Health Alert – U. S. Embassy, Quito, Ecuador – March 25, 2020
EVENT: REGISTER NOW for U.S. State Department Humanitarian Charter Flights Available on Thursday and Friday Only
PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE IN ITS ENTIRETY. We urge all U.S. citizens wishing to depart Ecuador to strongly consider taking one of the U.S. State Department-chartered humanitarian flights described below. Due to the global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide demand for evacuation assistance, we cannot guarantee any additional U.S. State Department-chartered flights will be available for U.S. citizens wishing to depart Ecuador.
The entire U.S. Mission to Ecuador – the United States Embassy in Quito and the United States Consulate General in Guayaquil – appreciate your patience during this unprecedented period. But you are the reason we are here: To proudly serve U.S. citizens abroad, and your families awaiting you at home.
I. STATE DEPARTMENT SPONSORED CHARTER FLIGHTS:
U.S. citizens seeking to return to the United States from Ecuador may be able to access U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT-chartered humanitarian flights in addition to already existing commercial charters. These new humanitarian flights are available to U.S. citizens departing from both Guayaquil and Quito airports to Miami but are ONLY available on Thursday and Friday, March 26 and 27. Ticket costs will be comparable to full-fare economy flights that would have been charged immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To obtain a ticket on a U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT-chartered flight from Quito or Guayaquil, IMMEDIATELY email QTOUSCitizen@state.gov with the information requested in the form below. EIGHT such flights have been initially programmed from Ecuador to Miami International Airport (MIA):
- Two flights per day are scheduled to depart from both Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport and from Guayaquil’s José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport the afternoons of both Thursday, March 26, 2020 and Friday, March 27, 2020 (exact times will be confirmed).
- Exact flight departure time and routing are subject to change.
- You will need to be at the airport AT LEAST three hours prior to departure.
Please do not call the Embassy or Consulate to confirm receipt of your email; we will contact you directly with your itinerary once you are confirmed for a seat on one of these U.S. State Department-chartered flights. At this time, we anticipate responding within 12 hours with an email confirmation and/or further instructions. There may be delays depending on demand. Please be prepared to depart; we aim to provide as much notice as possible.
No pets will be allowed on these government-chartered flights. If you are travelling with pets, we suggest contacting a commercial airline directly. (Several of the commercial charter companies appear to be permitting some pets at this time.)
All passengers on State Department-chartered flights are required to reimburse the U.S. Government for their tickets and must sign a promissory note (U.S. Department of State Form DS-5528 – PDF 101kb) before boarding. Tickets are available through evacuation loans only, and not direct purchase. The promissory note serves as a repayment agreement with the Department of State for your evacuation loan/charter flight ticket and it includes information about repayment options. No cash or credit card payments will be accepted at the airport. We do not have specific cost information at this time; however, ticket costs will be comparable to full-fare economy flights that would have been charged immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once you are confirmed for a specific flight, you will receive your itinerary, detailed instructions for completing Promissory Note DS-5528, and instructions for check-in and processing at the airport. Do not come to the designated airport unless you have received confirmation for one of the flights.
In your email to QTOUSCitizen@state.gov, please complete the following form for each member of your family group. All fields are required. Please respond with one email per family group, repeating the form for each family member/passenger. By completing this form, you are requesting a seat(s) on one of the arranged charter flights. Family members accompanying you do not need to be U.S. citizens.
|
Passenger 1 |
|
| Last Name | |
| First Name | |
| Middle Initial | |
| Date of Birth (MM/DD/YYYY) | |
| Sex (M/F) | |
| E-mail Address | |
| Phone Number | |
| Passport # | |
| Passport Expiration Date (MM/DD/YYYY) | |
| Passport Issuing Country | |
| Are you a U.S. Citizen? | |
| If not, are you a dependent of a U.S. Citizen? | |
| If you are a dependent, what is your relationship to the U.S. Citizen? | |
| Known Medical or Underlying Health Conditions | |
| Pets (subject to availability) | |
| Your Current Location in Ecuador (City) | |
| Final Destination in U.S. (City, State) | |
| Desired Departure Airport in Ecuador (Guayaquil/Quito) or Cuenca (as an unconfirmed possibility) | |
| Head of Household Name (if more than one person in your family group and you must travel together) | |
II. TO OBTAIN COMMERCIAL CHARTERS as an alternative to the State Department-sponsored charters: You should work with the airlines to make travel arrangements. Known commercial flight information can be found (and is constantly updated) on the U.S. Embassy Quito website here: https://ec.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-ecu-2/.
III. GROUND TRAVEL IN ECUADOR: The Foreign Ministry informed the U.S. Embassy March 25 of new rules, designed to facilitate expat departures: Foreign travelers going from their lodgings to airports within Ecuador are permitted to travel within 72 hours of their flights, irrespective of the 2 p.m. – 5 a.m. national curfew, providing they have: (1) a “Mobility Authority” which travelers must complete; (2) their passport; and (3) documentation of their confirmed flight departing Ecuador. We encourage individuals to download a copy of the U.S. Ambassador’s letter as well; click here. Please note the U.S. Embassy does not have confirmation from the Government of Ecuador that this document guarantees or grants special permissions for transit, but it has proven helpful to many U.S. citizens.
For passengers currently located outside of the Guayas province (where Guayaquil is located), please consider a flight departing from Quito, if possible. The Embassy has received reports of travelers encountering difficulty entering Guayas province by road due to stricter entry requirements and lack of proper documentation required by the Government of Ecuador.
In addition, it is recommended that your driver obtain a “salvoconducto,” which is a document issued by the Government of Ecuador that permits travel in the country for limited or special purposes. The document is issued to a driver who must list all their passengers’ information on the form and have it authorized as appropriate. This process is the responsibility of the driver and the Embassy does not have authorization to issue or authorize a “salvoconducto” for Ecuadorian or private U.S. citizens.
Beside the limited exception for travel to airports described above, the Government of Ecuador has restricted movement throughout the country with very limited exceptions and imposed a daily, country-wide curfew from 2 p.m. to 5 a.m., effective March 25, 2020. These restrictions can change at any time. U.S. citizens should comply with all local laws and monitor local news for any updates.
IV. Additional Actions to Take:
- Click here for a message from the U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador.
- Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for up-to-date information on flight availability, conditions in Ecuador, and advice on how to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19.
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Quito, Ecuador
+(593)(2) 398-5000
+(593)(2) 398-5000 (after hours)
ACSQuito@state.gov - U.S. Consulate General Guayaquil, Ecuador
+(593)(4) 371-7000
+(593)(4) 371-7000 (after hours)
ACSGuayaquil@state.gov - State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
- Ecuador Country Information
- Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
- COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov
- CDC page on COVID-19
- Travel.state.gov Ecuador Country Information and Travel Advisory page
