ArriveCAN

[trtog7]

Has anyone used this app to return to Canada. 

If you are flying home right after cruise is WIFI strong enough to fill in ArriveCAN or did you wait and do it in the airport?

[AlbertaCruisers]

19 minutes ago, trtog7 said:

Has anyone used this app to return to Canada. 

If you are flying home right after cruise is WIFI strong enough to fill in ArriveCAN or did you wait and do it in the airport?

 

Yes, I did in early September, after getting off the Celebrity Equinox.  You can fill it in as soon as you have your PCR test result.  You don't upload the test result but you have to confirm you have it and it is negative.  I completed it the last night on the ship, and it worked fine.  The check in lady at Air Canada at the airport needed us to show the confirmation number from the ArriveCan app, so I suggest you fill it in in advance, if possible.  The Air Canada check in person checked the ArriveCan confirmation, our test results and our proof of vaccination.  It is also good to have your 2 vaccine confirmations available electronically, as you have to upload those as part of the ArriveCan completion.  The ArriveCan app was easy to complete.

 

Let me know if you have questions.

Edited October 7, 2021 by AlbertaCruisers

[Fouremco]

12 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

Let me know if you have questions.

Once you submit your information through ArriveCAN, a receipt will be displayed and emailed to you. Can you recall how long that takes? I won't have WIFI on board, but will have cell service (local, not ship) once entering port, so I'm planning on completing and submitting the information prior to heading to the airport. Hopefully the receipt comes quickly, so there's no delay in checking in with Air Canada. 

[AlbertaCruisers]

35 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Once you submit your information through ArriveCAN, a receipt will be displayed and emailed to you. Can you recall how long that takes? I won't have WIFI on board, but will have cell service (local, not ship) once entering port, so I'm planning on completing and submitting the information prior to heading to the airport. Hopefully the receipt comes quickly, so there's no delay in checking in with Air Canada. 

 

You don't need the email, you can just show the receipt shown in the app.  I believe the email came quickly (pretty much right away, but I don't really remember), but I didn't use the email for anything.  I took a screen shot of the confirmation number in the app and that is what I showed the check in lady.  The receipt is easily accessible in the app as well, but I thought the screen shot may be easier to pull up in a rush.  She didn't look in detail at that, just confirmed that I had the confirmation number in the app.

[Fouremco]

47 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

You don't need the email, you can just show the receipt shown in the app.  I believe the email came quickly (pretty much right away, but I don't really remember), but I didn't use the email for anything.  I took a screen shot of the confirmation number in the app and that is what I showed the check in lady.  The receipt is easily accessible in the app as well, but I thought the screen shot may be easier to pull up in a rush.  She didn't look in detail at that, just confirmed that I had the confirmation number in the app.

Thanks, AC, much appreciated.

[lots-of-km2]

Under current rules, you can fill the ArriveCan form out anytime within 72 hours of your departure back to Canada as long as you have the official results of your PCR test to upload (typically as a PDF). You need those test results to complete the form. 

 

And of course, you'll need wifi or cellular data for all of this, and a calm place to fill everything out -- this should enter into your planning.  It's worthwhile completing the form before you arrive at the airport,  because moving through airports has gotten more complicated now.  Having the form done and a receipt in hand before you arrive for your flight smooths things a bit. 

 

You can fill the form out on the ArriveCan website (on a laptop) or using the ArriveCan cellphone app. 

 

I did mine on a laptop and got an email receipt with an alpha-numeric code almost immediately after I completed the ArriveCan form.  That's what I relied on at the airport. 

 

(If you fill the form out on an app, I don't know whether they send you an email receipt, or just a code on the app.) 

Edited October 8, 2021 by lots-of-km2

[*Miss G*]

36 minutes ago, lots-of-km2 said:

Under current rules, you can fill the ArriveCan form out anytime within 72 hours of your departure back to Canada as long as you have the official results of your PCR test to upload (typically as a PDF). You need those test results to complete the form. 

 

 

Just a correction on the above.  Only the proof of vaccination needs to be uploaded into the app.  The results are a yes or no answer and must be accompanied by a hard copy.

[grimpil]

7 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Just a correction on the above.  Only the proof of vaccination needs to be uploaded into the app.  The results are a yes or no answer and must be accompanied by a hard copy.

when you say hard copy I assume electronic email result will do? I dont think I will have access to a printer and testing is done after you leave the ship

[Magicat]

13 hours ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

Yes, I did in early September, after getting off the Celebrity Equinox.  You can fill it in as soon as you have your PCR test result.  You don't upload the test result but you have to confirm you have it and it is negative.  I completed it the last night on the ship, and it worked fine.  The check in lady at Air Canada at the airport needed us to show the confirmation number from the ArriveCan app, so I suggest you fill it in in advance, if possible.  The Air Canada check in person checked the ArriveCan confirmation, our test results and our proof of vaccination.  It is also good to have your 2 vaccine confirmations available electronically, as you have to upload those as part of the ArriveCan completion.  The ArriveCan app was easy to complete.

 

Let me know if you have questions.

For proof of vaccination, did you show your receipt from your provincial Ministry of Health?

[Magicat]

Just a general question.  If you are required to upload your vaccination records and negative covid test to ArriveCAn to get a confirmation number, why do you need to show all these documents again to the ticketing agent?

[AlbertaCruisers]

38 minutes ago, Magicat said:

Just a general question.  If you are required to upload your vaccination records and negative covid test to ArriveCAn to get a confirmation number, why do you need to show all these documents again to the ticketing agent?

You only upload vaccine confirmations not the test result (you just swear you have the proper test and it was negative), but I don’t believe anyone in advance looks through the info in the app and verifies it. Someone could arguably upload blank pictures as vaccine proof and I don’t know the app would know (I would not suggest that and I would guess there would be a fine involved). I believe the info in the app is more used later, if you had to quarantine or something. I believe the reps that call you after you are home (if necessary, we didn’t get called) can access what you put into the app.  It is Air Canada’s responsibility to make sure you have all the proper documentation or I believe they can be fined. In our case, which is not always true, no one in Toronto checked anything but our passport. We have Nexus and our process in Toronto was like pre-pandemic. I’m not sure if when the Canadian customs guy scanned our confirmations from the nexus machines if he received confirmation or not of ArriveCAN being done, but I understand they are heavily relying on the airlines to make sure everything is right. 

[AlbertaCruisers]

48 minutes ago, Magicat said:

For proof of vaccination, did you show your receipt from your provincial Ministry of Health?

I’m from Alberta and ours is different, I showed the two receipts from the two pharmacies I went to. We now have a downloadable card that shows both doses that I will use. 

[lots-of-km2]

9 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Just a correction on the above.  Only the proof of vaccination needs to be uploaded into the app.  The results are a yes or no answer and must be accompanied by a hard copy.

You’re right — my recall error. 

 

I waited until  I had the PCR result before completing the form, For the PCR result, it was ticking a box, not uploading a PDF of the lab certificate. I carried a hard copy of that with me back to Canada.

 

It was the proof of vaccination that I uploaded as PDFs - the 2 certificates that the Ontario Ministry of Health provided.

Edited October 8, 2021 by lots-of-km2

[lots-of-km2]

1 hour ago, Magicat said:

Just a general question.  If you are required to upload your vaccination records and negative covid test to ArriveCAn to get a confirmation number, why do you need to show all these documents again to the ticketing agent?

No idea. Different agents/security people at the airport wanted to see many different pieces of paper and/or QR codes multiple times. It was baffling. In the case of Air Canada ticketing agents, they just wanted to see the ArriveCAN confirmation code and passport.

[Magicat]

Ok thanks.  

[lots-of-km2]

1 hour ago, lots-of-km2 said:

In the case of Air Canada ticketing agents, they just wanted to see the ArriveCAN confirmation code and passport.

 

... and, because I was in the DR, the Dominican exit QR, from a form which also need to be filled out online.  YMMV based on the country you're returning from.

 

 

[*Miss G*]

4 hours ago, grimpil said:

when you say hard copy I assume electronic email result will do? I dont think I will have access to a printer and testing is done after you leave the ship

 

Yes, I imagine any electronic copy is good as well.  Poor wording on my part.

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

You only upload vaccine confirmations not the test result (you just swear you have the proper test and it was negative), but I don’t believe anyone in advance looks through the info in the app and verifies it. Someone could arguably upload blank pictures as vaccine proof and I don’t know the app would know (I would not suggest that and I would guess there would be a fine involved). I believe the info in the app is more used later, if you had to quarantine or something. I believe the reps that call you after you are home (if necessary, we didn’t get called) can access what you put into the app.  It is Air Canada’s responsibility to make sure you have all the proper documentation or I believe they can be fined. In our case, which is not always true, no one in Toronto checked anything but our passport. We have Nexus and our process in Toronto was like pre-pandemic. I’m not sure if when the Canadian customs guy scanned our confirmations from the nexus machines if he received confirmation or not of ArriveCAN being done, but I understand they are heavily relying on the airlines to make sure everything is right. 

 

From my experience at the land borders, the CBSA officers do check the ArriveCAN info in advance and they also want to check the receipt #.  If the uploaded vaccination pics are questionable the receipt says they require verification.  I have marked the two places where it is relevant to the discussion.  (Vaccination and electronic or hard copy proof.)

 

 

[*Miss G*]

I’m guessing my husband’s didn’t photograph well because he went and had it laminated. 🤨

[lots-of-km2]

3 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

I’m guessing my husband’s didn’t photograph well because he went and had it laminated. 🤨

 

I took the original paper receipt I got at my second vaccination and decided to laminate it, thinking it was a precious thing that needed protection. It was a terrible idea.  Turns out that the receipt was printed on thermal paper (like a store receipt) and the whole thing turned pitch black as it went through the heat laminator. 

 

Thank goodness the Province of Ontario provided  PDFs online afterward. 

[Fouremco]

Another quick question on ArriveCAN. The app asks "Which country did you receive your negative Molecular COVID-19 test from?" While I'm assuming that for an RT cruise out of Port Everglades the response would be USA, in fact we would be in international waters at the time. Was there anyone who answered anything other than the US?

[AlbertaCruisers]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

Another quick question on ArriveCAN. The app asks "Which country did you receive your negative Molecular COVID-19 test from?" While I'm assuming that for an RT cruise out of Port Everglades the response would be USA, in fact we would be in international waters at the time. Was there anyone who answered anything other than the US?

 

When I did it "cruise" or anything like that was not an option.  I picked USA as there was nothing else that worked and was ready to be asked that, but no one asked.  The other gentleman who went earlier on Royal (Odyssey I think?) and posted on here that he picked USA and he did say he got questioned on that in Toronto but they were fine with it in the end.  Next time, I will check again, to make sure they didn't add any options, such as "cruise ship".

[Fouremco]

27 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

When I did it "cruise" or anything like that was not an option.  I picked USA as there was nothing else that worked and was ready to be asked that, but no one asked.  The other gentleman who went earlier on Royal (Odyssey I think?) and posted on here that he picked USA and he did say he got questioned on that in Toronto but they were fine with it in the end.  Next time, I will check again, to make sure they didn't add any options, such as "cruise ship".

Still no sign of "cruise" or "at sea" or anything similar. USA will have to do. Thanks again!

[emairs]

Can a couple use one ArriveCAN app, or does each person have their own app?

[Fouremco]

9 minutes ago, emairs said:

Can a couple use one ArriveCAN app, or does each person have their own app?

You can use just one app and include several people travelling together, but I don't recall the maximum number.