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Everything you need to know about travel between Canada and Germany

Can tourists travel from Germany to Canada at the moment? Do they need to be fully vaccinated, and will they have to go into quarantine? Here's what you'll need to know before heading on your next trip.

Published: 5 August 2021 16:45 CEST
Updated: 8 August 2021 10:49 CEST
Everything you need to know about travel between Canada and Germany
Vaccinated tourists from Germany should be allowed to visit Toronto and enjoy its bustling art scene from September 7th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/XinHua | Zou Zheng

I’d like to visit Canada – can I go? 

Not at the moment, but you may be able to soon. Currently, Canada has a ban on all non-essential travel from European Union countries, meaning you can only enter the country if you have a valid reason, such as for work, study or reuniting with family.

From September 7th, however, the ban will be lifted for all vaccinated travellers, meaning tourists who’ve had their full set of jabs will once again be able to book a holiday. 

If you happen to be an American passport-holder, your Canadian jaunt could come even sooner. From August 9th, citizens of the United State will be free to re-enter Canada – provided they’re fully vaccinated.

READ ALSO: Is the United States finally set to open up to travellers from Germany?

How do I know if I qualify as ‘fully vaccinated’? 

Much like in the EU, being fully vaccinated in Canada means having had your last dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before your trip. So, if you’re travelling on September 15th, you’ll need to have had your final shot on September 1st – or anytime before that. 

The list of approved vaccines will also sound familiar: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD and Johnson & Johnson are the only four currently permitted, though the government says on its website that this list “may expand in the future”. 

The chart below by Our World in Data gives an idea of recent Covid trends in Germany, Canada and the US. 

What counts as proof of vaccination? 

If you’ve been vaccinated here in Germany – or in another foreign country – your regular proof of vaccination should be fine, but be aware that the certificate should be in one of Canada’s two national languages: English and French.

If it’s in another language, you’ll need to pay for a certified translation into either French or English in order for the certificate to be accepted.

READ ALSO: 

The proof of vaccination will also have to be submitted electronically through Canada’s ArriveCAN app or web portal. At present, it sounds like a scan of the relevant page of your yellow vaccine booklet would suffice. You may also be able to take a screen grab of your digital EU vaccination certificate with the QR code for uploading. 

Do I need to a take a test, even if I’m vaccinated?

Yes. All travellers over the age of five – regardless of whether they’ve had their Covid shots or not – will have to provide a negative Covid test result before entering the country. Antigen tests aren’t excepted, so this will mean shelling out for a PCR test in Germany. The test should be no more than 72 hours old. 

If you’ve recently had Covid, you have the option to provide a positive PCR test taken between 14 and 90 days before travelling, instead of a negative one. This is because PCR tests can sometimes continue to show positive after a recent Covid infection. 


Toronto Pearson is one of the major airports where you can book an arrival test – though from August 9th, this will no longer be necessary for vaccinated travellers. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/XinHua | Zou Zheng

As well as the test before entry, everyone entering Canada by plane currently has to take an ‘arrival test’ at the airport, which is free of charge and can be booked in advance at any of Canada’s four major airports.

In addition, unvaccinated travellers will have to take another test on the eighth day of their visit. 

However, the Canadian government says it is “adjusting its post-arrival testing strategy for fully vaccinated travellers” on August 9th. From that date onwards, fully inoculated travellers won’t need to take any tests after they arrive, unless they have been randomly selected to complete one on their first day of arrival.

What else do I need to do before travelling? 

Download the ArriveCAN app on your phone – or use the web portal – to register your trip, and make sure you upload your test result and proof of vaccination on there. 

You’ll also have to submit details of 14-day quarantine plans in case your application for the ‘vaccination exemption’ is rejected at the border for any reason. This would include having plans for a place to stay the entire time, confirming whether you’ll be able to get basic necessities like food and water there, and giving details of the people you’ll be staying with.

READ ALSO: UK to allow fully vaccinated travellers from Europe to skip quarantine (but not tests)

If you’re unsure whether your plans would be accepted, you can hop on the Canadian government website to assess them beforehand.


Travellers to Canada will need to have a plan in place for quarantine in case their application for the so-called ‘vaccination exemption’ is denied at the last minute. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/The Canadian Press via ZUMA | Graham Hughes

After submitting all your details in the ArriveCAN portal, you’ll get a digital receipt, which you should show at the border along with a paper or digital copy of your vaccine certificate. 

Travelling from Canada to Germany 

On July 4th, 2021, Germany lifted all restrictions for Canadian travellers, meaning people can re-enter the country from Canada without having to register or quarantine.

However, travellers will nonetheless need to show a negative PCR or antigen test, or proof of vaccination or recovery, in order to be admitted into the country.

Canadians who want to visit friends or family or just book a holiday to Germany should also note that the Canadian government is currently advising against non-essential travel outside of the country. It’s up to individual travellers to decide if they want to take the risk, though it might be worth checking if the government’s advice will have any bearing on your travel insurance policy. 

Anything else I need to know?

Like the United States and Germany, Canada has a federal system of government, meaning Covid entry rules may vary slightly between provinces.

As well as following the overarching travel rules, be sure to look up the government website of the province you’re visiting to see if there are additional rules you may have to abide by. 

Member comments

  1. “Visit Toronto and enjoy its bustling art scene”? I think you meant Montreal! (I am from Toronto btw)

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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