Immigration authorities instruct all incoming passengers to file online forms within 24 hours of arrival amid global Ebola alert.
NEW DELHI, India — The Bureau of Immigration has made the Air Suvidha Self-Declaration Form compulsory for every international passenger entering India, warning travellers that submission is strictly mandatory regardless of nationality or travel background.
The directive applies universally to Indian passport holders, Overseas Citizen of India cardholders, and foreign nationals. Passengers must fill out the form online through the official civil aviation portal within 24 hours prior to landing in India, ideally completing the process before boarding during web check-in.
India strengthened arrival protocols after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026. The upgraded Air Suvidha 2.0 system integrates flight manifests, travel itineraries, and health declarations across immigration desks, port health officers, and national disease surveillance units.
Travellers must provide personal identification, visa records where applicable, flight seat details, a verified residential address in India, and an exact foreign transit history spanning the preceding 21 days. The portal requires one-time password verification via active mobile numbers and email addresses before passengers can complete the screening questionnaire covering potential Ebola exposure and symptoms such as fever or unexplained bleeding.
Airlines and immigration officials recommend keeping a downloaded digital or printed copy of the submission acknowledgement accessible throughout the trip. Passengers arriving at Indian airports may be directed to present the document at dedicated International Travel Health Desks, where Airport Port Health Officers will conduct secondary screenings for individuals identified through the system.
The Bureau of Immigration confirmed the service is entirely free of charge and hosted exclusively on the official government portal (airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in). Passengers arriving without prior submission will face mandatory processing by ground health personnel, which authorities cautioned will trigger immigration clearance delays.
