U.S. Now Requires Ebola Attestation For Flights From Abroad — How To Complete It And Who Can Be Denied Boarding

Flying to the U.S. from abroad now requires an Ebola attestation. You have to confirm that you haven’t been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the previous 21 days before boarding your flight even if you’ve never been anywhere near Africa. An internal American Airlines memo explains how they’re collecting it, including what happens when a kiosk sends you to your phone and what to do if you can’t use the app. For most passengers, this is another check-in step. For someone who’s recently been to Congo, it can mean being unable to board a flight home even with a U.S. passport. The federal requirement took effect for flights departing for the United States at or after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 3, 2026. It applies across airlines, including foreign airlines. You provide a declaration about recent travel history. That’s it – there’s no Ebola test or vaccination certificate. U.S. citizens, foreign visitors and green card holders are covered. Passengers merely connecting through the United States are covered, too. Departures from airports with U.S. immigration preclearance still count. Domestic flights aren’t covered. U.S. territories aren’t foreign countries under this rule, so a nonstop flight from Puerto Rico to the mainland doesn’t trigger it. The form requires an attestation for each individual, including children. A parent or another authorized representative can complete it for a child or someone unable to do it themselves. The current order runs through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 18, 2026. The March 31, 2027 date printed on the form is the expiration of its paperwork approval, not the scheduled end of the travel requirement. How To Complete It On American Airlines American’s October 30 internal advisory lays out the airport procedures. Use the app or aa.com during check-in. The app requires you to complete the attestation before you can finish checking in. Once submitted, American adds a completion marker to your reservation. Don’t expect the kiosk to collect it. American says kiosks don’t support attestation collection. They’ll display a QR code directing you to the mobile app, and you’ll need to finish the attestation before completing kiosk check-in. No working phone? Ask for paper. American allows passengers to bring a completed paper form or request one at the airport. You can download the official fillable form here. An agent can also record a verbal attestation. You must first review the attestation wording. The agent then asks you to confirm your travel history and records that you reviewed the language and attested. Both American’s memo and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s instructions permit this. For paper, enter the name, select the appropriate option for yourself or someone you’re authorized to represent, and sign and date it. Read both pages and give the completed form to the airline. American must retain completed paper attestations for 42 days. If the app won’t let you proceed, ask an agent to check whether the attestation is recorded. American calls the completion marker ADOC. Ideally complete this before heading to the airport. If the technology fails, ask for the paper form. If You’ve Been To Congo, The Form Can Stop Your Trip The question is whether you’ve been physically present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not whether you feel healthy or believe you were exposed. Even a connection at a Congolese airport counts, including a stop where you stayed on the aircraft. The State Department confirms that U.S. citizens are also barred from boarding commercial flights to the United States during the waiting period. Limited government exemptions exist, including authorized medical transport and limited humanitarian cases. The calendar calculation is easy to mess up: Day 0: The day you leave Congo. Days 1–21: The full calendar days you remain outside the country. Day 22: The first day you can board a flight to the United States, assuming you meet other entry requirements. Leave Congo on November 1, for instance, and the first eligible boarding date is November 23. The CDC illustrates the waiting period this way: Uganda and South Sudan have separate rules. Under the current entry restrictions, non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. nationals, including green card holders, who’ve recently been in either country must also wait outside the United States. U.S. citizens and nationals who’ve been there, but not Congo, can return through New York JFK, Washington Dulles or Atlanta for public health screening. Airport connections count for these rules as well. How Serious Is The Ebola Outbreak? The CDC’s November 3 update, reporting data through November 1 lists 10,563 confirmed cases and 5,130 confirmed deaths almost all in Congo which is the second-largest Ebola outbreak recorded. Outbreak Cases Deaths 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic About 28,600 reported About 11,300 2018–2020 Congo outbreak 3,470 reported 2,287 2026 outbreak, through November 1 10,563 confirmed 5,130 confirmed he current outbreak also passed 1,000 confirmed cases within 40 days of response activation; the 2018 outbreak took about 235 days. Conflict, weak health services and difficulty tracing contacts have helped it spread. Kenya and Nigeria reported imported cases in October. Ebola is extremely serious if you become infected, but the risk of becoming infected is low. The CDC reports no U.S. cases associated with this outbreak and considers introduction into the United States very unlikely. (But they aren’t always right about these things…) Ebola spreads through infected blood and other body fluids. It’s not airborne and it isn’t believed to spread by pre-symptomatic people. Taking a flight with someone exposed to Ebola isn’t going to get you sick. You need exposure to their fluids. Then illness can progress from fever, aches and fatigue to severe vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and organ failure. The outbreak’s reported fatality rate has been around half (but probably overstates things because those dying of Ebola wind up as identified cases, while many who don’t die likely to do not). When 2021 Ebola travel restrictions were put in place, there were approved vaccines and antibody treatments. Those were for the Zaire type of Ebola while this is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which there’s no approved vaccine or specific treatment. How Much Will The Attestation Help? Ebola can take up to 21 days to cause symptoms. Someone can be infected, feel well and pass a temperature check while still incubating the disease. Waiting after leaving the outbreak country gives that infection time to become apparent before a U.S. flight. During the earlier epidemic, about 38,000 travelers received enhanced assessments at U.S. ports of entry. One was later diagnosed with Ebola who had no symptoms when he arrived and reported his illness afterward. A declaration’s effectiveness depends on truthful reporting. Requiring three weeks of extra time outside the United States creates an incentive for untruthful reporting. What To Do If You’re Restricted From Flying If you’re barred because of recent travel to an affected country, the Transportation Department’s October 28 enforcement notice preserves passenger protections: For a communicable-disease travel refusal, the passenger can choose qualifying rebooking within 90 days without penalty at the original applicable fare, or a refund for unused flights. A required significant itinerary change, such as rerouting for health screening, triggers a refund if you decline the changed trip. The separate public health travel restriction rules provide transferable credits valid for at least five years. You select the applicable refund or credit remedy, rather than collect both. If you’re refused travel on this basis, get it in writing. The airline must provide that explanation within 10 days of your request. Topics on this page