The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Estonia’s foreign representations continue to work with travel and transport companies and other countries to find and inform Estonians of ways to return to the country. However, it is important to note that flight and transit options are now severely restricted. Those who have taken the decision to remain in a foreign country for the duration of the crisis must take into consideration that it is very difficult to predict when the state of emergency will come to an end and that they should prepare to reside in the country in question for at least the next two months.
If you are unable to remain in said country, we recommend that you return to Estonia immediately. The first thing you should do is to get in touch with your transport provider or travel agency to check whether regular flights or flights arranged by the travel agency are operating in order for you to be able to depart from your location. If there are no such options and you encounter difficulties in the country in question, please make yourself known to the nearest Estonian embassy or call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on +372 5301 9999.
If you are currently abroad and you are able to safely remain in another country for the duration of the crisis, there is no need for you to return to Estonia. Nevertheless, pay close attention to ensure that you do not breach the terms of your visa (if you have one) or any other conditions for being in the country in question. Unfortunately, it is very difficult at present to predict when the crisis will pass or what restrictions may (still) be in place in a few months’ time.
It should also be borne in mind that vital services may be restricted in your country of location, that jobs may be lost and that accommodation may be forfeited.
Important consular information from Estonia’s foreign representations (which we recommend monitoring via their websites, where the information is constantly being updated):
• Ukraine is closing its borders completely and halting all passenger transport at 23:59 on Friday 27 March.
• China is closing its borders to citizens of foreign countries as of 23:59 on 27 March.
• Lithuania has extended its transit window until 00:01 on 13 April. Transit is only permitted with a police escort. Since all cases of transit need to be agreed upon in advance with the Lithuanian authorities, you must make yourself known to the Estonian embassy in Vilnius, e-mailing your name, contact telephone number/e-mail address and travel document number to [email protected]. The national restrictions already in force have been extended until 13 April.
• Russia today suspended all regular and charter flights to and from foreign airports, with the exception of flights bringing Russian citizens back from countries affected by the spread of coronavirus and flights for which special authorisation has been granted by the Russian government. The decision to suspend air travel was made by the Russian government committee coordinating efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.
• Transit via Turkey is no longer possible as of 27 March: the last flight from Istanbul to Tallinn was on 26 March.
• Information applicable to all those returning to Estonia: Due to the strict transit rules that have been established by certain countries, airlines may require you to provide proof that Estonia is your final destination. Take any such documentary evidence with you (tickets et al.), preferably printed out. If you encounter any problems, let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs know by calling +372 5301 9999.
• Belgium: Starting from 25 March, anyone arriving from abroad is required by law to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days. Working from home is permitted, but leaving the house is not. Any family members of people arriving from abroad who collect them from the airport must also quarantine themselves. Likewise, if the trip from the airport home is made in a private car, anyone else travelling in the car must also quarantine themselves.
• Opportunities to return to Estonia via France are becoming further restricted: in Paris, Orly Airport will be closing at 23:59 on 31 March due to the 92% reduction in the number of flights it is receiving; however, Charles de Gaulle Airport will remain open. Train travel will also be significantly scaled back starting from 27 April, with just 7% of TGV and Intercités services remaining in operation.
• Malta has adopted more severe measures to deal with individuals who have tested positive to coronavirus but break quarantine rules by establishing a fine of 10,000 euros for infringing their restriction on movement.
• Finland is likely to extend its state of emergency to 13 April, which will mean that bans on entering the country, restrictions on gatherings and other measures will also be extended. There is also a ban on entering or leaving the Uusimaa region, of which Helsinki is a part, from 25 March-19 April, with the exception of those returning to their home or place of residence or going to work in the region and other pressing personal reasons. Transit via Uusimaa remains possible.
• Denmark is weighing up whether to establish restrictions on movement between its regions so as to prevent travel throughout the country during the spring holidays i.e. to prevent the spread of the virus from cities to the countryside.
• If you are currently in the USA as part of the country’s visa-free programme, you should bear in mind that you cannot remain in the country for more than 90 days. As such, we recommend returning to Europe at the earliest opportunity. In exceptional circumstances, for example if you are admitted to hospital or your flight is cancelled due to the prevailing weather conditions, you can apply to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for special permission (known as a grant of satisfactory departure) to extend your date of departure by 30 days. You will find the contact details of the USCIS office closest to you online at https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office.
• Passenger transit via Thailand now requires a ‘fit to fly’ certificate. In contrast to the earlier decision made by the Thai government, the certificate is no longer required to include test results for COVID-19. However, it is important that the document is titled ‘Fit to fly medical certificate’, that it bears a doctor’s signature and that it is in English or the official language of the country in which it was issued.
• A large number of flights between London and Tallinn have been cancelled, meaning Estonian citizens will have to remain in the United Kingdom for a longer period.
• Opportunities to return from the Philippines are becoming more restricted, with the number of flights originally offered being reduced.
Evacuation flights being operated in cooperation with other EU Member States are departing from locations where regular flight options practically no longer exist. However, such flights are not guaranteed to operate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to ensure that Estonians who, to our knowledge, lack other options for returning from more distant destinations have the chance to catch potential evacuation flights. Bear in mind that none of these flights are free: ticket cost varies depending on how full each flight is.
Additional flights of which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware should regular flights be unavailable:
• Ho Chi Minh SGN (Vietnam)-Bangkok BKK (Thailand)-Kaunas, 31 March
• A special flight has been added by airBaltic from Frankfurt to Riga on 30 March. The flight is designed for citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Tickets can only be booked over the phone by calling +371 6720 7771 and cost 190 euros.
• Cebu (Philippines)-Frankfurt, 29 March
• Havana (Cuba)-Helsinki, 31 March. See https://www.finnair.com for ticket information.
• Bali-Paris, 28 March
• Kathmandu (Nepal)-Paris, 28 March
• Lima (Peru)-Frankfurt flights will be operating on 26 & 27 March and 1 & 2 April.
• Lima (Peru)-Amsterdam, 30 March
• Lima (Peru)-Lisbon, 30 March
If you find yourself trapped abroad, are unable to remain safely in the country and can find no way of returning to Estonia, please make yourself known by calling +372 5301 9999 (24 hours).
For further information please contact:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Public Relations Department
[email protected]
