U.S. will allow land entry starting November 8th

The United States will reopen its land border to fully vaccinated travellers as soon as ports of entry open on Nov. 8, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced at a press briefing on Tuesday.

The U.S. has kept its shared land border with Canada closed to non-essential travel since the start of the pandemic in March, 2020. But on Nov. 8, for the first time in 19 months, the U.S. is set to welcome back travellers by land and passenger ferry — as long as they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

CBP confirmed travellers entering by land will not have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, but said they should be prepared to verbally attest to their vaccination status, and present their vaccination documentation upon request.

Instead, Canada reopened its land border to fully vaccinated Americans on Aug. 9, 2021 while the U.S. remained silent on its border plans.

When returning to Canada, recreational travellers must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before their return flight or planned arrival at the land border.