Entry Rules

USA: every air traveller must now sign a DRC health attestation

FlightProof · 2026-11-08

📌 The short version: From 4 November 2026, every person boarding an international flight to the United States signs an attestation that they have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the previous 21 days. It applies to US citizens, children, infants and crew — not only foreign visitors — and it sits on top of ESTA or a visa.

What the attestation actually is

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the order on 22 October 2026, amended it on 28 October and confirmed it in the Federal Register on 30 October (91 FR 68518). It takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 3 November, so in practice it covers every flight departing from 4 November onward.

It is a statement, not a test and not a certificate: a paper or digital form you hand the airline before boarding, confirming you were not physically present in the DRC — transit included — at any point in the 21 days before the flight. The airline keeps it, and needs a controlled free pratique confirmation for the aircraft.

⚠️ It does not replace anything.

ESTA, a visa or a green card does not exempt you — the order names US citizens and crew explicitly.
It is not proof of onward travel, and it proves nothing at the border.
A false statement is prosecutable under 18 U.S.C. 1001, so the form is not a formality to sign carelessly.

What changes at the airport

The collection point is check-in, before the boarding pass is issued. That matters, because it moves a document check earlier in the journey: if you cannot truthfully sign, you find out at the desk rather than at the gate. Airlines have been briefing staff since the start of November, and some have already published the trigger date on their own entry-regulation pages.

The order was initially described as running through 18 December 2026; the amended version says until rescinded or modified. Treat it as live for any trip you book now, and re-check before you fly.

If you have been in the DRC

You cannot truthfully sign the attestation, and signing it anyway is the one step that turns a travel problem into a legal one. Read the CDC order for the pathways it provides before you book, and build the 21-day window into your routing rather than discovering it at the airport.

The onward question is unchanged

A US border officer still asks how long you are staying and how you are leaving, and airlines still check that you have a way out. The attestation is a health statement about where you have been; it says nothing about where you are going next — which is exactly the document the check-in desk asks for after it.

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Sources: CDC, Order: Requirement for Attestation by All Persons Traveling by Air to the United States (updated 3 and 6 November 2026); Federal Register 91 FR 68518, 30 October 2026; SWISS entry regulations for the USA, November 2026. Rules can change at short notice; confirm with your airline before departure.