Every air passenger to the US must sign an Ebola declaration from 3 November

Everyone flying into the United States from abroad will have to sign a short health statement before boarding, starting on the night of Tuesday 3 November. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the order on 22 October to reduce the risk of Ebola reaching the country by air. You confirm that you have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the 21 days before your flight, which the CDC says is the longest incubation period for the virus.

Who has to sign

The order covers "all air passengers boarding a flight to the United States from any foreign country, including U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders)", the CDC says. Passengers who are only changing planes at a US airport on the way somewhere else must sign too, and so must passengers on flights from airports with US preclearance.

It applies to flights departing for the US at or after 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time on 3 November. That is 4:59am on 4 November in London, 5:59am in Paris and 1:59pm in Tokyo.

How it will work

Airlines are responsible for collecting the statement, on paper or digitally, and must keep it for 42 days. The CDC recommends doing it at check-in or at the gate at the last foreign airport before the US, and encourages airlines to add it to their check-in websites and apps, so expect an extra question when you check in online. The form is in English only for now, though airlines may translate it.

Each passenger completes their own. A parent, guardian or other authorised adult signs for anyone under 18, and a family member or travel companion can sign for someone whose disability prevents them. "Passengers who do not sign an attestation will not be allowed to board a flight to the United States," the CDC says, and the Department of Justice may prosecute anyone who knowingly makes a false statement.

The rules already in force

The declaration adds to Ebola measures the US has applied since May. Anyone who has been in the DRC in the 21 days before departure, US citizens included, cannot board a flight to the US, even if their plane only stopped at an airport there. Non-US citizens, green-card holders among them, who have been in Uganda or South Sudan in that period cannot enter. US citizens coming from those two countries can, but their travel is rerouted to Washington Dulles, Atlanta or New York JFK for health screening, according to the CDC. The entry suspension was extended on 9 October for another 30 days, BAL Immigration News reported.

If you have been in the DRC, the CDC says you can return to the US from the 22nd day after you leave. Travellers who left the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan more than 21 days ago and still run into the restrictions can write to Ebola-Travel-HELP@hq.dhs.gov.