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Message for U.S. Citizens: UPDATE #7 on Flight Availability (April 22, 2020)
7 MINUTE READ
April 22, 2020

In Case You Missed It: All of our previous COVID-19 messages are posted on the embassy’s website

If you are a U.S. citizen currently in Georgia, are trying to get to the United States, and have not yet been in touch with the embassy please contact us at AskConsulTbilisi@state.gov.

Getting to the Airport: Due to the current restrictions on local movement including the curfew and prohibition on taxis, you may need special permissions for travel to the airport to catch your outbound flight. You can contact us with your detailed plans (names, flight #, driver name, pickup address and time) and we will submit it in advance for permission and awareness by patrol police (email us at AskConsulTbilisi@state.gov).

FLIGHTS: There are currently very few remaining options on commercial flights for U.S. citizens seeking to return to the United States from Georgia.

23 April – Tbilisi to Prague* (MyWay Airlines; book through a travel agency, see notes below)
27 April – Tbilisi to Warsaw (LOT Polish Airlinesdirect transfer to ORD, JFK and MIA may be available but only with carry-on luggage, no checked baggage)
27 April – Tbilisi to Prague* (MyWay Airlines; book through a travel agency, see notes below)
02 May – Tbilisi to Prague(Georgian Airways, see notes below)

We understand that Georgian Airways is planning additional flights to Dusseldorf and Doha, but we have no further details regarding dates or connections yet.

No Transit through Spain: We just learned that it is now impossible to transit Spain unless you are a citizen of an EU/Schengen country; therefore we have removed the Barcelona and Madrid as options for getting back to the U.S. (although those flights from Tbilisi are still scheduled).

*Transit through Prague: There are currently no direct transfers from Prague to the U.S. There are options to JFK or ORD with an additional transfer from Prague through WAW or LHR. Some U.S. citizens who reach Prague have also been able to take buses or vans to London, Frankfurt, or Amsterdam to catch a flight to the U.S. from these larger hubs. However, to do so you will need to obtain a letter from the U.S. Embassy to present to Czech immigration authorities to allow you to leave the airport and enter the country to connect to ground transportation.

Georgian Airways has canceled all regular flights through May 22.
Turkish Airlines’ next regularly scheduled flight (Istanbul) is May 23.
Lufthansa’s next regularly scheduled flight (Munich) is May 23.
Qatar’s next regularly scheduled flight (Doha) is June 1.
Aegean’s next regularly scheduled flight (Athens) is June 2.
LOT Polish Airways has not announced its next regularly scheduled flight.

Contact the airline or a travel agent directly to book these flights. These are not U.S. government-operated or funded flights. If you cannot afford to buy a ticket for a flight to U.S. you may apply for a repatriation loan from the U.S. government to purchase the ticket; please contact the embassy at AskConsulTbilisi@state.gov for details.

The U.S. government does not anticipate arranging repatriation flights from Georgia at this time. U.S. citizens currently in Georgia who have not yet been able to make flight arrangements should be prepared to remain in-country for an indefinite period, and contact the embassy if you need other assistance.

U.S. Citizens who Overstay their 365 days in Georgia: The Government of Georgia announced that foreigners who were legally in Georgia on March 14, 2020, and were not able to leave the country due to the closure of borders as part of the State of Emergency, may remain until June 30, 2020 with no penalty.

Enroll in STEP: Your safety and welfare are our highest priorities.  It is extremely important that every U.S. citizen in Georgia sign up with our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) so we will know how many Americans are here, we can contact you in an emergency, and you will receive emails with information from the embassy.

Sincerely,

American Citizen Services
Consular Section
U.S. Embassy Tbilisi
AskConsulTbilisi@state.gov
https://ge.usembassy.gov
(+995 32) 227-7724 / after hours (+995 32) 227-7000