U.S. Embassy & Consulates
in South Africa

Health Alert: Announcing Upcoming Repatriation Flights – U.S. Embassy Pretoria, South Africa (June 25, 2020)

Location: South Africa

Event:  The South African Ministry of Health has confirmed 111,796 cases of COVID-19 within its borders.

Announcing Multiple Upcoming Repatriation Flights

We have been notified of multiple upcoming special commercial repatriation flights operated by Lufthansa, KLM, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, and Ethiopian Airlines.

Flight information:

Interested passengers must book their tickets directly with the airlines’ local ticket office or using the below contact information:

• Ethiopian Airlines by contacting: SouthAfricaSalesTeam@ethiopianairlines.com
• Lufthansa by contacting: Jnbmarketing@dlh.de
• Emirates must be booked directly with the Emirates Johannesburg office, by contacting eksa@emirates.com and completing a required booking form
• Turkish Airlines by contacting: cptmarketing@thy.com
• KLM by contacting:
  • Website: You can book your ticket through our website www.klm.co.za by searching for a one-way trip and specific date. The calendar view will not display them. Please book only for the flights on these dates and flight numbers.
  • Call centre: Our sales and Service Centre can be contacted to book a flight, via phone: +27 (0)10 205 0100 or +27(0)10 205 0101, daily between 09:00 –16:00. Payment can only be made with credit card. If you have an existing booking with Air France or KLM you can use it to (partially) pay for this flight.
  • Additional Information: During the booking process a link will be given to fill in a web form. You need to fill in the form for each passenger in your reservation. It is mandatory to fill in this web form. In case you missed the link in your booking process, you can find it here: https://www.klm.com/travel/za_en/customer_support/repatriation_flights.htm.
• SAA also has a repatriation portal where you may register your interest in potential future repatriation flights.

Please Note:

• Passengers will be responsible for travel to their final destination in the United States from the arrival airport listed above.
• These flights are open to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and visa holders who have received DHA approval to depart South Africa.  (Noting that visa holders will not be allowed to transit the EU.)
• Passengers will be responsible for finding transportation to the required assembly point, which will be communicated by the airlines prior to the flight departure.
• Travel permission letters for U.S. citizens and green card holders are not required unless you will be crossing provinces to arrive at the assembly point.  If and only if you must cross a provincial border to join this repatriation flight, please write SAEvacuation@state.gov  requesting a travel letter.  Include your name, passport or green card number, current address, and flight confirmation.
• For any questions regarding availability, cost, baggage allowance, or other flight details, please contact the airlines directly.

For South African Citizens wishing to travel to the United States for residence, work or study as allowed by the Government of South Africa:

DHA is not requiring individualized letters from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for South African citizens with valid U.S. visas or travel documents.  Please contact DHA with the additional information they require to issue permission to depart South Africa.

For individuals who hold valid U.S. visas: 

Please remember that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has final authority regarding admissibility into the United States at the port of entry.  You must have a valid visa for your purpose of travel.  The Embassy does not provide additional documentation related to your admissibility into the United States.  Moreover, holders of U.S. visas must ensure their travel route does not transit one of the countries subject to travel restrictions under the Presidential Proclamation found here (including much of Europe and Brazil).  You may contact the CBP website or hotline if you have further questions about admissibility.

Can visa holders who already have a valid H-1B, H-2B, L, or J nonimmigrant visa (or their family members who hold visas in a derivative visa category) still enter the U.S.?

This Presidential Proclamation is not retroactive. No valid visas will be revoked under this Proclamation.  For questions regarding entry into the United States, we refer you to the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. Mission Repatriation Efforts

If you would like to depart South Africa, we highly recommend you avail yourself of any available opportunity, even if it is not your desired flight route.  We cannot guarantee frequency of special repatriation, nor can we guarantee that previously scheduled commercial flights will depart as planned.  We do not have further information about when regular international commercial flights will resume.

To date, over 40 repatriation flights have departed to the United States in coordination with airlines and friendly mission partners since the government lockdown, returning over 1500 U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and visa holders to the United States.  For questions about other potential upcoming repatriation opportunities, please contact the airlines directly for details.

Please see all past alerts at the U.S. Embassy website: https://za.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/security-and-travel-information//.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Notice for South Africa.