The US has a new entry requirement for all air passengers

Andrew D'Amours Flytrippers cofounder

The United States has a new entry requirement for all entries by air since last night, but it’s temporary. And it’s just a new, simple attestation to fill out in response to the Ebola outbreak. So it’s really very minor and absolutely doesn’t deserve the dramatic clickbait that many seem to be trying to make out of it.

Our annual April Fools’ joke was that the country would require a visa for Canadian travelers, and it got quite the reaction because it’s Trump (yet it’s actually the European Union that’s going to require that soon, even if it’s again going to be postponed).

Yesterday night’s change isn’t a visa requirement to fill out or anything of the sort. Flytrippers helps you travel for less with our 3 types of content, namely flight deals, travel rewards, and tips/inspiration/news.

Here are the details of the new US entry requirement.

What are entry requirements and the Ebola outbreak?

Countries have entry requirements… and these can change at any time. That’s why checking country entry rules is literally the only mandatory step to take for every trip.

This particular Ebola outbreak started in May, mainly in 3 African countries: DR Congo, South Sudan, Uganda.

Flytrippers had already shared that Canada imposes a 21-day quarantine on anyone who has stayed in one of the 3 countries in the previous 21 days.

(Except for Kevin, the other Flytrippers co-founder, who’s actually going to South Sudan this month, these aren’t particularly popular destinations!)

But this entry requirement added by the United States is for all travelers.

What is the new US entry requirement?

Here’s the United States’ new requirement:

• In response to the Ebola outbreak
  • Only in the DR Congo
• New attestation to fill out
  • To confirm you haven’t been in that country
  • In the 21 days before your entry into the US
• Effective since November 3 at 11:59 PM
  • Until December 18, 2026
  • But it could be extended
• Mandatory to enter the United States
  • Rather to be able to board a flight to the US
  • Airlines are the ones in charge of checking
  • As is almost always the case
• Transits count as an entry into the United States
  • As always, there are no sterile transits in the US
• For all air passengers
  • Regardless of nationality
  • Regardless of the country you’re arriving from

As I had seen in June, the US CDC had already posted notices in a very rudimentary way in the arrival halls of US airports (including the NEXUS lane to speed up the process as a savvy traveler).

The new attestation just formalizes that a bit better.

Also, if you’ve entered Canada since May, you know that the question about affected countries was also added to the declaration form here.

It’s just that here, we don’t call it a new attestation and nobody really cares.

How to fill out the new attestation required by the United States?

The airline is going to have you fill out the attestation, during your online check-in (or in person if you incredibly don’t do that online yet).

I just got back from 2 trips to the United States in October, but I don’t plan on going back before my usual trip to Miami for Art Basel in a few weeks, so I won’t be able to show you exactly what this attestation will look like before then.

But it’s likely to be super simple, like any online form. The Air Canada site mentions that it’s going to appear directly during online check-in.

So it’ll probably be very similar to the screen where you check a box to confirm you don’t have dangerous goods in your baggage, and that’s pretty much it.

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Summary

The United States is adding an entry requirement for all air passengers, which is simply to fill out an attestation stating that you haven’t visited the African country most affected by the Ebola outbreak, which is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

What would you like to know about the new US entry requirement? Tell us in the comments below.

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Featured image: Nexus Global entry (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)