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Starting Nov. 3, passengers and crew on U.S.-bound flights must attest they haven't been in Congo for 21 days

The short answer: From 11:59 p.m. EST on Nov. 3, 2026, everyone boarding a flight to the U.S. from abroad must sign an attestation that they haven't been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the past 21 days, under a CDC order. U.S. citizens are covered too. Airlines must check it before boarding.

A CDC order makes airlines check a signed statement from all U.S.-bound passengers, citizens included. Here's who it covers, how long it lasts and the penalties.

By Published Last updated 15 sources linked
Gloved hands of a customs officer stamping a traveler's passport at an airport inspection booth
A CBP officer stamps a passport at Washington Dulles International Airport in March 2020. File photo; not taken in connection with the Ebola order. Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection / Wikimedia Commons, public domain (cropped) · Public domain (work of the U.S. federal government)

How the left and right covered it

Each outlet is linked. Lean labels are ours.

Left-leaning coverage

Right-leaning coverage

Common ground

  • The Congo outbreak has passed 10,000 confirmed cases, and cases have reached Kenya and Nigeria.
  • The U.S. is adding a pre-boarding check on top of existing entry limits and airport screening.
  • There is no approved vaccine for this Bundibugyo strain; a vaccine trial began Oct. 23.

Updated Oct. 31, 2026: CDC's Oct. 28 Amended Order adds crew members and all aircraft and sets Dec. 18 as the end date; Congo case counts updated to ECDC's Oct. 30 figures.

A CDC order published Oct. 27 requires every passenger boarding a flight to the U.S. from a foreign country to present a signed statement that they haven't been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 21 days before boarding. Airlines can't board anyone without one. It applies to flights departing at or after 11:59 p.m. EST on Nov. 3, 2026. Update, Oct. 31: An Amended Order, signed Oct. 28 and published Oct. 30, changes "passenger" to "person" so crew members must attest too. The notice says that includes any flight arriving in the U.S., cargo flights included, even if the U.S. is only a connection.

Key facts - Starts: flights departing at or after 11:59 p.m. EST, Nov. 3 - Lasts: 45 days, through 11:59 p.m. EST Dec. 18 - Covers: every person on a U.S.-bound international flight, U.S. citizens and crew included - Airlines must check the attestation before boarding and keep a copy 42 days - Outbreak, per ECDC (data to Oct. 28): 10,274 confirmed cases and 4,992 deaths in Congo - Congo update, per its National Institute of Public Health (data to Nov. 1): 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 deaths

Who has to sign it?

Everyone on a flight to the U.S. from abroad, not just people coming from Africa, unless they're exempt. The statement can be on paper or digital. The order counts the 21 days by calendar: the day someone leaves Congo is day 0, and they can board a U.S.-bound flight on day 22.

Does it apply to U.S. citizens?

Yes. CDC's traveler page, updated Oct. 22, says travelers, "including U.S. citizens and nationals," who were in Congo in the past 21 days won't be allowed to board flights to the U.S. CDC advises them to stay outside the U.S. until 21 days have passed.

What other limits are already in place?

A separate CDC order suspends entry for some travelers and runs through 4:59 p.m. EDT Nov. 10, with reviews every 30 days. CDC says non-citizens, green card holders included, who were in Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days can't enter. U.S. citizens arriving from those two countries are sent to Washington Dulles, Atlanta or New York JFK for screening.

When does it end?

The order lasts 45 days, through 11:59 p.m. EST Dec. 18, 2026. The original order gave two end dates (Dec. 18 in its summary, Dec. 17 in its text); the Oct. 28 Amended Order uses Dec. 18 throughout. HHS can amend or end it sooner, and CDC says any extension will depend on case counts, spread and containment.

What are the penalties?

Airlines that don't comply face possible criminal penalties, which the order describes as fines up to $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for organizations and/or up to one year in prison. Passengers who don't comply also face criminal penalties, and lying on the form can be prosecuted under the federal false-statements law, 18 U.S.C. 1001.

Who is exempt?

Flights carrying Ebola patients under U.S. government authorization, and people CDC exempts for humanitarian or important government reasons, such as medical evacuations. CDC can attach conditions, including monitoring or quarantine after arrival. CDC lists Ebola-Travel-HELP@hq.dhs.gov for travelers outside the 21-day window, and the State Department's line is 1-888-407-4747.

How big is the outbreak?

As of data to Oct. 28, Congo had reported 10,274 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo virus disease, including 4,992 deaths, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said Oct. 30. Kenya had nine cases, two of them fatal. Update, Nov. 2: Congo's health ministry, in SitRep No. 169 with data to Oct. 30, gives a provisional cumulative total of 10,414 confirmed cases and 5,058 deaths, and says reconciliation of data from Ituri province is still under way (Congo Ministry of Public Health, in French). Update, Nov. 3: SitRep No. 170, with data to Oct. 31, puts the totals at 10,467 confirmed cases and 5,103 deaths, with 53 new confirmed cases in Ituri, North Kivu and Haut-Uélé, and says the Ituri reconciliation is still being validated (Congo Ministry of Public Health, in French). Update, Nov. 4: SitRep No. 171, with data to Nov. 1 (published Nov. 2), puts the totals at 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 confirmed deaths, a 48.7% fatality rate, with 65 new confirmed cases in North Kivu (39), Ituri (19) and Haut-Uélé (7) and no newly affected health zones (Congo's National Institute of Public Health, in French). The CDC order took effect as scheduled at 11:59 p.m. EST Nov. 3 (10:59 p.m. CT); the Federal Register showed no new Ebola documents through the Nov. 4 issue. Nigeria's one case, a traveler from Uganda, was medically evacuated to Switzerland on Oct. 26, ECDC said Oct. 27. The World Health Organization says there's no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, a vaccine trial began Oct. 23, and it advises against travel and trade restrictions.

How are outlets covering it?

The Guardian frames the Kenya cases as exposing the effects of U.S. global health cuts and a disputed U.S. quarantine center in Kenya, citing experts and advocates it interviewed. The Washington Examiner leads on the outbreak passing 10,000 confirmed cases and spreading to Kenya and Nigeria, in a straight news account. NBC News and the New York Post ran Reuters reports on the new declarations and on Nigeria's case.

Sources

Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources. Written and edited by The Whole Read newsroom under Monsaur Othman's editorial standards. Read how we use AI, our editorial policy and our corrections policy.

Claim-level evidence

  • The order, signed Oct. 22 by Adm. Brian Christine, takes effect for flights departing at or after 11:59 p.m. EST Nov. 3, 2026, and lasts 45 days. source 1
  • The original order's summary said it remains in effect through 11:59 p.m. EST Dec. 18, 2026, and its text said until Dec. 17. The Amended Order signed Oct. 28 (published Oct. 30) says Dec. 18 in both its summary and text, changes 'passenger' to 'person' to cover crew members, and covers any aircraft, including cargo and private aircraft and flights connecting through the U.S.; it still takes effect 11:59 p.m. EST Nov. 3. source 1 · source 2
  • Every non-exempt passenger on an aircraft bound for the U.S. from a foreign country must present a signed paper or digital attestation of no presence in the DRC in the 21 days before boarding; Day 0 is departure from the DRC and boarding is allowed on day 22. source 1
  • Airlines must confirm the attestation before boarding and keep a copy at least 42 days. source 1
  • Airline penalties cited: fines up to $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for organizations and/or up to one year in prison; false statements may be prosecuted under 18 U.S.C. 1001. source 1
  • Exemptions: CDC-authorized transport of Ebola patients, and individuals given CDC exemptions on humanitarian or important government grounds, e.g., medical evacuations. source 1
  • CDC says travelers, including U.S. citizens and nationals, who were in the DRC in the past 21 days will not be allowed to board U.S.-bound flights; non-citizens, including green card holders, who were in Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days cannot enter; U.S. citizens from Uganda or South Sudan are routed to IAD, ATL or JFK for screening. source 1
  • A separate entry-suspension order is in effect through 4:59 p.m. EDT Nov. 10 and is reviewed every 30 days. source 1
  • ECDC, Oct. 30: as of Oct. 29, DRC 10,274 confirmed cases including 4,992 deaths (data to Oct. 28); Nigeria case: 62 contacts under follow-up as of Oct. 29. ECDC, Oct. 29: DRC 10,193 confirmed cases including 4,960 deaths (data to Oct. 27); Kenya 9 cases including 2 deaths (as of Oct. 26). ECDC, Oct. 27: Nigeria's case was medically evacuated to Switzerland Oct. 26. source 1 · source 2 · source 3
  • WHO advises against travel and trade restrictions; no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease; a vaccine trial started Oct. 23. source 1