The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will require nonexempt passengers on flights arriving in the United States from abroad to attest they have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo within the previous 21 days, adding an Ebola screening step.
The order, dated Oct. 22, 2026, applies to flights departing at or after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 3, 2026. Passengers may submit a signed paper form or a digital version. Airlines must check each attestation before boarding, refuse boarding if it is missing and retain copies for at least 42 days after a flight departs for the United States.
The requirement covers flights that land in the United States even when a passenger is connecting onward to another country. It excludes aircraft that pass through U.S. airspace without landing. The order counts a connection at an airport in the DRC as presence in the country, even if the passenger stays aboard the aircraft.
The form adds to an existing CDC restriction that bars passengers, including U.S. citizens and nationals, from boarding U.S.-bound flights if they have been in the DRC during the previous 21 days. The agency said infected people may not develop symptoms for as long as 21 days, and journeys with several airport stops can complicate efforts to trace possible exposure before arrival.
As of Oct. 21, the CDC reported 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 confirmed deaths in the DRC, along with nine confirmed cases in Kenya and one in Nigeria, which confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola in the outbreak. The agency said no outbreak-linked cases had been reported in the United States and assessed the risk to the American public and travelers as low.
The signed order, issued by Admiral Brian Christine, MD, assistant secretary for health, says the requirement “is needed as a public health measure to protect the health of other travelers and U.S. communities.” Carriers that fail to comply could face criminal penalties, including fines of up to $200,000 for organizations.
The order has a Dec. 18 end date unless the CDC alters or withdraws it before then. The agency says any extension or revision will follow a review of outbreak metrics.
