Migration: United States will require a health declaration from all passengers flying to the country starting November 3
Passengers on all international flights bound for the United States will have to present an individual sworn health declaration starting Tuesday, as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) controls in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The requirement will begin at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and will remain in effect until December 18, unless officially modified. The order was published on October 22 and amended on October 28, according to information released on Monday.
The document, called an “attestation” in English, certifies that the passenger has not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the 21 days before the flight. It applies regardless of nationality or reason for travel: U.S. citizens, permanent residents, tourists, students, workers and minors, as well as travelers merely connecting through a U.S. airport — such as a Dominican traveler flying from Santo Domingo to Canada with a stop in Miami — and crews of commercial, private and cargo aircraft.
Airlines are responsible for distributing and collecting the declaration before boarding, and may build it into their electronic check-in platforms. They must keep the documents for at least 42 days. Anyone who does not present the declaration may be denied boarding, unless they hold a valid exception.
Anyone who has been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo within that period may not travel to the United States while the restriction lasts, unless they hold an authorized exception: the day the person leaves the Congo counts as “day zero,” and they may fly again starting on day 22. Limited exceptions exist for authorized medical transfers and special situations approved for humanitarian or government reasons.
The declaration does not replace a passport, a U.S. visa or ESTA authorization when required, and it does not mean there is an outbreak in the Dominican Republic: it is a preventive control applied to all international flights to the United States, regardless of country of origin. For minors, a parent or guardian may complete and sign the document, but an individual declaration is required for each passenger.
According to the CDC report updated October 30, the outbreak, associated with the Bundibugyo virus, totaled 10,305 confirmed cases and 4,996 deaths, of which 10,274 cases were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The agency said the overall risk to travelers and the U.S. population remains low and that no cases from the outbreak had been confirmed on U.S. territory. Passengers are advised to confirm with their airline how to complete the form before boarding.
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Source: Últimas Noticias en RD