Well I’m off to Ukraine on the 19th of this month, Mariupol to be exact. I have visa in hand and flight reservations have been made. However after taking one last look around various web sites to make sure all was in order, I found on the Aerosvit web site that they check passport, visa, and vaccination record prior to boarding. I have not found the requirement for the vaccination record on any other sites including official Ukrainian sites. If any one out there from the US has made the trip to Ukraine can advise me if this is a requirement for entry and if so what vaccinations. Would hate to get ready to board and not have all the paper work in order.
IMMUNIZATIONS: Under the International Health Regulations adopted by the World Health Organization, a country may require International Certificates of Vaccination against yellow fever, especially if you are traveling from an area of the world that is infected with yellow fever. Prophylactic medication for malaria and certain other preventive measures are advisable for travel to some countries. No immunizations are required to return to the United States. Detailed health information may be obtained from your local healthcare provider or by contacting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, telephone 1-877- 394-8747) or Internet: www.cdc.gov.
UKRAINE - *Passport and visa required. Visa requires 1 application form, 1 photo, a letter of invitation, and $100 - $165 fee (money order only), depending upon whether you apply for a single, double, or multiple-entry visa. Transit visa requires onward/return ticket. Anyone applying for a visa for a stay of 3 months or longer is required to present a certificate showing that they are HIV negative; U.S. test results sometimes accepted. For additional information, contact the Consular Office of the Embassy of Ukraine, 3350 M St., NW, Washington, DC 20007 (202/333-7507/08/09), or the nearest Consulate General: Chicago (312/642-8744) or New York (212/371-5691). Internet: www.ukraininfo.us
Going to meet a lady that I have been corresponding with for about 6 mos. will meet her in Kyiv, stay there for 3 days then travel to Mariupol to meet her family. Will be leaving the 28th. Thanks for the info.
Bill, Good luck, you won't need that if you took the time to form an emotional bond with your woman through letters and phone calls, after six months I would think this is a given. I am watching with intent; the success of meetings where time was invested, versus just a few letters and a meeting in a few weeks based on the physical attraction so commonly called chemistry. I really hope things are wonderfully successful for you and stay safe. Make sure to check in if you can I know many will be watching with interest to your experience.
Thanks Wessman, I think we have formed as much of a bond as you can with just letters. Both of us are very disappointed when a letter does not arrive daily. But as my lady says we will not know if there is that special chemistry until we meet in person. I think see wants to know if I dribble soup down my shirt at meals. :-))))). The most stress is trying to book flights from California to Kyiv. It seems that Aerosvit airlines has no reciprocal agreements with US carriers. So you cannot book through. I ended up with just 2 hrs between flights at JFK, I can only hope its enough.
I am from Los Angeles and my fiancee is in Kiev. So I have some experience on the trip. You won't need any immunization records. Also remember you do not need a Russian transit visa if you are just passing through. Transit visas are only required if you will be spending the night in Russia or another FSU country during your travels. Transfers between planes do not require visas. Also, if your girl invites you - you can skip the official invitation letter. Just say you are visiting a friend and list her name phone number and address on the visa application. That is all that is required.
As far as airlines go, I flew using Aeroflot and it was actually surprisingly good. With the recent uprisings in Russia though you may want to consider going through Amersterdam, England or Germany and then transferring to a flight to Kiev. Better to be safe than sorry and transfers through Moscow are a real pain. Both in time and some frustrations. I imagine going through Moscow now would be insane since security is probably cracking down and increased with the recent attacks.
I required no certificate of immunisation and I was just there in August. A standard Visa is for 3 months even if you only stay a week. Nothing special is required unless you want to stay more than 3 months. I went though Austria. Aeroflot is O.K. for internation flights but I would not say domestic was a wise move.
Thanks for all the info gents. I did not think that I had to have a vaccination record, but I just wanted to be sure.
Brian
Just a heads up, Aerosvit Airlines flys direct from JFK in New York to Kyiv. It is a little bit of a hassle as there is no ticketing agreement between domestic carriers and Aerosvit. You have to gather your luggage at JFK then check in at Aerosivit. All the flights that left LAX in the morning arrive at JFK after 4pm and the Aerovsit flight leaves at 6:30pm. just not enough time in case there was any delays. I am going to NY the day before and staying at a motel at the airport just to be safe. That way I can get a good nights sleep before continuing, (if that's possible). I swear I feel like a high school student getting ready for his first prom. At 53 yrs, two marriages and more dates than I care to remember it is a little unnerving.
Well good luck to you Bill! I definitely know that feeling. Right up until my departure I felt like a high school kid again complete with butterflies and all. So I know what you are going through. :-)
After my last trip through Moscow I will probably not be taking that route again so will have to consider the JFK route. When I booked my flight in April I chose not to do Aerosvit because of some of the flight delays. I also asked some of my Ukrainian friends I worked with and they asked me if I was suicidal for even considering Aeroflot or Aerosvit. ;-) I think that is before they were flying US built 767's and were using those old cramped Tupolevs. Since then both air liners seem to be decent over the international routes and they comply to US/International service levels now. I (think) Aeroflot is even part of Delta's airline alliance or whatever its called now. So they are direct affiliates and have to meet Delta's standards for service.
Domestically though inside the FSU, good luck. Those Tup's are cramped and uncomfortable. I am 6'1" and I think they never thought anyone over 5'9" would ever possibly be sitting in those seats.
Ukraine, the land of goddesses and....more goddesses, though in my experience those ukraine girls are some wierd chiks..for real!!! Russian girls I know are alright and down right cool, the ukrainian girls ..something about them.....