New US entry requirements: travel declaration form

One signature or no seat: from November 3, 2026, everyone flying to the United States, including Americans, crew and transit passengers, must confirm they have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 21 days. Who signs, how the form works and what it means for visas.

In detail

What changes for everyone flying to the US

American border rules rarely apply to everyone at once. New requirements usually target a specific visa or nationality. The order that takes effect on November 3, 2026 works differently: it covers every person on every aircraft flying into the United States from abroad. No exception for passport color, whether it is American, German or Brazilian.

The substance fits in one sentence. Before boarding, each person signs a declaration that they have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the past 21 days. No signature, no boarding. Airlines must check the form for every person and refuse to board anyone who has not completed it.

The order comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal public health agency. The first version was signed on October 22, 2026, an amended version on October 28, and the text was published in the Federal Register, the official journal of the US government, on October 30. The amendment replaced the word passenger with person: crew members now sign too, including crew flying as non-working passengers.

Why the US introduced the declaration

The reason is an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the DRC. In 2026, the country reported 9,455 confirmed cases and 4,561 deaths across eight provinces. The incubation period can last up to 21 days: a person can fly while appearing healthy and fall ill after arrival. Hence the 21-day window in the declaration.

This is the second measure. Since May 18, 2026, the US has applied a separate entry ban on foreign nationals who were in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days. On May 22 the exemption for green card holders was removed. The ban is renewed every 30 days, most recently through November 10, 2026. It does not apply to US citizens. The new declaration does.

Who must sign the declaration

The short answer: everyone arriving in the US by air from another country. In detail:

• US citizens and green card holders. They sign just like tourists.
• Tourists and business travelers on a visa or on ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the online visa waiver for citizens of about 40 countries).
• Transit passengers. If you fly from Europe to Mexico with a connection in Miami, you need the form even though the US is not your final destination.
• Children under 18. A parent or another authorized representative signs for them.
• Crew, private and cargo flights.

The declaration does not apply to aircraft that only fly over the US without landing, or to arrivals by land and sea: nobody will ask for it when you drive across the Mexican or Canadian border. The CDC can also grant individual exemptions on humanitarian grounds, such as medical evacuations.

How to complete the US travel declaration form

The form is short. You confirm a single fact: in the 21 days before boarding a flight to the US, you were not in the DRC. You can sign on paper or digitally, including by electronic signature. The CDC encourages airlines to build the form into online check-in, so most travelers will see it right next to the seat map.

• The traveler signs, or a representative does: a parent, guardian or adult companion in the same travel party.
• Airline staff may help enter the data, but responsibility for the signature stays with the traveler.
• The airline keeps a copy for 42 days after departure and hands it to US authorities on request.
• The airline must confirm to the authorities that everyone on board has signed. Otherwise the aircraft is not cleared to disembark passengers at a US airport.

A note on timing. The rule applies to flights departing at or after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC-5) on November 3, 2026, which is 04:59 UTC on November 4. If your flight departs earlier, no form is needed.

If you have been in the Congo: the 21-day rule

The count uses calendar days. The day you leave the DRC is day zero, the first full day outside the country is day one, and you may board a flight to the US on day 22. Presence means any physical presence in the country, including a connection at a DRC airport, even if you never left the plane. Overflights do not count.

In practice, that means three weeks in a third country before flying to the US. For foreign nationals who were in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan, that is not enough: the separate entry ban described above also applies, and they will have to wait for it to be lifted.

What happens if you sign a false declaration

American bureaucracy, usually generous with forms, is just as generous with consequences. The declaration is signed under 18 U.S.C. 1001, the federal law on false statements to the government. It is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

• Violating the order itself can bring a fine of up to $100,000 and up to one year in prison for an individual, and up to $200,000 for an airline.
• Anyone who fails to sign or gives false information faces travel delays, denied boarding and denied boarding on future flights.
• The Department of Justice may prosecute at the CDC's request.

The advice is simple: read the whole form, even with 20 minutes to departure and a security line ahead.

Does it affect visas, ESTA or green cards?

The declaration does not replace a visa, ESTA or passport. It sits on top of the usual entry rules. Pending visa or green card applications are not paused because of it, and visas are not cancelled. The order lasts 45 days, until 11:59 p.m. EST on December 18, 2026, but the CDC can extend or change it if the outbreak does not ease.

The wider backdrop is still worth noting for anyone planning a life in the US. In 2026 the country extended social media screening to more visa categories and has been actively revoking visas already issued. We covered what to do in that case in our guide to a revoked US visa, and the new requirements for students and researchers in our review of new US visa rules.

Which legal routes to the US work in 2026

The declaration is a matter of one trip. For anyone seriously considering life in the US, the status you enter with matters far more. The main routes:

How the Trump Gold Card compares with the classic routes is in our article on the US Gold Card, the overall relocation plan is in our guide on how to move to the US, and how permanent residence turns into a passport is on the US citizenship page.

Our US visa and residence services

We guide clients from choosing a route to receiving a green card, with legal representation before US agencies provided by partners licensed in the United States.

We also help with everything around the visa: opening a US company as a non-resident, choosing between New York, Miami and Los Angeles, and getting the big picture on our United States page.

If the US is not your priority right now: alternatives

If you want North America without American paperwork, look at the neighbors. Mexico grants Mexican residency based on income or savings, and Canada offers Canadian residence through its economic programs. And if the goal is freedom of movement in general, start with our selection of second citizenship options: a passport with visa-free access to dozens of countries solves more than any single visa.

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