> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thecontrail.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Flying to the US After Nov. 3? You'll Have to Sign an Ebola Form First - URL: https://www.thecontrail.org/ebola-declaration-us-flights/ - Published: 2026-10-29T17:54:22.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-29T17:54:22.000Z - Description: Every passenger on an international flight to the US, including Americans, will soon have to sign a form saying they haven't been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. No form, no boarding. What you'll need to do, and why airlines are pushing back. - Author: Zach Benitez - Tags: News, Ebola There's a new Ebola declaration for US flights, and almost everyone flying into the country will have to sign it. Starting with flights that leave after 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Nov. 3, every passenger on an international flight to the US will have to confirm they haven't been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the past 21 days. That includes US citizens and green card holders, people who are only connecting through the US and passengers on private jets. Airlines will collect the forms before boarding, and anyone who doesn't sign one won't be allowed on the plane. The CDC announced the rule last week, and the airline industry is now asking it to think again. --- ## Latest Updates **Thursday, Oct. 29:** The two biggest airline groups have asked the CDC to reconsider the rule. In separate letters reported by Reuters, the International Air Transport Association, which represents more than 370 airlines worldwide, said it was unreasonable to expect airlines to collect a form from every passenger and crew member in less than two weeks. Airlines for America, whose members include Delta, United, American and Southwest, called the plan unworkable and asked for a "more proportionate and measured" response. So far, the Nov. 3 start date hasn't changed. We'll update this page if it does. ## Know Before You Fly New rules, forms and fees that could catch you at the airport, explained in plain English. Free in your inbox. Get Contrail Free Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. --- ## What You'll Have to Do The form itself is short. You're confirming that you haven't been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as the DRC, at any point in the 21 days before your flight. A connection through a DRC airport counts even if you never left the plane, but flying over the country doesn't. Every traveler needs their own form, so a family of four signs four. A parent or guardian can sign for anyone under 18\. The CDC wants airlines to collect the forms at check-in or the gate at your last airport before the US, and they can do it on paper, with a digital signature or with a simple checkbox, so expect it to show up in your airline's app or at the counter rather than as something you fill out ahead of time. Airlines have to check every form before boarding and turn away anyone without one. The rule covers every international flight into the US, including flights from airports in Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean where you clear US customs before you fly. It's set to run until Dec. 18 unless the CDC ends or changes it sooner, which means it covers the entire Thanksgiving travel rush. For most travelers, the practical advice is simple. Leave a little extra time at check-in for the first few days, since airlines and airport staff will be working out a new process, and make sure everyone in your group knows they need to sign their own form. Flying to the US ยท New rule The Ebola form, explained 21 days You'll confirm you haven't been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in that timeOne form per traveler, signed before boarding EveryoneIncluding US citizens, green card holders and people connecting through the US Nov. 3 to Dec. 18Flights leaving after 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 3, unless the CDC changes it No form, no boardingParents sign for kids under 18\. Expect it at check-in or in your airline's app Contrail --- ## Why the CDC Is Doing This The rule is the latest step in the US response to an Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which spread undetected for months before it was declared in May. It kills about half the people it infects, and there's no approved treatment or vaccine for it. Africa's public health agency has confirmed about 4,700 deaths so far. The US already restricts travel from the region. In May, the CDC barred foreign passengers who had been in the DRC in the previous three weeks from flying to the US, and in July it extended that to US citizens. The new form is meant to enforce those rules at the airport, putting every traveler on record before they board. That's also the heart of the airlines' complaint. Airlines for America pointed out that of the roughly 130 million air passengers screened by US Customs and Border Protection last year, fewer than 25,000 had any connection to the DRC. Airlines say asking every passenger to sign a form to catch that small group is costly and burdensome, and that changing check-in systems, adding digital signatures and training staff worldwide can't be done properly in two weeks. They've also asked for exemptions for crew members, the US military and off-duty airline staff riding in the cockpit jumpseat. For now, plan on signing the form. If the CDC delays or softens the rule before Nov. 3, it'll most likely be because of the pressure airlines are putting on it this week.