On October 21, the Government of Canada announced the Canadian international COVID-19 proof of vaccination. The vaccine passport will show traveller’s name, date of birth and COVID-19 vaccination history – including dates and type of vaccines received. The passport can also be verified after travellers upload it into the ArriveCAN app upon return to Canada.
The Government of Canada previously announced on August 11 that it was developing a pan-Canadian, secure and standardized proof of vaccination for international travel, in partnership with provinces and territories. All Canadian provinces and territories have now confirmed that they will move forward with the standardized national proof of vaccination.
The new national standardized proof of vaccination uses the provincial vaccine certificate as its framework. If you have downloaded your provincial proof of vaccination recently, it may even be the national standardized version. The official Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination provides the following:
- says “COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination” at the top of the document
- includes the official logos for your province or territory
- the Government of Canada (the word “Canada” with the Canadian flag above the last “a”)
- your full name and date of birth
- your COVID-19 vaccination history, including:
- the number of dose(s)
- the vaccine type(s), product name(s) and lot number
- the date(s) you got your vaccination(s)
- a SMART Health Cards QR code
- is a bilingual document
Canadians will be able to use the proof of vaccination system both within Canada and for international travel.
Currently, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the Yukon can access the national proof of vaccination from their province or territory. The national standardized proof of vaccination is not yet available for the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
We will continue to monitor the restrictions and the exemptions as they are provided by the Government of Canada.
The immigration group at MLT Aikins can provide guidance and assistance in ensuring that all prospective travellers are fully aware of their ability to travel and whether any exemptions apply.
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