Location: There is an ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). The global public health threat posed by COVID-19 is high, with more than 200,000 reported cases worldwide.
Event: On March 14, the Department of State authorized the departure from any diplomatic or consular post worldwide of U.S. personnel and family members who have been medically determined to be at higher risk of a poor outcome if exposed to COVID-19. The U.S. Embassy Pristina remains open and operational.
On March 15, the Government of Kosovo declared a public health state of emergency that restricts many services as well as most commercial activity, including land transportation and commercial air transportation. If you have travel concerns, please contact either the airport or your travel agent. Both air and land travel restrictions, within Kosovo and neighboring countries, have increased significantly since last week and continue to change rapidly (see below).
On March 16, the United States Embassy in Pristina reduced staffing and operations and cancelled routine American Citizen Services (ACS) appointments. Emergency consular services for U.S. citizens will continue to be available. To apply for an emergency passport, or if you have any other urgent matter, please contact PristinaACS@state.gov.
There may be several commercial flights departing Pristina International Airport tomorrow morning. If you want to depart, please contact Eurowings, Chair, Turkish Airlines, or airport authorities to verify and check availability. If these flights are available, we urge all interested parties to highly consider departing at this time since there is no way to predict what the situation will be in the future.
Actions to Take:
- Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
- For the most recent 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.
- Check with your airlines or cruise lines regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions.
- Visit our Embassy web page on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Kosovo.
- Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the U.S.
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Pristina, Kosovo
+ (383) 38-5959-3000
PristinaACS@state.gov
https://xk.usembassy.gov - State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444 - Kosovo Country Information
- Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
