Vaccination, testing, and quarantine requirements for entering Canada

Air and land travellers must submit their information electronically through ArriveCAN within 72 hours before coming into Canada.

ArriveCAN is available as a mobile app (iOS and Android) as well as online. (The site is supported by all recent versions of browsers other than Internet Explorer.) Before you travel, you must submit your travel and contact information, your quarantine plan (address where you are quarantining, whether vulnerable individuals will be at that same location, etc.), as well as a COVID-19 symptom self-assessment.

When you arrive in Canada, you must show your ArriveCAN receipt to the border services officer (an ArriveCAN confirmation receipt, or take a screenshot or print your confirmation if you sign in online). Please note that as of April 25, 2022, quarantine plans will no longer be required for fully vaccinated travellers.

The final decision about your vaccination status will be made at the border. You must have a digital or printed copy of your proof of vaccination with you. It should include:

• Details about your first dose (date, country, and vaccine that you received)
• Details about your second dose if it was required
• A photo of or PDF document of your vaccine records, such as the vaccine provider’s receipts or confirmation. Documents must be in English or French. A certified English or French translation with the original documents is acceptable.

See the proof of vaccination page for more information. If you were vaccinated in Québec or if your vaccines have been recognized by Québec, learn how to get your Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination.

You may be required to undergo a randomized test when you arrive in Canada. You don't have to quarantine while you wait for the results.

• If you test negative, you still have to follow strict health guidelines until the end of the first 14 days of being back in Canada.
• If you test positive, you have to self-isolate. Refer to the section If you develop symptoms or test positive for more information.

For full details, visit the Government of Canada’s site on arrival testing and quarantining while you await results.

In addition to quarantining while awaiting the results of the arrival test, if applicable, during the first 14 days after you arrive in Canada, you must:

• Wear a mask in public places
• Maintain a list of your close contacts and places visited
• Keep a copy of your proof of vaccination and COVID-19 test results, if applicable.
• Monitor yourself for any signs and symptoms of COVID-19

• Go directly to your place of quarantine and wear a face covering or a non-medical mask during the journey.
• Confirm that you've arrived at the address you provided for your quarantine within 48 hours of your entry into Canada using ArriveCAN or by calling 1-833-641-0343.
• Complete daily COVID-19 symptom self-assessments during your quarantine period using ArriveCAN or by calling 1-833-641-0343.
• Carefully read and follow the Government of Québec’s Instructions on returning home from abroad as well as instructions by the Government of Canada.

Reminder

While under quarantine, you are not allowed to:

• Leave your place of quarantine, unless it is for a medical emergency or to travel from your first place of quarantine to your second after you receive a negative test result from the COVID-19 test you take when you arrive in Canada.
• Have any guests even if you are outside and even if you stay two metres apart.
• Use common areas such as lobbies, courtyards, restaurants, gyms, or pools in your place of quarantine.
• Go to Université Laval or other public places

During this 14-day quarantine period, you may receive calls from the Government of Canada from 1-888-336-7735 or 1-888-200-4881 to verify that you are complying with the mandatory quarantine order. You may also receive in-person visits from a screening officer or a peace officer.

Regardless of whether you have to quarantine, if you start to show COVID-19 symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 during the first 14 days after you arrive in Canada, you must:

1. Self-isolate for 10 days starting the day you got tested or the day your symptoms appeared.
2. Tell the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) about your symptoms within 24 hours. Call 1-833-641-0343. (The representative will provide you with further details and instructions.)
3. Call the local Québec public health authority at 418-644-4545 or 1-877-644-4545. Follow their instructions. When you call, indicate that you are a Université Laval student, employee, intern, or guest, and that you arrived from abroad.
4. Follow the instructions PHAC and Québec public health authority give you over the phone.
5. If federal (Canadian) and provincial (Québec) instructions differ, you must follow the more stringent requirements.
6. Let Université Laval know by email: covid19@ulaval.ca
7. Let Université Laval know by completing the student or staff (in French only) COVID-19 Declaration Form (use the form that applies to you).

Note: If you are exposed to someone who shows signs and symptoms of COVID-19, you must self-isolate for 10 days starting the day you were exposed.

If you suffer from stress, anxiety, panic, or any other emotional reaction related to the pandemic and your quarantine, don’t hesitate to make use of the services available to you.

You can call Info-Social 811. Just dial 811. You may also refer to the COVID-19 section of the government of Québec website where you can find information and advice such as Protecting your well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic and Stress, anxiety and depression associated with the coronavirus COVID-19 disease.

Students also have access to services at the Student Assistance Centre (French only). If you would like to speak with a counsellor, please complete the assistance request form (French only).

Info-Santé 811 (health info line)

Dial 8-1-1 to speak with a nurse for non-urgent health issues. Mention that you recently arrived from abroad and are currently in quarantine.

Emergency (ambulance, fire, police) 911

In the event of a serious problem or emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency room. Mention that you recently arrived from abroad and are currently in quarantine.

In case of emergency, you can contact Université Laval 24/7 by calling 1-418-656-5555.

Should they have questions or need assistance, international students can contact Student Life Office Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m.

418 656-2765
accueil@bve.ulaval.ca

Université Laval assumes no responsibility for preparing your quarantine plan, for the contents of the plan, for having the plan approved, for the costs nor for seeing that the plan is followed. If you are a foreign worker or intern and you have to go through quarantine, Université Laval will allow you to do so and will not require your presence on campus.

Please note that procedures may change at any time without notice and that it is your responsibility to verify procedures regularly by checking federal and provincial government authorities’ websites. Guidelines are available on the websites of Québec government and the Public Health Agency of Canada; those guidelines take precedence at all times.

If you have to complete part or all of your quarantine outside the province of Québec, please note the following:

1. The information on this site brings together guidelines from the Québec government and the federal government. It is your responsibility to find out about the federal requirements as well as the rules and guidelines applicable in the province or territory you choose to quarantine in.
2. For foreign nationals, we strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive travel-health insurance and emergency medical insurance that covers the costs related to COVID-19. Doing this is your responsibility. The insurance would need to cover you for the duration of your journey until you arrive in the province of Québec and for the entire period of your quarantine outside the province of Québec. It would also need to be able to be extended in case you contract COVID-19, develop COVID-19 symptoms, or are exposed to someone who has COVID-19 symptoms. The group health and hospitalization insurance plan through Desjardins Insurance (the one for international students and foreign interns) and coverage with the Régie d’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) [Québec’s public health insurance plan] (the one for students covered under reciprocal social security agreements with certain countries) begin only when you arrive in Québec. International students and foreign interns should take note of the information about health and hospitalization insurance for their stay in Québec on the following pages: Enrolling in the health and hospitalization insurance plan for international students.
3. Additional isolation rules may apply when you move from one province to another. If you are travelling through other Canadian provinces, visit the Travelling from one region to another or from one city to another during the COVID-19 pandemic webpage for information about the requirements for entering Québec.

To help you write your quarantine plan, we suggest that you use this template; be sure to adapt it to your situation. It contains all the points that you need to include in your quarantine plan.

This template is for information purposes only and is not an official document guaranteeing you entry into Canada.

Here is a summary of what your quarantine plan must include. For full details, please refer to the template.

The address of the place where you will complete your quarantine:

• If other people will be in the same place, give the names, ages, and health of those people.
• Please note that you cannot quarantine in Université Laval’s halls of residence since the bathrooms and kitchens are shared by a large number of people.

The means of transportation you will use to get to where you will be self-isolating:

• Use private transportation if possible, such as the shuttle service some hotels offer, a taxi (see the information for Québec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport and Montréal-Trudeau International Airport), or a private car.
• If applicable, you will be able to board a domestic flight or take intercity transportation (bus or train). However, you must use private transportation, such as a taxi, to get to and from the airports or stations. 
• You are not allowed to use public transit during your quarantine, with the exception of intercity transport (bus, train).
• Wear a non-medical mask or other face covering during the journey to where you will be in quarantine.

Access to basic necessities:

• Plan to have easy access to basic necessities (food and medicine).
• List the arrangements (delivery and/or others who will help you) that you have made to access basic necessities (food and medicine).

We recommend that you quarantine in Québec. You must have a suitable place to quarantine where you can stay for at least 14 days. If you are arriving in Canada for the first time, we recommend that you quarantine at a hotel. It isn’t advisable to quarantine in accommodation that you will be living in for the first time or in an Airbnb-style rental, as it would be difficult to ensure that the location is suitable and has everything you will need (phone line, electricity, heating, Internet access, cooking utensils, bedding, etc.).

Even though the quarantine is for a total of 14 days it is possible that it will be extended. This could happen if one of the following occurs:

• You test positive for COVID-19.
• You show signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
• You are exposed to someone who shows signs and symptoms of COVID-19 or who has contracted COVID-19.

Please note that you cannot quarantine in Université Laval’s halls of residence since the washrooms and kitchens are shared by a large number of people.

For private locations, if there are other people where you are in quarantine, that has to be their normal place of residence or they have to have travelled with you. Furthermore, you must observe the following:

• Avoid contact with vulnerable individuals (adults 65 and over or people with underlying health conditions).
• Avoid contact with people who provide care to vulnerable individuals.
• Not quarantine in places where you can’t separate yourself from those who live with you, like a group or communal living setting, a student dorm, a household with large families or many people, a shared or small apartment, or a place where your roommates haven’t travelled with you.
• Have your own bedroom that is separate from those used by people who have travelled with you.
• If possible, remain alone in your own room in the house.
• Avoid contact with others in the home. Keep a distance of at least 2 metres between yourself and others. Cover your nose and mouth if you need to be closer than 2 metres from someone.
• If possible, eat and sleep alone in a single room of the home.
• If possible, use a bathroom that is reserved for you alone. Otherwise, disinfect after each use.
• Limit the use of shared spaces and thoroughly and regularly clean common areas after use.
• Air out the house and your room often by opening a window, weather permitting.

If you don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19, you will be able to go outside on your balcony or in your private yard; you must make sure you keep two metres away from other people.

Make sure that the establishment you choose is accepting guests for quarantine purposes and is following current standards, such as the Safe Stay standards.

You will have to stay in your room the whole time during the quarantine period. So, make sure that your room meets your needs. You will need to have Internet access as well as access to a private bathroom. Depending on your preferences, you may need a kitchenette, private balcony, etc. You won’t be able to use the hotel’s common areas (pool, outdoor space, etc.).

Even though the quarantine is for a total of 14 days, it may be wise to plan to stay a few extra days for the following:

• If your hotel is in the Québec City area, you would have time to search for housing and see your housing options once your quarantine is over.
• In case your quarantine needs to be extended.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of businesses with delivery services. Before mentioning them in your quarantine plan, you must check directly with each one to find out what their delivery options are for where you will be in quarantine.

Grocery stores

IGA

Metro

Provigo

Walmart

Restaurants

RestoQuébec

Skipthedishes

UberEats

Door Dash

Pharmacies

Jean Coutu

Brunet

Pharmaprix

Familiprix

For your quarantine, we suggest that you have at the very least:

• Several masks
• Disinfectant
• Thermometer
• Credit card that works in Canada (for online food orders and various other things)
• Enough prescription drugs for about a month; you should carry them with the prescription in your carry-on baggage to keep them at a stable temperature and to reduce the risk of losing them in.
• IT equipment (laptop or tablet) and Internet access
• Adapter for electrical outlets
• Things to help ensure your psychological well-being: books, movies, fitness equipment (resistance bands, etc.), entertainment (apps, games, etc.)
• Kitchen items (plates, knives, chopping board, cutlery, dish-washing liquid, etc.), if not provided at the place of quarantine
• Personal hygiene products (soap, shampoo, cream, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc.), if not provided at the place of quarantine

People who provide false information about their vaccination status are subject to a fine of up to $750,000 and/or up to six months of jail time under the Quarantine Act or even prosecution for falsification under the Criminal Code.

The penalties for not following your quarantine plan, if required, may include a fine of up to $750,000, six months of jail time, and being found inadmissible, removed from Canada, and banned from entering for one year.

In addition, anyone who intentionally or recklessly contravenes the Quarantine Act or the regulations and exposes another person to an imminent risk of death or serious injury is liable to a fine of up to $1,000,000 and/or imprisonment of up to three years.

Also, the police have the power to hand out fines of $275 to $1,000 to those who don’t follow quarantine rules.

In the event of failure to abide by the quarantine, Université Laval is required to notify the relevant authorities and reserves the right to take any administrative or disciplinary action. For employees, this includes termination of employment. For students, this could involve having a complaint filed under the Règlement disciplinaire à l’intention des étudiants et étudiantes de l’Université Laval [Université Laval’s disciplinary regulations for students] and having sanctions imposed that may arise from that.