Traveling to the United States on or after November 3, 2026? You must fulfil a new health requirement and declare your travel history before entering the US. To keep the US borders safe from the rising Ebola cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an entry requirement for all international arrivals. The USA’s new health and travel history declaration rule applies to inbound travelers regardless of nationality, visa type, itinerary, and travel origin.
When airline passengers to USA must submit an Ebola declaration?
Amid the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, the new CDC rule for inbound travelers will take effect at 11:59 pm ET on November 3, which corresponds to 10.39 am IST on November 4. If you are traveling to or through the United States, you must submit the declaration before boarding a US-bound flight at the departure airport in the country of travel origin.
Who need to submit the declaration prior to traveling to USA?
The US travel requirement is compulsory for anyone flying to or through the United States. Americans returning from an international trip, and foreign nationals visiting USA for any purpose are required to submit the declaration that they have not been to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) within 21 days before boarding flights to USA.
How to declare your health and travel history to the US CDC?
The CDC places the onus of collecting US-bound travelers’ Ebola health and travel declaration on airlines. Precisely, airlines are responsible for checking passengers’ declarations with attestation, effective 11:59 pm ET on November 3.
The declaration method may vary depending on airlines. Some airlines may integrate a digital declaration form into their web check-in process, requiring passengers to check a box if they have not visited or travelled through the DRC within 21 days prior to flying to the US. Some airlines may ask passengers to fill out a paper form and attest their declaration with a signature.
The CDC directed all airlines to keep a copy of passenger declarations for 42 days after their international flights land at US airports. Airlines must provide this data to the US government on request, along with passenger names, PNRs, itineraries, travel dates, and contact details.
FAQs
My parents are traveling to USA on November 5. Can I submit the declaration on behalf of them?
Yes, you can. Not only for parents, but also a traveler under 18 years of age, you can submit a signed declaration in paper or online. Your parents must provide the airline with a physical or digital copy of the declaration signed and submitted by you on their behalf.
