US to Require Health Declaration From All International Flyers
A CDC order signed on October 22 will oblige every passenger on a flight to the US to state they have not been in the DRC in the past 21 days. It applies from November 3.
Every passenger boarding an international flight bound for the United States will have to complete a health declaration before flying. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed the order on October 22, 2026. It takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 3.
The rule is part of Washington's response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. Since May 2026, the US has tightened travel measures step by step, beginning with entry restrictions on certain travellers who had recent ties to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan.
Who has to sign
The new attestation goes further than those restrictions. It covers all international passengers, whatever their travel history or nationality. US citizens, foreign nationals and people who only connect through a US airport on the way to another country must all comply. Travellers leaving Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Belgium, Switzerland and other countries outside Africa are subject to it as well.
The form is titled "Passenger Disclosure and Attestation to the United States of America". On it, each traveller certifies not having been physically present in the DRC at any time in the 21 days before the flight. US authorities have clarified that passing through a Congolese airport counts as presence, even if the traveller never left the aircraft or the terminal. Flying over the DRC without landing does not trigger the requirement.
The declaration can be filed on paper or digitally, with a handwritten or electronic signature. For passengers under 18, a parent or another authorised adult may fill it in and sign.
What airlines must do
Carriers carry much of the responsibility. An airline that lets a passenger board without a properly completed and signed attestation violates the CDC directive. Airlines must keep copies of all submitted forms for at least 42 days after each flight lands in the US, and they are encouraged to build the declaration into online check-in.
Travellers who have been in the DRC within the 21-day window, American citizens included, are already barred from boarding commercial flights to the US under existing restrictions. The attestation is meant to enforce that across all passengers instead of relying only on itinerary checks. It sits on top of current entry requirements such as an ESTA or a valid visa.
The measure is set to stay in place until December 18, 2026. The CDC keeps the right to amend, lift or extend it depending on how the outbreak develops. Limited exemptions may be granted for emergency medical evacuations and certain humanitarian situations.
Source: Legit.ng