Canadians must now be fully vaccinated when driving to the United States

Canadians planning to drive to the US must now be fully vaccinated in order to be allowed to enter the country.

The new travel restrictions came into effect on Saturday, January 22nd.

This means anyone entering the country via land and ferry border crossings at the US-Canada borders must provide proof of vaccination whether they are travelling for essential or non-essential reasons, DHS said in a release.

This restriction also applies at the US-Mexico border.

“Starting on January 22, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security will require that non-U.S. individuals entering the United States via land ports of entry or ferry terminals along our Northern and Southern borders be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and be prepared to show related proof of vaccination,” said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas.

The US-Canada land border reopened in November to non-essential travel after being closed in March 2020.

These changes were first announced by Homeland Security on October 29th, 2021.

When traveling to the United States via land ports of entry or ferry terminals, whether for essential or non-essential reasons, individuals must:

• verbally attest to their COVID-19 vaccination status
• provide proof of a CDC-approved COVID-19 vaccination, as outlined on the CDC website
• present a valid Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document, such as a valid passport, Trusted Traveler Program card, or Enhanced Tribal Card; and,
• be prepared to present any other relevant documents requested by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during a border inspection

These changes now mean that truckers who cross the Canadian-US border now have to be vaccinated otherwise quarantine for 14-days.

A small convoy of commercial trucks and dozens of other vehicles protested the vaccine mandate this past weekend as part of a movement across the country.