Our southern neighbor is statistically the most popular destination for Canadians (by far), pandemic or not. And many are asking us many questions about how Canadians can travel to the United States. So we’ll help you out—especially since it’s honestly pretty simple now. Very simple… for most Canadians.We have an ultimate guide on how to travel anywhere during the pandemic, as part of our mission to help you travel more for less, but here is a complete guide on how to travel to the USA specifically. Show
COVID-19 travel rules are sometimes complicated… but NOT in the USA. They are extremely simple in the USA… and they really don’t change that often either compared to everywhere else. (By the way, Flytrippers always spots cheap flight deals to the USA on its main page, and there are currently 2 very good Aeroplan welcome bonuses that each give you 5 roundtrip reward flights to the USA — the American Express Cobalt Card, one of the highest currently available in Canada and it’s always the best card overall, or the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card with a record-high new offer since January 4!) So let’s get to the point and look specifically at how Canadians can travel to the United States (you can use this table of contents to go to the sections you want to read, as in all of our guides). Contents hide Overview of how to travel to the United States Definition of “vaccinated” for travel to the USA Proof of vaccination for travel to the USA Rules to travel to the USA based on vaccination status Vaccinated adult travelers: Rules to travel to the USA Unvaccinated adult travelers: Rules to travel to the USA Children: Rules to travel to the USA Rules for transits in the United States Rules for domestic flights in the United States Special travel rules for Hawaii and the territories Potential end date for the remaining requirements Summary
Overview of how to travel to the United StatesI can personally confirm that it’s very simple to travel to the USA as a Canadian: since April 2021, I went there 15 times myself, as recently as a few days ago. First, here is the summary before I give you the details. 
And here is the infographic about their entry rules specifically.
Basically, the United States has a vaccination requirement in place for foreigners only and for adults only. And it’s not enforced very strictly at the land border. Obviously, it should’ve changed a long time ago:
But in keeping with the great logic of “The Science™” since the beginning, the US still has pandemic rules based on vaccination status. The requirement has just been extended until April 10, 2023 theoretically. But that doesn’t guarantee anything, as every previous time, the rule has been extended past its theoretical expiry date. Or they could also lift it before. Sign up for our free newsletter to be the first to know what is announced, whether it’s the extension or the cancelation of the absurd rule. In the meantime, here are all the elements I will detail for you below:
Definition of “vaccinated” for travel to the USAThe definition of “vaccinated” is the same in the USA as it was in Canada (which is obviously not necessarily the case for every other country):
No booster dose is required and there’s no maximum time limit for your doses’ validity.
Proof of vaccination for travel to the USAThe proof required is not exactly the same in the USA as it was for Canada though, as they require the proof of vaccination to be in English (while Canada also accepted French or a certified translation). Your “Canadian” vaccine passport for travel works fine. In practice, they usually accept any proof (like your provincial vaccine passport). If they even check… But it’s so simple and easy to get the right one specifically designed for travel with the name of an actual country on it, so we can only recommend just taking 5 minutes to get the right one.
Rules to travel to the USA based on vaccination statusAs a reminder, if you haven’t read how to travel during the pandemic, there are always the same 2 simple sets of rules for any trip and any destination:
We’ll give you the detailed rules based on your vaccination status. Type of traveler hide Vaccinated adult travelers: Rules to travel to the USA Unvaccinated adult travelers: Rules to travel to the USA Children: Rules to travel to the USA
Vaccinated adult travelers: Rules to travel to the USAHere is how vaccinated Canadians can currently travel to the USA based on those 2 sets of rules you always have to look at.
Set of rules #1
Set of rules #2
Basically, it’s very simple if you’re vaccinated: Enter the USA by land or by air with no requirement (you can then fly anywhere in the country test-free of course). Then there is nothing left to enter Canada. Easy. We recommend joining savvy travelers like me and becoming a NEXUS member, it makes everything infinitely faster: you’ll avoid almost all wait lines for travel in Canada and the USA. Another pro tip that’s so simple but that most people, unfortunately, don’t even know exists.
Unvaccinated adult travelers: Rules to travel to the USAIt’s simple: Unvaccinated Canadians theoretically cannot enter the United States at all since November 8, 2021 (adults at least; minors are entirely exempt, see next section).
Entering the USA by land while unvaccinatedSince many of you keep asking: yes, thousands of unvaccinated Canadians have entered the USA by land for over a year. That’s because most customs agents don’t even ask about your vaccination status. And if they do ask, they only ask if you are vaccinated without asking for proof. They certainly don’t ask often, based on my own experience and the many many testimonials we’ve received. If you happened to go to the USA by land and they didn’t ask anything or if they did ask and you lied and they didn’t ask for proof, you would not need a test, as nobody needs a test by land. You could then fly anywhere in the country test-free of course. You would not need anything to enter Canada upon your return. So, in short, there are 180+ countries where unvaccinated Canadians can travel but the USA is not one of them, at least based on their official rules.
Entering the USA by air while unvaccinatedAs you probably know, Canada lifted the mandatory vaccination requirement to fly from a Canadian airport, a requirement no other country in the world ever had. But the US requires vaccination by air too. And the airlines do check, unlike the land border agents. Although last week, my girlfriend was never asked for her proof of vaccination (and it was her 1st entry into the USA by air since the vaccination requirement was implemented; so it’s not like they had it saved from a previous trip or something). But that was probably an exception more than anything else. The only way to go somewhere in the USA by plane is to enter by land and hope the customs agent doesn’t ask about your vaccination (or lie and hope they don’t ask for proof) and then fly anywhere in the country from a US airport near the border.
Children: Rules to travel to the USAYes, there is one exemption to enter the USA without being vaccinated: Minors (under 18). To explain the travel rules for children, I’ll come back to the 2 simple sets of rules for all trips:
Rules for transits in the United StatesThe rules are exactly the same if you are just connecting in a US airport on your way to one of the many countries open to Canadian travelers. The United States is one of the few countries in the world where sterile international transits simply do not exist. In other words, you always need to follow all the same entry rules even if you just have a layover in the USA (which is far from being the case for connections in other countries). You can read the detailed article about the transits in the United States during COVID-19.
Rules for domestic flights in the United StatesThere are absolutely no requirements for domestic flights in the United States or any flights departing from a US airport per se (it’s been this way since the beginning of the pandemic). This is the case for almost every country in the world too, by the way: tests are almost always only required as part of a country’s ENTRY requirements. Americans would never tolerate any testing or vaccination requirements there (let’s call that cultural differences…) so that’s not going to change. Their thirst for freedom means they were even among the first to get the mask requirement eliminated in mid-April (then in May, many other countries followed the science and have done the same, including most European countries). So to be very clear, since many ask us if a test is required to fly from Buffalo to Miami:
They often have lower airfares too in airports on the other side of the border. Why? Taxes are much lower there, there’s more airline competition, and there are more ultra low-cost carriers specifically. You can read our post about flying out of US airports.
Special travel rules for Hawaii and the territoriesHawaii is a destination that should be avoided at this time if you care even slightly about traveling for less. It’s always expensive, but now it is even more. If not, for a long time, Hawaii was the only one of the 50 states with its own entry rules that were stricter than in the rest of the US, but now that is over (even their special Hawaii Safe Travels form). The above US entry rules obviously always apply. Hawaii’s special rules, when they were in effect, were in addition to the US rules. US territories can also have their own additional rules (for example, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands). So double-check that.
Potential end date for the remaining requirementsSince January 2022, World Health Organization experts have been recommending that ALL restrictions be eliminated for ALL travelers. That’s why 120+ countries around the world have followed the experts’ advice and ended 100% of the requirements. But even though the US has been among the first to lift its requirement for masks on planes (April 18th) and then also eliminated its test requirement (June 12th), there is no pressure from within to remove the vaccination requirement. Because obviously, Americans are exempt from the last rule in place (just like Canadians were always exempt from Canada’s vaccination entry requirement when it existed; but many people always mix all the different rules together), unlike the USA’s mask and test requirements: those did apply to Americans. As Canadian politicians did, in the US too, the vaccination requirement will be lifted as soon as it becomes more politically rewarding for the government to eliminate it than to keep it, not a second before. It’s as simple as that. In theory, the rule now expires on April 10, but let’s hope it’s removed before (or at least it’s not renewed this time). To be continued.
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SummaryIt’s really quite simple to understand the rules that determine how Canadians can travel to the United States. You just need to know how to read — and take the time to do it. What is required to enter the US?You are required to retain a paper or digital copy of your negative test result or documentation of recovery for the entirety of your itinerary to the United States as federal public health officials may request to see these documents when you arrive.
What is needed to cross the US border from Canada?CBP will accept: Canadian passport. Enhanced Driver's License/Enhanced Identification Card. NEXUS, FAST/EXPRES.
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Entering the us from canada by air
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