COVID-19 and International Travel

Level 1 - Practise health precautions (more details)

Original publication date: March 14, 2020

Updated: May 12, 2025

Current Situation

COVID-19 continues to spread within Canada and around the world. Outbreaks can happen where you’re travelling, and new variants of concern may also emerge.

Before your trip

Talk to a healthcare provider or visit a travel health clinic preferably about 6 weeks before your trip to get personalized health advice. Even if your travel date is coming up soon, it’s still worthwhile to make an appointment.
Discuss:

which pre-travel vaccines or medications may be right for you, including the COVID-19 vaccine
- Vaccination is one of the most important ways to protect yourself from developing serious complications from COVID-19.
- The COVID-19 vaccines used in Canada are very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.
whether your routine vaccinations are up-to-date. Some vaccines require a booster dose
the medications you’re currently taking or planning to bring with you

Don't travel if you're sick with COVID-19-like symptoms.

Review the travel advice and advisories page for your destination. The 'Health' section has information on the health risks at your destination and the steps you can take to reduce those risks.

Travel advice and advisories by destination

Sign up with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service to stay connected with the Government of Canada in case of an emergency abroad or an emergency at home.

Registration of Canadians Abroad

Pack a travel health kit and consider purchasing travel insurance.

Travel health kit
Travel insurance

During your trip

What you do while travelling can affect your chances of getting or spreading COVID-19.

Settings where the risk of getting or spreading COVID-19 is increased include those that are small, crowded, poorly ventilated, and ones where people are visiting for longer periods of time. Examples include:
- large indoor events like concerts, conferences, and sporting events
- indoor bars
- travel in crowded and enclosed and/or poorly ventilated forms of transportation (e.g., a local bus/minibus)
The risk is higher if people are also singing, shouting or beathing heavily (like when exercising) in these settings.

How to reduce your risk of getting or spreading COVID-19

Consider your personal risks and make informed decisions on using personal protective measures to help keep yourself and others safe, including:

limiting contact with others when you’re sick
wearing a well-constructed, well-fitting mask when appropriate (i.e., if you’re sick or in a crowded or closed space like train stations or airports)
improving indoor ventilation when possible (i.e., opening windows or doors if weather permits and if safe to do so)
practising hand hygiene
covering your coughs and sneezes
cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces and objects

Learn more about:

Returning to Canada

Don't travel if you're sick with COVID-19-like symptoms.

If you feel sick while travelling back to Canada, you should:

put on a well-constructed, well-fitting mask, if possible
limit contact with other people, if possible
tell the flight attendant, cruise staff, and/or a border services officer as soon as possible. You may be referred to a quarantine officer for a health assessment and further direction.

If you become sick after you return to Canada, call a healthcare provider and let them know what symptoms you have and which countries you visited.

Learn more:

If you become sick or injured while travelling outside Canada or after your return