Location: India
April 2, 2020
Event: This is an update to our message from April 1, 2020. We continue to coordinate closely across a variety of U.S. Government agencies, the Government of India, and commercial air carriers to facilitate flights to the United States. We anticipate we will have several flights departing Mumbai and arriving in Atlanta, Georgia, beginning the weekend of April 4. We will contact you as we develop more details.
The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai is working to facilitate ground transportation to Mumbai from areas likely to include Goa, some cities in Gujarat, and Pune. In cooperation with the U.S. Consulates General in Chennai and Hyderabad, we are also working to arrange domestic charter flights to allow U.S. Citizens from those areas to reach Mumbai. We will make details available via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to citizens in those cities once the arrangements are finalized.
Passengers with confirmed flights who are based outside Mumbai and using ground transportation should arrive the day before the flight, and are responsible for finding accommodations. The Consulate has negotiated a special rate for hotel reservations at the Sofitel BKC and the Trident BKC. To make a reservation and for pricing information, contact the hotel directly and ask to speak with a manager. These hotels are walking distance to the U.S. Consulate, though passengers may choose to arrange their own accommodations and transportation to and from the consulate.
Seats on U.S. government repatriation flights are allocated based on established evacuation guidelines that prioritize passengers using a variety of criteria, including age and certain medical conditions. Some passengers who meet priority criteria have already received invitations to submit additional information. Confirmed passengers must sign an evacuation loan repayment agreement. If you have filled out the form at https://tinyurl.com/uscit-india, but have not received an invitation, please continue to monitor your email, including in your spam and junk folders. Note that those who have received invitations should follow the reply instructions within the time frame specified in the email, or their seat may be offered to another passenger. Please do not call the U.S. Consulate except in cases of emergency involving the life or welfare of a U.S. citizen.
We are making every effort to accommodate as many passengers as possible, however restrictions on the operation of international flights limit our ability to offer seats to all those who have expressed interest. The Government of India’s countrywide lock down is set to expire on April 14, after which commercial airlines may resume providing flights. We encourage all U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents who wish to return to the United States to evaluate their options and risks. Current Government of India and Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines advise sheltering in place where possible to do so.
The repatriation flights from Mumbai will terminate in Atlanta. Passengers will need to arrange and fund their own transportation to their final destinations.
If you are a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident interested in traveling from Mumbai to Atlanta but have not filled out this form, please do so immediately: https://tinyurl.com/uscit-india. Please do not call to confirm receipt of your email; we will contact you directly.
Be wary of scams. We have become aware of scammers claiming to be offering repatriation flights and directing them to make online payments or transfers. One example is an individual using Facebook and a “.net” website to solicit passport information and money from US citizens. Please note that any website that does not use “.gov” is not an official US Government website. We will also never ask for your financial information.
We urge U.S. citizens to enroll in STEP at https://step.state.gov/ in order to receive critical information from the embassy concerning flight opportunities. We are unable to answer all calls regarding flight updates at the current time. You will be notified about flight updates via STEP message.
We also recommend you monitor our social media (https://twitter.com/USAndIndia and https://www.facebook.com/India.usembassy/) in addition to our website.
Actions to Take:
- Have your travel documents ready. A valid U.S. passport and Indian visa will be required for travel.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
- Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information on COVID-19.
- For 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 regarding U.S. and foreign countries’ quarantine requirements and other global impacts. Please also refer to the travel.state.gov FAQs.
- Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in India.
- Visit the Department of Homelan Security’s website for the latest travel restrictions affecting travel to the United States.
- Review the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website for information on COVID-19 and Indian travel advisories.
- Visit travel.state.gov for additional information on evacuation loan repayments, and other useful information on the role of the U.S. Government in a crisis.
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy New Delhi
Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021
telephone: +91-11-2419-8000
https://in.usembassy.gov
- U.S. Consulate General Mumbai (Bombay)
C-49, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400051
telephone: +91-22-2672-4000
- U.S. Consulate General Chennai (Madras)
220 Anna Salai, Gemini Circle, 600006
telephone: +91-44-2857-4000
- U.S. Consulate General Kolkata (Calcutta)
5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, 700071
telephone: +91-33-3984-2400.
- U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad
Paigah Palace, 1-8-323, Chiran Fort Lane, Begumpet, Secunderabad 500003
telephone: +91-40-4033-8300.
- State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates .
