Brazil Ebola Form for São Paulo and Rio Flights Nov 3

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BRAZIL · TRAVEL RULES

Every passenger flying from Brazil to the United States must sign an Ebola form from the night of Tuesday 3 November 2026. The Brazil Ebola form covers US citizens and Brazilians alike, and airlines must refuse boarding without it.

Brazil is not singled out, because the same rule applies to flights from every foreign country. This guide shows which Brazil departures are covered, what you sign and what to do at the airport.

What the Brazil Ebola Form Is

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal health agency, ordered the form on 22 October 2026. Its parent department, Health and Human Services (HHS), signed an amended order on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

The order requires an attestation, which is a short signed statement, from everyone boarding a flight to the United States. For a traveler leaving Brazil, that means one extra step at check-in or at the gate.

The statement says you were not in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), a Central African country, in the 21 days before boarding. Most travelers on the Brazil Ebola form have never been there and can sign at once.

Which Flights From Brazil Are Covered

The Brazil Ebola form rule starts at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday 3 November 2026. By our conversion, that is 1:59 a.m. on Wednesday 4 November in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Brasília.

Manaus, which is one hour behind Brasília time, reaches the same moment at 12:59 a.m. on Wednesday 4 November. Our note on the time difference between Brazil and the US explains the two-hour gap that began on 1 November.

A flight that leaves São Paulo-Guarulhos on the evening of Tuesday 3 November departs before the start and is not covered. The same flight on Wednesday 4 November is covered, so expect the Brazil Ebola form on every return trip that week.

Travelers who only change planes in the United States on the way to a third country must sign too. The CDC says this applies whether or not they leave the aircraft.

Who Must Sign and How

The order covers all people boarding a flight into or through the United States, including citizens, nationals and lawful permanent residents. It also covers crew on passenger and cargo flights.

A parent, guardian, travel companion or other authorized adult may sign for a child under 18 or for anyone unable to sign. One adult can attest for a whole traveling party, but the airline must still hold a record for each person.

The form can be on paper or digital, and the CDC accepts a physical signature, a digital signature or an electronic checkbox. A verbal attestation is allowed if the agent records it and the system creates a unique electronic record.

The CDC says Spanish and French versions will follow as soon as they are available. A Portuguese version was not announced, but airlines may translate the form and carry the responsibility for the translation.

What to Do Before You Fly

Check your airline’s app or website a day or two before departure, because each airline chooses how it presents the Brazil Ebola form. If you can fill it in online, save a screenshot or print a copy and keep it with your passport.

Arrive at the airport a little earlier than usual on your first trips under the rule. The airline must confirm at or shortly before boarding that every person has completed the form.

If you were in DR Congo within the past 21 days, you cannot board a US-bound flight yet. Day 0 is the day you left, and you may board from Day 22 if all other requirements are met.

A stop at any Congolese airport counts as being in the country, even if you never left the plane. Do not sign a statement you know to be untrue, because the order ties it to a federal false-statement law.

Why the United States Acts Now

The CDC says the outbreak of Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola virus, is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. Its situation summary counts 10,305 confirmed cases and 4,996 deaths as of 28 October 2026, with 10,274 cases in DR Congo.

The same summary lists 9 cases in Kenya, 1 in Nigeria, 20 in Uganda and 1 in France, and none in Brazil. It reports no case linked to this outbreak in the United States and calls the risk to the American public low.

Ebola can take up to 21 days to show symptoms, so a traveler can board a plane while looking healthy. The order says airport screening alone would not address that risk, which is why it relies on a signed statement.

Our report on the Congo outbreak passing 10,000 cases tracks the numbers behind the order. The CDC also keeps travel health notices for DR Congo, Uganda and Kenya on its Ebola pages.

What Prediction Markets Say

On Polymarket, a crypto-based market, bettors give an Ebola pandemic in 2026 a 2.6% chance, with about US$809,600 traded (1 November, 7:04 a.m. ET). On Kalshi, a market regulated in the US, the same question stood at 5% that morning.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

These are bets, not polls, and the question covers the whole year. It says nothing about how long the CDC order will last.

What It Means for You

If you fly from Brazil to the United States on or after Wednesday 4 November, plan for one extra signature on the Brazil Ebola form. Brazilian citizens, US citizens and visitors all follow the same steps.

The Brazil Ebola form does not replace your travel documents, so check those first. US citizens have needed a Brazilian e-visa since 10 April 2025, and our Brazil e-visa guide explains how to apply.

Penalties for skipping the form fall mainly on the airline, which can lose its permission to disembark passengers at a US airport. For you, the result is delay or denied boarding, and a false statement can bring federal criminal penalties.

Use the same care in the cities where most trips begin. Our São Paulo city guide, Rio de Janeiro city guide and Brazil safety guide help with the rest of your plans.

What Is Not Known

The Brazil Ebola form rule ends on Friday 18 December 2026 unless the CDC rescinds or changes it sooner. Whether it will be extended depends on how the outbreak develops, and no decision on that has been published.

Airlines choose their own way to collect the form, and the CDC has not set one format for flights from Brazil. Expect your carrier’s app, check-in counter or gate agent to handle it, and ask your airline if you are unsure.

The order applies to people who board a flight destined for the United States. If your trip stops in a third country, ask whether the airline collects the form at first check-in or at the connection.

The Amended Order appeared in the Federal Register, the US government’s official daily journal, on 30 October 2026. Check the CDC order page for updates in the days before you fly.

More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need the Brazil Ebola form to fly to the US?

Yes, if your flight leaves Brazil at or after 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 3 November 2026. That is 1:59 a.m. on 4 November in São Paulo.

Does the Brazil Ebola form apply to US citizens?

Yes. The CDC order covers all people boarding a US-bound flight, including US citizens, permanent residents and Brazilians, with only rare exemptions.

How long does the Brazil Ebola form rule last?

The signed order runs until Friday 18 December 2026 unless the CDC rescinds or changes it earlier. No extension has been announced.

Sources: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Order: Requirement for Attestation by All Persons Traveling by Air to the United States, updated 30 October 2026; US Department of Health and Human Services, Amended Order signed by Assistant Secretary for Health Brian Christine (PDF), 28 October 2026; US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Notice of Amended Order, Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 209, page 68518, 30 October 2026; US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola outbreak situation summary, cases as of 28 October 2026; Polymarket and Kalshi, Ebola pandemic 2026 markets, 1 November 2026, 7:04 a.m. ET.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

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