German-American K-1 couples

[Nina+Matt 0]

@everybody thats trying to move belongings to the states

if you guys know someone in the military you could send some stuff from base. thats what i did with most of my things (except furniture, i only took clothes, shoes, some books and cds, (framed) pictures, school materials). i put everything in bid cardboard boxes and had one of my hubbys former coworkers take it on base and send it as my hubbys remaining pcs (permanent change of station) things. i only had to pay a fraction of what the german postal system would have charged me....

[Laura J. 0]

It is also my understanding that you need the visa to be able to ship the container. We are in the same situation.

He says he inquired in Germany and was told that even when he has a visa there is no guarantee that he will stay (ie: like if he got here and we never got married so he had to go back to DE).

So he thinks he has to come here, get married, apply for the travel documents, go back to Germany, ship his things, and then come back to the US.

Somehow I think that can't be right...there are obviously many people in this same situation.

Perhaps someone who has already moved might have some input?

Thanks a bunch.

[jundp 191]

hey jundp! thanks bunches!

there is a huge crowd of krauts in the seattle area eh?! it'd be awesome to meet up with some fellow sufferers once i'm out there! yee! can't wait!

Yes! Andreas and Aubrey are both in this area too, and are in fact good friends of ours. Andreas is from Germany (Bremen?!) too.

I am the US Fiancee; he is in Germany (Stuttgart) waiting and waiting for our NOA2.

In the meantime, we are talking about moving his belongings over in a container.

Does anyone have experience with this situation?

Is it allowed to ship a container when you have the K-1 visa?

Or do you have to be married first?

Thanks all (and I wish I understood German so I could read more of these threads!)

My husband had his belongings shipped over from Ulm before he left Germany for our wedding. I will ask him what company he used. I think it was a set fee for the size of the container but it was affordable for us. I brought a few things with me after one of my visits (like his accordion and some books, etc) and he of course brought his clothes and easy to move things on the plane. He sent mostly books, musical instruments, and heavier items that weren't conducive to luggage. There was no need, as far as I remember, for him to show his visa or any travel documents. He was shipping his stuff and paying for it so I'm not sure they really cared...

[Aubrey 10]

Yes! Andreas and Aubrey are both in this area too, and are in fact good friends of ours. Andreas is from Germany (Bremen?!) too.

Yarrr... I haven't gotten to attend a "kraut night" yet with all the area VJ'rs, but nod to my good friend jundp! My husband Andy most recently lived in Bremen and his family is from Cuxhaven. I'm sure he'd love to meet some more new German friends, as long as he isn't forced to eat kraut... (what a crazy thing for a German not to like sauerkraut!).

Andy's family has shipped a few care packages to us, and they said the post office shipped stuff for flat fees for certain box size ranges after a certain weight. A couple of the boxes were heavy-ish but not overly expensive. They did take a month or more to get here though. They also brought an extra suitcase packed full of his stuff when they came for our wedding (since you're still allowed 2/person for international flights, and they only needed one each). He has quite a few things he couldn't take, which will have to wait until we can afford a visit to bring it back with us.

[Stefanie 1]

We used to live near Seattle. Washington State is actually the place where our relationship started. We both went to High School in Oak Harbor (Whidbey Island). Great times!

[jundp 191]

He says he inquired in Germany and was told that even when he has a visa there is no guarantee that he will stay (ie: like if he got here and we never got married so he had to go back to DE).

So he thinks he has to come here, get married, apply for the travel documents, go back to Germany, ship his things, and then come back to the US.

Somehow I think that can't be right...there are obviously many people in this same situation.

Perhaps someone who has already moved might have some input?

Thanks a bunch.

Ok, asked P and he said he sent his stuff via UPS. If the value of what you are shipping is over 1000 Euro then the shipping company has to fill out customs forms. But if the visa isn't enough to fill out the forms, then he should be able to give the shipping company a Power of Attorney to fill out the forms for him once he's already in the USA so there shouldn't be a need for him to have to return to Germany just to ship his stuff. Maybe he should check with another shipping company?

[iowaseabee 0]

Hey - my husband is from Iowa too. We now live in Wisconsin and commute into the Twin Cities for work everyday! I came on a K1 in January 2006. Congrats on the NOA 2, do you have an interview date yet?

Nice to see so many fellow Krauties in the process.

LauraJ - if I remember correctly you'll need a visa number for the import of the container. As soon as the visa is issued you'll be able to do the paperwork.

I have a question on the forms going to the consulate in Frankfurt. Do we attach the photos to the Ds 156 before we send it in or take the photos to the interview?

[Mrs.J06 4]

I have a question on the forms going to the consulate in Frankfurt. Do we attach the photos to the Ds 156 before we send it in or take the photos to the interview?

If I remember correcty I had them attached (stapled) to the form.

Don't worry too much about that stuff, Frankfurt is a pretty relaxed consulate and they will tell you at the second window if there are things they want different with your paperwork. I think I went to the first window to pay, the second window to make sure all my documents were completed and in order and the third window was the actual "interview" which was basically a nice chat between my husband and the CO, with the occasional question for me

[iowaseabee 0]

If I remember correcty I had them attached (stapled) to the form.

Don't worry too much about that stuff, Frankfurt is a pretty relaxed consulate and they will tell you at the second window if there are things they want different with your paperwork. I think I went to the first window to pay, the second window to make sure all my documents were completed and in order and the third window was the actual "interview" which was basically a nice chat between my husband and the CO, with the occasional question for me

Thanks, I emailed them and they told me not to worry about attaching them just send them with the forms and they would attach them.

The forms were mailed to Frankfurt today.

[krautlaus 7]

Hi everyone!

I have a quick question concerning the Visa fee.. how does that work???

When should I pay for the fee and how? Do I need to transfer the money through Roskos & Meier or is there another way?

How long does that take - i.e. is it too unsafe to wait until say... a week or two before the interview.. ?

As always I'm a tad confused and would very much appreciate your help!

Thanks!

[moonstone 85 0]

Hi everyone!

I have a quick question concerning the Visa fee.. how does that work???

When should I pay for the fee and how? Do I need to transfer the money through Roskos & Meier or is there another way?

How long does that take - i.e. is it too unsafe to wait until say... a week or two before the interview.. ?

As always I'm a tad confused and would very much appreciate your help!

Thanks!

You pay through Roskos meier..It took like a week before i got the e mail that they received the money..I wouldnt wait until last minute w it...once you have it, you have it

Go on their website and they explane what to do..they sent you an e mail w a bank account # and you transfer the money to that account

good luck

[moonstone 85 0]

hey guys..

Is there a K1 couple from chicago / chicago suburbs?

I'll fly to the states Feb 5 and will live in the Naperville area (west suburbs) of chicago.

good luck to you all

[krautlaus 7]

You pay through Roskos meier..It took like a week before i got the e mail that they received the money..I wouldnt wait until last minute w it...once you have it, you have it

Go on their website and they explane what to do..they sent you an e mail w a bank account # and you transfer the money to that account

good luck

Thanks bunches moonstone85! You guys were quick with the whole process! congrats on the approval!

[moonstone 85 0]

@ Krautlaus

yeah our k1 journey just took 4 1/2 months from sending I129F to Visa in hand.

I'll fly to Chicago Feb 5th...cant wait

good luck to you guys

[WeAreTogetherNow 2]

hello!

I'm german and my husband is american and we started our k1 august 08, got the visa march 09, got married in april, sent papers for AOS in may, got EAD end of june and my greencard in september! more infos in my timeline.

I got a job with a moving company here in dc, which handles international relocations. as much as i know there's no visa # needed to ship a container. just call a german moving company (I don't know if I can tell names here?) and tell them you wanna ship your things and then they send someone to your house/home to make an estimate. they will do all the paperwork for you and answer all your questions.

good luck to all of you who are still in the process!!!