Sunday, July 18, 2021

I am in Toronto. Other Canadian friends in WA were curious about what I went through to travel, so I write this up... 


My journey had much testing and showing documentation.

Direct daytime flights were *very* expensive. I ended up taking a red-eye that flew through Chicago.

Needed a COVID test in Seattle before departure. There is a list of accepted partners on the WA State COVID website. I used a drive though test run by GS Health in Bellevue. They were fast. I am reluctant about giving positive feedback to anyone who sticks a q tip up my nose. Outside that, I'd recommend them.

Upload your data in ArriveCan (Canadian Immigration Service) before departure. You can only do this after your negative test, and within 72 hours of your flight. You will need to provide an address you can quarantine at, should it come to that.

Air Canada checked documentation in Chicago. (ArriveCan receipt, Proof of Vaccination. Proof of Negative Covid Test) They were turning away people. I saw an American wife of a Canadian get turned away because fully vaccinated Americans are not yet allowed in Canada for optional reasons.

After I arrived in Toronto, my documentation was checked multiple times by multiple people. No intense grilling over specifics. The officials just read the documents, then checked and added stamps to my passport.

There was another post arrival COVID test after immigration. This will go faster if you setup an account with Switch Health beforehand.

Finally, I was given "Instructions for Canadians with Vaccine Exemptions" and sent me on my way.

I will need to have another COVID test before I return to the USA. So I found a provider near my Parents and scheduled an appointment three days before my return.

All told I needed to create accounts with three health providers for my COVID tests and then create an ArriveCan account for immigration. I needed to provide proof of vaccination and proof of a negative COVID test. I had paper on online copies of both.

1 comment:

Bathwater said...

That sounds like a lot of work. I won't be leaving the country anytime soon. If I leave the state, I will probably drive again!

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