Health Alert: U.S. Mission Nigeria (11 July 2020)
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Event: Emergency Boarding Foil Requests for LPRs Lacking Valid Travel Documents
The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos has two scheduled evacuation flights from Lagos via Addis Ababa to Washington D.C. on July 16 and July 23 respectively. Abuja has no flights scheduled at this time. These flights are for U.S. Citizens and U.S. Legal Permanent Residents only. Visa holders are not eligible for these flights and those who are denied boarding by the airline may not receive refunds. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE MESSAGE CAREFULLY.
The U.S. Consulate WILL NOT be calling travelers to book these flights and travelers WILL NOT be signing promissory notes.
For flight times, pricing info, baggage info, and to book your ticket, please contact Ethiopian Airlines directly by phone or email:
- Monday-Saturday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM: +234 803 975 9711 or +234 814 199 2990
- Sunday Only, 9am-5pm: +234 803 241 8516
- Email: abvadmn@ethiopianairlines.com or abvcto@ethiopianairlines.com
U.S. Legal Permanent Residents (i.e. Green Card holders) whose travel documents are expired, lost, stolen, or destroyed MUST acquire a boarding foil in order to travel to on the scheduled evacuation flights. Please Note: You are NOT eligible for a Boarding Foil if you have been outside of the United States for more than one year (365 days).
In order to schedule an emergency boarding foil appointment, send an email to LagosIV@state.gov at least five days before your expected flight with the subject line: EMERGENCY BOARDING FOIL REQUEST. Please provide your passport number, alien registration number, complete name, date and place of birth, your contact information, and evidence that you have purchased a ticket on either the July 16 or July 23 repatriation flights.
If you purchase a ticket and you are not eligible for a boarding foil, you do so at your own risk and may not receive a refund if denied boarding. We will contact you with more information on how to schedule your boarding foil appointment once we review your request.
Evacuation Flight Registration
U.S. Mission Nigeria released a new evacuation questionnaire on April 22, 2020. If you have not yet completed the questionnaire, please CAREFULLY and ACCURATELY complete the appropriate questionnaire below. EACH TRAVELER in your party must complete his/her own questionnaire in order to be included in our data. If there is space for you on a future flight, we will contact you directly by phone.
New Lagos Evacuation Flight Questionnaire
New Abuja Evacuation Flight Questionnaire
Follow Up Email to those who qualify:
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us regarding an Emergency Boarding Foil Appointment. After reviewing your request, we have determined that you may be eligible for a boarding foil. A boarding foil gives notice to the air carrier that you are still legally entitled to LPR status.
We have scheduled your appointment for Tuesday, July XXXX at 10:00AM. Prior to the interview, you must do the following:
- File Form I-131A, Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation) to request a boarding foil. You may do so on the USCIS website here. You are encouraged to THOROUGHLY review the application process before applying to ensure you qualify.
- Pay the $575 Form I-131A filing fee online. This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE, even if you are found ineligible for the boarding foil.
All applicants who fail to do this prior to the interview date will not be interviewed or rescheduled.
On the date provided, you must appear in person for an interview at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos to report the lost, stolen, expired, or destroyed/mutilated travel document. In addition, you must bring the ALL of the following items:
- A completed Form I-131A Page 1 – 3 (and page 4-5 if applicable)
- Copy of payment receipt for the I-131A online, i.e. a printed email receipt notice or confirmation page
- Valid, unexpired passport
- Your airplane itinerary or ticket (showing your departure date from the U.S. and your intended date of return)
- Evidence of your U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident status (e.g. passport showing the admission stamp to the United States as a Lawful Permanent Resident, copy of your green card if available)
- One passport-style color photograph with white background taken within 30 days. (Note: applicants are not permitted to wear eyeglasses, hats or head coverings, except for religious or medical purposes and with a signed statement.)
Please note that if issued, the boarding foil will be a single-entry document, valid for no more than 30 days and will allow you to board a carrier to the United States and present yourself to a U.S. port-of-entry as a returning LPR. The document is not a guarantee of admission or entry into the United States. CBP will carry out all required procedures upon your arrival.
Thank you for your attention,
Lagos Immigrant Visa Unit
Follow Up Email to those who can travel without a Boarding Foil
Hello,
After reviewing your request we have determined that you do not require a Boarding Foil to travel on this evacuation flight.
Current regulations state that you do not require a boarding foil and are able to travel if:
- You have an expired Permanent Resident Card with a 10-year expiration date
- You have a Permanent Resident Card (with a 2-year expiration date) and valid Form I-797, Notice of Action, indicating that status is extended
- You have orders from the U.S. Government (civilian or military) showing the time outside the U.S. was on official government business.
You are encouraged to contact Ethiopian Airlines to confirm that you will be traveling based on one of the exceptions listed above. Traveling based on one of these exceptions is at your own risk and you may not receive a refund if denied boarding. The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos takes no responsibility for this eventuality. To review information regarding returning to the United States based on one of these exceptions, see CBP’s Carrier Information Guide here.
Thank you for your attention,
Lagos Immigrant Visa Unit.
Follow Up Email to those who do not qualify for Boarding Foil:
Hello,
After reviewing your request we have determined that you do not qualify for a Boarding Foil. You will thus not be allowed to board an evacuation flight at this time. Please contact Ethiopian Airlines to process your cancellation.
The reason you have been found ineligible for a Boarding Foil is that our records indicate you have been outside of the United States for more than one year (365 days). As clearly stated in our original MASCOT message: You are NOT eligible for a Boarding Foil if you have been outside of the United States for more than one year (365 days).
In most cases, you will instead need to apply for an SB-1 (Returning Resident) visa. More information on SB-1 visas can be found on the U.S. Mission Nigeria webpage, here. In order to qualify for an SB-1 visa you must, among other requirements, prove to a consular officer that
- You departed the United States with the intention of returning to an unrelinquished residence; and
- Your stay abroad was for reasons beyond your control and for which you were not responsible.
The Consulate remains closed for routine visa services. SB-1 visa appointments will not commence until the Consulate reopens and we are unable to provide an information on when this may be.
Thank you for your understanding,
Lagos Immigrant Visa Unit