What Are Rescue Flights? Step by Step Guide to Coordinate with Embassy
Due to many government restrictions and canceled flights without much warning, many foreigners are stuck in another country. Some governments organized special rescue flights for their citizens to bring them back home. Here’s a Step by Step Guide to coordinate with Your Embassy to go home.
The positive COVID cases have been increasing and would probably lead to an extension of travel restrictions. It’s better to be in your home country, especially if your resources are limited.
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What are Rescue Flights?
These are special flights organized by the government to help citizens stranded in another country. Many foreigners are unable to return to their home country due to borders closing and canceled flights. So, the government asks airlines for special trips to bring their citizens back home. They might subsidise the cost but expect to still pay a fee for the airlines ticket.
Step by Step Guide to Coordinating with the Embassy
STEP 1: Check the nearest embassy or consulate you currently are. Check the directory below to look for it.
STEP 2: Check announcements on their official website, Facebook page, or Twitter account.
STEP 3: If there are announcements with special or rescue flights, contact the number or e-mail in the post. Should there be none, contact them immediately through their numbers and explain your situation. It’s better to contact them by phone than wait for a reply through e-mail.
STEP 4: Wait for their instructions and follow them.
STEP 5: Board a flight back home.
STEP 6: Be in quarantine for 14 days.
Embassies and Consulates List
Please click on the links below to access the list of Embassies and Consulate of your Country.
The Americas
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United States
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Africa
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Ivory Coast
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Asia
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- China
- East Timor
- Georgia
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- North Korea
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
Europe
- Albania
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City
Oceania
- Australia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
Extra Tips:
- Don’t stop contacting your embassy until you find a solution, be active rather than passive, you may get left out
- If it’s hard for you to get out but you still have extra funds, contact the immigration office of the country where you are in if they can grant you a visa extension (Schengen Visas in a force majeure case, would get you another 90 days extension free of charge)
- Should it be hard, you can check your home country’s neighbors if they are chartering flights – at least your only few miles away from home
- You could also check your country’s flag carriers if they have special flights to your home country and may help you coordinate with the embassies
- Be in the country’s capital or a city with an airport
- Check local announcements and news
I hope you can avail the rescue flights and coordinate with your embassies so you could go home! Let’s postpone our travels and comeback when things are better. Keep healthy and safe!
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