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Airport
Kyiv’s Boryspil International
Airport is several miles outside the city. (A smaller in-city airport
Zhulany offers domestic flights.) When you arrive in Boryspil, upon entering
the passport control area, find a rectangular form (they may have given
it to you on the plane) and fill it out as best you can in blue or black
ink. There are generally NOT enough boxes for all the information—go outside
of the boxes and give all information. You'll need to know the address
of where you will be staying in Kyiv. After completing the form, find
the appropriate line for passport control. Certain lines are only for
citizens of Ukraine. At passport control, your passport will be stamped
and part of the form you've just filled out will be returned to you. KEEP
THIS PAPER. You must present it at passport control when you leave the
country.
Pick up your bags straight ahead. Carts are available. If you need to
declare something, pick up a declaration form near the exit to customs
and fill it in accurately (sometimes these are given out on the plane).
Follow the directions carefully, or you will have to fill it in again.
Check all boxes, whether your answer is yes or no. Don't leave anything
blank. If you have more than $1,000 USD or personal jewelry worth more
than $240, you must declare these items. Declare exactly the amount of
money you have. Be certain to declare anything made of gold.
At customs, you may have to place your luggage on an x-ray. After x-raying
the bags, go to a line and be patient. You may be asked to open your bags
or even count your money. Know the exact amount of USD and Euros you have.
Often they ask. They sometimes hold people for no apparent reason for
up to an hour. Don't worry; be patient and cooperative. Usually, however,
it is a fast and relatively painless process. Through the sliding doors
on the far left you'll find yourself on the other side.
If you lose your bags on the trip over, which has happened to several
Americans traveling to Kyiv, go to the office on the far wall of the baggage
claim room. One sign says “Lost and Found,” but this is not the place
to go. The office to the left, if you are facing that wall, is the one
where you will need to report your lost luggage. Usually, they will show
you a picture to determine what type of bag it is, and then fill out a
form. Hopefully, the bag, or bags, will arrive shortly and the airport
then delivers them to whatever address you supply them.
If no one is picking you up, for a small fee buses and vans just outside
the airport will take you to a Kyiv metro. Taxi drivers will assuredly
accost you as you make your way through the airport crowds. ALWAYS negotiate
with a taxi driver. Offer half of what they suggest as the price. Usually,
it's $20 or more to get to Kyiv. Many, though, don’t speak English. Interns
and LST teams will generally be picked up at the airport.
On leaving Ukraine, arrive in plenty of time since many flights to Western
Europe leave in the early afternoon. Usually, you don't have to fill out
a customs form if you have nothing to declare and the green line is open.
Leaving is generally easier than arriving. First, you go through customs;
someone will check your ticket and passport. Aross the hall are the airline
check-in counters. To the left and up the small escalator are passport
control and a security check after passport control. Friends cannot go
with you past customs so say good-bye before you get to customs. There
are only two gates in Kyiv's airport so you should have no problem finding
your gate. Often, you will be taken in a bus to your plane.
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