New US Travel Attestation: Who Needs It and How to Complete It

British Airways passengers can use the airline's travel attestation form. Its 72-hour window is an airline instruction; follow your own carrier's timing rather than applying that deadline to every US flight.

If your airline directs you to a paper version, the official CDC attestation PDF includes options for completing the declaration for yourself or on someone else's behalf.

To complete that version:

1. Enter your name as the traveler or authorized representative.

2. Select the appropriate declaration. If acting for another traveler, enter their name in the relevant field.

3. Print the signer's name, sign and date the form.

4. Present it through the process specified by the airline.

Each traveler needs their own attestation record, including children booked on the same reservation. Keep a copy for convenience if you wish; the airline is responsible for retaining the official record.

What if you have recently been in the DRC?

Contact your airline before going to the airport if you have been in the DRC during the relevant 21-day period. You cannot truthfully sign the standard declaration, and travel on a commercial US-bound flight is restricted unless an applicable government exemption has been issued.

Airport transit in the DRC counts, even if you stayed inside the terminal or remained aboard the aircraft. Simply flying over the country without landing does not count as presence under the form's definition.

The CDC counts the departure date from the DRC as Day 0, followed by 21 full calendar days outside the country. Boarding may begin on Day 22, subject to all other travel requirements. Share your exact departure date and itinerary with the airline when discussing rebooking.

Recent travel to Uganda or South Sudan is covered by separate US public-health measures. If either country appears in your recent itinerary, raise that travel history with the airline too; the DRC declaration does not cover every applicable restriction.

How long will the requirement remain in place?

The amended order is currently scheduled to remain in effect through 11:59 p.m. EST on December 18, 2026. It can be modified, withdrawn or extended, so use the airline's current instructions for travel around or after that date.

The March 31, 2027 expiration date printed on the form is an administrative form-approval date. It is not the scheduled end date of this travel order.

Prepare your documents before leaving for the airport

Complete the airline's declaration process while you have time to resolve a missing form or a separate attestation for a child. Save your itinerary and essential documents offline so you can show them without relying on a connection.

Keep arrival preparation separate: the USA airport customs guide covers what you bring into the country, while the attestation concerns your recent travel history.

If you want mobile data for airline notifications and onward arrangements after landing, compare the best eSIM options for the USA before departure.