End-of-life (palliative) visits and funerals
The Canadian Red Cross has been authorized to approve travel into New Brunswick for end-of-life visits with an immediate family member, including both in-home end-of-life visitation and end-of-life visitation in a hospital, hospice or nursing home, or to attend the funeral or burial of an immediate family member. Entry into New Brunswick is not permitted for making funeral arrangements, visiting, or attending a wake.
For the purposes of entry, only the following relationships are considered to be immediate family:
- Parent (including step-parents and parents-in-law)
- Child (including step-children, foster children and adoptive children)
- Grandparent (including great-grandparents)
- Grandchild (including great-grandchildren)
- Sibling (including step-siblings, half-siblings)
- Significant other (defined as persons in an intimate partner relationship)
Anyone entering New Brunswick for a funeral, burial or end-of-life visit must self-isolate for 14 days after entry in compliance with self-isolation guidelines. If you need to attend a funeral, burial or end-of-life visit in a hospital, hospice or nursing home prior to completing 14 days of self-isolation, you must first test negative for COVID-19 on the 5th day of self-isolation. Note that it can take up to 2 additional days to obtain your test results.
After receiving negative results from a COVID test taken on day 5, you may only leave your place of self-isolation as required for an end-of-life visit or to attend a funeral or burial service in compliance with public health guidelines. If you need to visit your family member in home for end of life visit prior to completing 14 days of self-isolation, strict protocols for these visits will be provided to you by Red Cross staff. If you are visiting a hospital, hospice or nursing home you must also have written permission to enter the facility. You will be directed by the facility on their requirements for entry and self-isolation while at the facility.
Following the funeral or visit, you must continue to self-isolate for the remainder of the 14 days. You may also choose to leave the province before the 14 day isolation period has ended.
To begin the application process:
- Call the Canadian Red Cross at 1-800-863-6582 (8:30am - 5pm, 7 days a week)
- Select your language of choice.
- Press “1” – Affected by Disaster
- Press “5” – New Brunswick
- Press “1” – Affected by COVID-19
If your application to enter New Brunswick for an end-of-life visit or to attend a funeral or burial is approved, your travel must also be registered through the New Brunswick Travel Registration Program:
- Under “Reason for Entry”, choose “Other”.
- In the section “Detailed Reason for Entry”, enter and provide any information to support your registration.
You will be required to show your approval letter from the Canadian Red Cross when entering New Brunswick.
International travellers wanting to enter New Brunswick for an end-of-life visit with an immediate family member or to attend a funeral or burial of an immediate family member must also obtain approval from the Government of Canada. While in New Brunswick, such travellers must follow Canada's public health guidelines for COVID-19 as well as any conditions set by New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health or her designate. Where provincial and federal requirements differ, the most stringent requirements must be followed.
For entry into Canada and Canada-U.S. border restrictions, visit the Government of Canada page here and the Canada Border Services Agency page here or call 1-800-461-9999.