Expired Green Card and boarding issues

[josephandvivian 0]

Hello Everyone,

My conditional green card expired on July 7, 2012. My husband and I applied for the removal of conditions prior to the Green Card expiration date. After that, I traveled to Brazil, where I am right now.

I have the Green Card and the NOA/extension letter with me, but I am afraid to have boarding issues at the airport. I have read that some airlines may refuse to board a passenger if the Green Card has expired. I wrote to the US Consulate in São Paulo and they answered me that it will depend on the airline.

Has someone had a similar experience in Brazil?

Thanks in advance

Vivian

[Anh map 2,098]

Hello Everyone,

My conditional green card expired on July 7, 2012. My husband and I applied for the removal of conditions prior to the Green Card expiration date. After that, I traveled to Brazil, where I am right now.

I have the Green Card and the NOA/extension letter with me, but I am afraid to have boarding issues at the airport. I have read that some airlines may refuse to board a passenger if the Green Card has expired. I wrote to the US Consulate in São Paulo and they answered me that it will depend on the airline.

Has someone had a similar experience in Brazil?

Thanks in advance

Vivian

Have you contacted the airline office there in Brazil to ask? Seems like the next logical step.

[josephandvivian 0]

Have you contacted the airline office there in Brazil to ask? Seems like the next logical step.

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to contact Delta Airlines, but the phone line is always busy. I will keep trying...

I wonder if some airlines are more flexible than others in this kind of case.

[menina 50]

I believe you will be fine with the original (no copies) extension letter and expired green card. In my experience, if you want to talk to the airlines, you will need to go directly to the airport. I have NEVER been able to get ahold of them in Brasil on the phone. Good luck!

Edited July 16, 2012 by menina

[thongd4me 69]

My wife will be going to Thailand in September and she is in the same category as the OP.

I guess we will have to buy the ticket first and then inquire about the boarding issues.

[josephandvivian 0]

Hi everybody,

I decided to get the transportation letter. It requires forms, copies and other stuff, but it is free. I will feel better if I do it.

Thanks for the replies

[Scott and Mhay 57]

shouldn't you board the plane with your passport and not green card? green card should be shown along with your passport when arriving back in the US. As long as you have the original letter extending your green card validity for one year you will be fine.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

shouldn't you board the plane with your passport and not green card? green card should be shown along with your passport when arriving back in the US. As long as you have the original letter extending your green card validity for one year you will be fine.

No airline will board a foreigner on a flight bound for the US unless the airline is convinced that the foreigner will be admitted when they arrive in the US. Airlines must agree to the DHS carrier terms when they fly into the United States, which includes an agreement that the airline will assume responsibility for accepting any passengers who are refused admission for a return flight to their point of departure, and the US government isn't obligated to pay for the flight. The airlines don't want to get stuck absorbing the costs of the return ticket, so they want solid evidence that the passenger has been authorized to enter the US. This means they check visas and green cards before they issue boarding passes.

[churawan 14]

Hi everybody,

I decided to get the transportation letter. It requires forms, copies and other stuff, but it is free. I will feel better if I do it.

Thanks for the replies

What Transportation Letter are you talking about?? My wife will be going to Thailand and returning after her GC expires.. We also are planning a trip to the Bahamas in Nov, they accept the GC inliew of Visa.. Wondering how this will playout for that trip with expired GC and the Extension letter issues during this process...

Steve

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

The whole point of the extension letter is to travel with it after the GC expires. People travel with it all the time (original letter + GC). To think otherwise is just paranoia.

[josephandvivian 0]

What Transportation Letter are you talking about?? My wife will be going to Thailand and returning after her GC expires.. We also are planning a trip to the Bahamas in Nov, they accept the GC inliew of Visa.. Wondering how this will playout for that trip with expired GC and the Extension letter issues during this process...

Steve

Hi Steve,

The expired GC and the Extension letter should be enough. It looks like the most of people do not have problems, but I read about people that had it (airline refused to let the passenger board). I wrote to the consulate (São Paulo, Brazil) and they told me that it will depend on the airline. I tried, but could not talk to the airline. I read about the transportation letter in the embassy website (http://brazil.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visas/other-services/transportation-letter.html). It will be free and I will be in São Paulo. I have a lot of things going on right now and I do not want to worry about any possible problems at the airport. Just to be safe, I decided to get the transportation letter. Just that...

Vivian

[david'sgirl 134]

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to contact Delta Airlines, but the phone line is always busy. I will keep trying...

I wonder if some airlines are more flexible than others in this kind of case.

We flew to Bermuda with expired green card and the extension letter. We had no problem with Delta but we had to go to Secondary screening in Immigration on way home. They asked a few questions and we boarded with no problem.

[Holmes 0]

My wife just got denied entry to a flight with her green card and a copy (not original) of the extension letter. It's not clear how much the lack of original was a problem, as opposed to the green card.

It was some people from TAM in Rio who let her check in on an international flight in her departure airport (Belem) but then blocked her at the gate in Rio. Not a great experience.

The airline is telling her she needs to go to the consulate, which must be for this "transportation letter" or "boarding foil" (see link above... I'm a new user so I can't post links).

Hopefully she'll be able to get this "boarding foil" thing quickly. On the site it says it can take *5 days* (which is insane; they have access to the same computers the border guards do, so it should be instantaneous).

Edited March 13, 2013 by Holmes

[Navyk 78]

My wife just got denied entry to a flight with her green card and a copy (not original) of the extension letter. It's not clear how much the lack of original was a problem, as opposed to the green card.

It was some people from TAM in Rio who let her check in on an international flight in her departure airport (Belem) but then blocked her at the gate in Rio. Not a great experience.

The airline is telling her she needs to go to the consulate, which must be for this "transportation letter" or "boarding foil" (see link above... I'm a new user so I can't post links).

Hopefully she'll be able to get this "boarding foil" thing quickly. On the site it says it can take *5 days* (which is insane; they have access to the same computers the border guards do, so it should be instantaneous).

Now a days we can get copies, which looks just like the original. Of course it is not advise to travel abroad with a copy. All the very best and keep us informed of your wife's transportation letter/ home coming.

[bigdog 376]

We have traveled with no issues.