Message to U.S. Citizens – U.S. Embassy Chisinau, Moldova (April 6, 2020)

Message to U.S. Citizens – U.S. Embassy Chisinau, Moldova (April 6, 2020)

Location: Republic of Moldova

Event: Air Moldova has announced several charter flights to European locations for the purpose of repatriating Moldovan citizens. We understand that U.S. citizens may purchase a ticket on outbound flights to depart Moldova. Moldova announced the flights on the website of the Civil Aviation Authority for the week of April 6-12 and April 13-18. Tickets can be purchased on the Air Moldova website.

Not all of these charter flight airports currently offer connecting flights to the United States and the situation could change without notice. You will need to research your own connecting flights. Some of the airports that currently offer connecting flights, include:

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Chisinau to Frankfurt (FRA)

Departs Chisinau at 13:00

Arrives in Frankfurt at 14:40 local time

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Chisinau to Amsterdam (AMS)

Departs Chisinau at 11:00

Arrives in Amsterdam at 13:00 local time

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Chisinau to Paris (CDG)

Departs Chisinau at 11:00

Arrives in Paris at 13:00 local time

Friday, April 17, 2020

Chisinau to London Stansted (STN)

Departs Chisinau at 13:40

Arrives in London at 15:00 local time

If you want to join any Moldovan charter flights, please purchase a ticket online in advance or contact Air Moldova with questions. Please note that the U.S. Embassy has no further information on these flights, but you can consult the websites of the U.S. Embassies in those countries for more information on transiting. We are merely sharing this information to facilitate opportunities to depart Moldova with the goal of eventually returning to the United States. You are responsible for making your own connecting flights to the United States and all related expenses.

London:

Stansted Airport is located 70km northeast of Central London and does not offer flights to the United States. You will need to travel from Stansted Airport to London Heathrow and likely spend the night in the UK due to the late arrival of the Stansted flight. Currently, most public transportation and shuttles in the UK are not operating; passengers may need to take a taxi or Uber to transfer airports at their own expense. For a list of hotels and transfer information, please visit the U.S. Embassy in London’s COVID-19 website. If you need to contact the U.S. Embassy in London while transiting, visit their website or dial (0)20-7499-9000 for emergencies involving U.S. citizens.

We have been informed that U.S. citizens should be able to transit the United Kingdom if they are in possession of a valid flight ticket to depart within 24 hours, ideally. If you are not a U.S. citizen, we cannot assist you in determining if you need a visa to transit the United Kingdom, but you can refer to this website. You should contact your own Embassy in the United Kingdom for assistance.

Frankfurt:

Travelers may not leave the airport. Travelers in transit status are not permitted to enter Germany for any period, even to stay at hotels in the vicinity of the airport and are advised to plan travel accordingly. The only hotel at the Frankfurt Airport permissible for an air transit traveler to use is the MyCloud transit hotel, located within the airport’s transit zone. This is a very small hotel and is seeing extraordinarily high demand. Transit travelers should not presume they will be able to book a room in this hotel on short notice.

Travelers arriving on a Moldovan charter flight to Frankfurt will likely not be able to check their bag through to their final destination and must reach out to their connecting airline to facilitate baggage transfer. Passengers are not permitted to leave the transit area to access baggage claim without special exceptions. In Frankfurt, visit the Consulate General’s website, email GermanyACS@state.gov , or call (069) 7535-2102.

Amsterdam:

Please note that when transiting, you may not exit the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. Food services there are also quite limited and currently only the Grab&Fly kiosks at the departure terminals sell food and drink. There is one hotel within the airport, the Yotelair, that passengers can access from Terminal D. There may also be XpresSpa sleep pods available in terminal D.

Visit the Schiphol airport announcements website for more information on airport services. For more information on transiting Amsterdam, please visit the website of the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam.

Paris CDG:

U.S. citizens are currently permitted to transit Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport only with a direct, onward flight to the United States. Travelers are not permitted to leave the international zone and will not be admitted to France. Air France has one flight to the United States every day except Tuesday, alternating between New York JFK and LAX. Travelers must book directly through Air France before departure from the point of origin.

Food and other services in the transit area at CDG are limited to vending machines. Passengers must be prepared to be self-sufficient during their transit. Please refer to the U.S. Embassy Paris website for more information.

If you decide to take these flights, we request that you notify us at Chisinau-CA@state.gov so that we can notify the U.S. Embassies in that country that you will transit.

The U.S. Embassy cannot guarantee that these flights will depart as scheduled. If you choose to pursue this option to depart, we encourage you to make sure that your onward travel arrangements are refundable.

The U.S. Embassy in Chisinau continues to operate but has suspended visa services. The Consular Section remains open for American Citizen Services.

The Department of State has issued a Global Level 4 Health Advisory advising U.S. citizens to not travel abroad due to the global impact of COVID-19.

Actions to Take:

Seek immediate medical care if you believe you may have COVID-19 (or similar symptoms) or were exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last six weeks. In Moldova, contact your primary care physician or call 112.
Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Moldova.
Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States.