmental entity that administered the vaccine;
• doses received;
• the brand name or any other information that identifies the vaccine that was administered; and
• the dates on which the vaccine was administered.

If the vaccination record is not in English or French, it must be translated by a certified
translator.

Only foreign nationals who received the following approved vaccines may seek the quarantine
exemption:

• Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2);
• Moderna (mRNA-1273);
• AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222) and
• Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S).

7. Show a negative COVID-19 test that was taken 72 hours prior to the arrival at the land border
crossing.

• This is a list of accepted COVID-19 tests:
  • PCR – Polymerase chain reaction;
  • RT-PCR – reverse transcription real time PCR;
  • Quantitative PCR (qPCR);
  • Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs);
  • Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP);
  • Isothermal amplification;
  • Droplet digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR);
  • Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA);
  • RNA (Ribonucleic acid);
  • Ct (cycle threshold);
  • CRISPR;
  • Sequencing;
  • Next generational sequencing (NGS) or whole genome sequencing (WGS);
  • Oxford Nanopore sequencing (LamPORE);
  • Detection of the N gene;
  • Detection of Orf1a/b;
  • Detection of the S gene;
  • Detection of the E gene and
  • Detection of the RdRp gene.

• The negative COVID-19 test must show:
  • traveller’s name and date of birth;
  • name and civic address of the laboratory/clinic/facility that administered the test;
  • the date on which the test was conducted;
  • the type of test conducted and
  • the test result.

8. Get tested at the border or upon entry into Canada. Some land border crossings do not offer on-
site testing, in which case the foreign national will have to undergo testing shortly upon entry.
The foreign national may still be required to quarantine until they have received their test
results.

9. Submit all relevant information and documents in ArriveCAN app before arrival at the border.
Please follow the links below to download the current version of the app:

• for iPhone users: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/arrivecan/id1505394667
• for Android users: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.gc.cbsa.coronavirus

10. Not to show COVID-19 symptoms, such as:

• new or worsening cough;
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing;
• temperature equal to or over 38°C;
• feeling feverish;
• chills;
• fatigue or weakness;
• muscle or body aches;
• new loss of smell or taste;
• headache;
• gastrointestinal symptoms (abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting);
• feeling very unwell