§269 Bills of Health

Summary

Ships leaving a foreign port for a U.S. port must get two copies of a bill of health from a U.S. consular officer or a U.S. medical officer chosen by the Surgeon General. The Surgeon General decides the form and the health rules. The President names which ports must have a medical officer. The bill of health must describe the ship’s sanitary history and say it followed the health rules. The officer who issues it must believe the statements are true. The consular officer may charge fees set by regulation. One original bill goes to the customs collector at the port of entry and one copy goes to quarantine officers at inspection. Certified bills count as ship’s papers and can be used in U.S. courts. The Surgeon General makes rules to keep ships, cargo, passengers, and crews sanitary before, during, and after the voyage, including inspections, disinfection, or quarantine. Vessels between certain nearby foreign and U.S. ports named by treaty are excluded. A ship may not unload cargo or let passengers ashore without a quarantine officer’s certificate saying the rules were followed; the master must give that certificate and the original bill to customs after a satisfactory inspection at the quarantine station during its operating hours.