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Being well prepared before a trip can avoid many surprises. Here are some things to take into account before your trip to Quebec:

Passport

• Check the expiration date of your passport. Your passport must be valid throughout the trip. If not, you must renew it before your departure. Note that the procedure can take up to 20 working days.
• Check if any restrictions apply (criminal record, etc.).
• Make copies of your passport and your birth certificate: store them in a safe place and give a copy to a friend or a family member. Also take photos of your documents with your cell phone. This will give you the proof you need to identify yourself in the event of identity theft, no matter where you are.
• Foreign travelers are generally allowed to stay for a maximum of six months in Canada. Depending on your situation, the agent may authorize you to extend your stay.

Credit cards

• Notify the banking institution affiliated with your credit and debit card of your departure.
• Pay for your plane tickets, various reservations and insurance on the same credit card.
• Get a travel insurance.
• Make photocopies of your cards and keep them in a safe place. You can also take photos of your cards with your cellphone. 
• If possible, have two credit cards with you, ideally from different financial institutions. This way, if something goes wrong with one of the cards, you will have a plan B.

Insurance

“I'm young and healthy, I don't need it!"
"I have a good job, long live group insurance!"

Yes, but...

Find out about the exclusions of your group insurance before your trip. For example, are repatriations included following an injury? Unfortunately, group insurance is sometimes insufficient. You should know that insurance is not to be taken lightly when visiting another country.

Here are a few tips:

• It is recommended that you take out a comprehensive insurance plan when traveling abroad. This plan must include emergency medical expenses, trip cancellation, loss or theft of baggage.
• Notify the authority in your country (example: RAMQ in Quebec) if you are traveling for more than 183 days.
• Check if you are not already insured with your employer.
• Take medical coverage on the same credit card you are traveling with.
• Check the exclusions of your insurance policy.
• Take out liability insurance if you are in the country for work or for a long stay.

Often, travel insurance products do not cover :

1. Adventure or extreme sports; 
2. Paid professional sports activities; 
3. Speed or endurance races (motorized); 
4. The piloting of a plane or aircraft.

Exclusions that may affect travellers in general:

1. Elective treatment (medical care that can wait until after the trip);
2. Travel for the purpose of consulting with local hospital staff;
3. The use of drugs or medication leading to an accident;
4. A suicide or self-injury attempt.

Of all these exclusions, the one that most often causes problems is alcohol abuse.

For example: You enter the hospital for a fall, cut, bruise or other minor trauma after a drunken night out. Be aware that the doctors there will check your alcohol level. You suspect that it will be difficult to claim from your insurance company afterwards.

Vaccines

It is always best to get vaccinated in your country of residence.

If you have to get vaccinated in Quebec:

You will need to go to a private hospital or public emergency. Vaccines can also be given in a public hospital, but there will be a very long wait.

• Have your insurance papers and passport ready;
• Pay the service charges on site;
• Keep all invoices.

As a traveler, you will be charged up to the task.

Recommended vaccines in Canada

• Influenza: present from November to March
• Poliomyelitis: populations of infected ticks present in all regions
• Measles
• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Typhoid
• Rabies

Recommended vaccines for children under 18 years old

• Hepatitis A and B
  
  

Traveling with health problems?

• Visit your doctor at least six weeks before your trip to Quebec.
• Certain medical conditions require you to take medication on a regular basis: it is therefore essential to have copies of your prescriptions to obtain your medications in Quebec.
• Make sure you always transport your medications in their original container to avoid customs problems (name and dosage of the medication).
• Adapt your travel insurance: your insurers must know your health condition before departure.

In Quebec airports

Keep your identification documents nearby: you will have to present them several times. If you are traveling with children, have the necessary documents on hand.

Parents who share custody of their children must present a copy of the legal documents establishing their custody rights. It is also recommended that you bring a letter of consent from the other parent authorizing you to take the child out of the country.

Adults other than parents or guardians must obtain written permission from them to supervise children and have it in their possession. The consent letter must specify the parents or guardians address and telephone number. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers work to locate missing children; that's why they might ask you questions about the children traveling with you.

Secondary inspections at the airport

At any time at a point of entry into Canada, you can be sent to a secondary zone.

Here are the reasons justifying this action:

• To learn more about the reason for your stay;
• To check certain documents;
• To confirm legal custody of children traveling with you;
• To make you pay your taxes;
• To inspect your luggage and goods;
• To count your money.

Item / baggage loss

If the item / baggage has been lost at Quebec Jean-Lesage Airport
Go to the information desk at the airport. You will be told the procedure to follow.

Quebec city Jean-Lesage international airport (YQB)

505, rue Principale
Quebec (Quebec) G2G 0J4

Phone: 418 640-3300
Toll-free : 1 877 769-2700

Montréal-Trudeau international airport (YUL)

7, boulevard Roméo-Vachon N, Dorval (QC) H4Y 1H1

Phone : 514 633-3333
Toll-free : 1 800 465-1213

If the item / luggage was lost on the plane, contact your carrier.
It is recommended that you immediately report the situation to your airline company. The airline is responsible for checked baggage from the check-in counter to the baggage carousel at destination.

Air Canada : 1 888 689-2247

Air France : 1 800 667-2747

Air Inuit : 1 800 361-2965

Air Transat : 1 800 388-5836

American Airlines : 1 800 371-4771

Delta Airlines : 1 888 880-3412

Porter Airlines : 1 416 619-8584

Pascan : 1 888 313-8777

Sunwing Airlines : 1 877 877-1755 (3) 

United Airlines : 1 800 335-2247

WestJet : 1 866 666-6224

To learn all about eTA, visit the Government of Canada's website.

Summary

Who is the eTA for?

• Any traveler who is not of Canadian nationality.
• Any traveler arriving by plane in Canada (train, boat and car excluded).

eTA fees

The eTA costs only CAD $ 7 per person. It is valid for five years and is linked to your passport number.

How to get your eTA?

Apply

You will need...

• Your valid passport (Your valid passport (the validity period of the passport must be at least six months after the end of your stay);
• A payment method (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Visa debit card, JCB or Visa prepaid card);
• An email address to receive your notification;
• A printer.

Extract from the article: Québec Cité, "The Best Time to Visit Québec City"

In Quebec, like everywhere in Canada, the official currency is the Canadian dollar. Credit cards are accepted in the vast majority of businesses.

Order Canadian dollars from your bank

Contact your bank a few weeks before your stay to order Canadian dollars.

Get Canadian dollars from exchange offices

Currency exchange offices generally offer lower rates than banks.

Check with Devises Étrangères Québec.

Quebec taxes

• QST = 9.975 %: this tax is added to the price excluding taxes.
  
• GST = 5 %: this tax is added to the price excluding taxes.
  

How to calculate the taxes?

In Quebec, the price displayed in various businesses does not include taxes. You must therefore add 14.975 % to the price displayed in store.

For example :
In a store, a book is displayed at $ 25;
Add the QST, i.e. 9.975 % ($ 2.49);
Add the GST, or 5 % ($ 1.25);
When you pay at the checkout, the price of the book will therefore be $ 28.74 with taxes.

Tax on lodging

In Quebec, as in many other places in the world, a tax on lodging will be required. It is 3 % of the price of the night, if the length of your stay is less than 32 consecutive nights at the same place.

In case of a credit card loss

Procedure to follow

• In case of loss or theft, cancel the card in question and contact the appropriate card provider as soon as possible.
• When you call, have your personal information to identify yourself and the credit card number on hand. If the card is linked to a joint account, inform the second cardholder about the situation as soon as possible. 
• If you have been the victim of theft, call 911 to report the event. Keep all copies of police reports.
  
  

VISA

Canada: 1 800 847-2911

MASTERCARD

Canada: 1 800 307-7309

AMERICAN EXPRESS

Canada: 1 800 668-2639

Quebec's National Holiday : June 24

This is when the province of Quebec is celebrated. Several festive events are organized in different regions of Quebec.

Canada Day: July 1

Several activities are organized across the regions. In Quebec City, festivities take place on the Dufferin Terrace and on the Plains of Abraham.

March 17: St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is a Christian holiday that celebrates the patron saint of Ireland. In the 19^th century, several Irish people lived in Quebec and today, many Quebecers have Irish origins.

April 1: April Fool's Day

Day where we make hoaxes, jokes, pranks to our friends and families. Important celebration in Quebec schools.

2^nd Sunday in May: Mother's Day

On this day, moms are honored.

3^rd Sunday in June: Father's Day

On this day, dads are honored.

Last 2 weeks of July: Construction holidays

All construction workers in Quebec are on vacation.

October 31: Halloween 

The children, generally in costume, go from house to house in their neighborhood, asking for candys. Parties are organized in several houses, bars and restaurants for the occasion, and people are invited to dress up.

November 11: Remembrance Day 

Day in honor of fallen soldiers.

December 26: Boxing day

Sales day in Quebec.

In Quebec, tips are cultural. For a good service, we will generally leave 15 % of the price of the bill. Tipping is not mandatory, but not leaving it will be considered dissatisfaction on your part.

A cultural practice

It is important to note that in Quebec, tips are not included on the invoice, even if they constitute a major part of the income of certain employees. Indeed, tipping is so common that “tip employees” receive a lower minimum wage.

The tip received when paying by credit card is automatically given to the employee concerned.

How much to give?

• Restaurants / bars: If satisfied, 15 % or more of the invoice amount
• Restaurant delivery person: 10 %
• Grocery delivery person: $1 to $2
• Taxi driver: 10 % of the price of the trip
• Tourist guide: depending on the activity

Of course, you do not have to do so if you are dissatisfied with the service provided.

Quebecers are extremely attached to the French language and make great efforts to preserve and promote it. Quebec is the only province in Canada with French as an official language. French is the symbol of belonging to Quebec society.

Moreover, in Quebec, laws have been adopted to affirm the Francophone identity, protect language rights, promote the development of the French language and guarantee the English-speaking minority the use of its language and of its institutions.

Historically, the basis of Quebec French is the popular French of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Originally, the settlers came from different regions and spoke several dialects. Quebecois and French languages are as distant from each other as American and English. Also, you should know that Quebecers use a lot of anglicisms.