US Mandates New Travel Declaration Form for All International Arrivals

As of November 4, 2026, the United States has implemented a new mandatory travel declaration requirement for all international arrivals. This protocol applies to all passengers traveling to the U.S., including those connecting through U.S. airports to other destinations. The policy, communicated by major carriers like Emirates, mandates that every traveler must provide an accurate, signed confirmation regarding their travel history over the previous 21 days.

The specific focus of this declaration is to confirm whether the passenger has visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) within the three weeks prior to boarding. This measure is a response to evolving international health safety protocols. It is essential for travelers to understand that this is not a general customs form, but a targeted compliance document. Failure to provide a completed and signed declaration may result in the inability to complete check-in procedures or boarding.

This requirement impacts all passengers—both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals—boarding any international flight destined for or transiting through the United States. It applies to all travelers regardless of their visa status or nationality.

Makutet observes that this implementation reflects a trend toward more granular, pre-arrival health and security screening in the U.S. aviation sector. We anticipate that as global geopolitical and health risks shift, the use of digital or mandatory paper-based declarations will likely become a standard, if occasionally fluctuating, layer of the international check-in process. Travelers should expect similar "pre-clearance" style hurdles to become more frequent as domestic regulations increasingly rely on passenger-led disclosures.