Possible problem??

[IsrAziz 0]

All we need to do is book a flight before the visa expires in April! Why is this harder than getting the visa in the first place???

My husband got his IR1 visa to the USA Alhamdulillah but now we cannot seem to find a suitable flight before our scheduled January 20th trip!!! We booked on Iberia Airlines over 2 months ago right after getting the visa but at the very last minute and unannounced they cancelled our flight!!! Our travel agent caught the problem Alhamdulillah BEFORE we got to the airport in Casablanca only to be told they changed the flight from an 8am departure to a 3pm departure time. Ok fine we would have waited no problem BUT and here is the kicker........Iberia changed the flight time of our FIRST flight without taking into consideration we did not plan on staying in our first destination and had scheduled connecting flights............not only didnt they take it into consideration but they also didnt CARE!!!! Finally after much hassle they refunded our money (minus 20.00 that they kept for Im not sure what reason since it was THEIR error not ours)!!!!

The whole thing is we booked that far in advance hoping to get a better price. NOW we have to rebook and are running into all kind of problems.

There is one flight that goes from Casablanca to Frankfurt Germany and although I didnt care for the 19 hour layover we were going to accept it anyway. We were denied that flight because they said my husband needs something called a "transit visa" which we never even heard of before! They said because we are changing airlines in Frankfurt (we originally start with Royal Air Maroc airlines in Casa then in Frankfurt switch to Lufthansa) but because of the airline change he is not allowed to stay longer than 6 hours in the airport! What kind of nonscience is this???!!!

I just want to go home already! Sooooo tired of Morocco.....no offence to Moroccans but its not my home!

So how do we get this "transit visa" by Sunday (2 days from today) and why didnt anyone at the Consulate tell us we would need this if our travel takes us somewhere other than directly to the USA???

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

According to this he may not need the Schengen transit visa because he will be a permanent resident of the US, although he isn't now, which is where in the problem lies.

You'll need to apply for a Schengen transit visa and it isn't the US embassy's job to tell you that.

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

Edit: He'll need to contact the German embassy to obtain it - find the info here http://www.rabat.diplo.de

[IsrAziz 0]

According to this he may not need the Schengen transit visa because he will be a permanent resident of the US, although he isn't now, which is where in the problem lies.

You'll need to apply for a Schengen transit visa and it isn't the US embassy's job to tell you that.

Thank you so much for responding. Its really a shame they dont have a better set up in these type of circumstances. I guess its true that nobody really cares beyond their own job duties. Im getting very frustrated. We dont have time to wait for this "transit visa" as we need to leave here on Sunday which is the day after tomorrow. It would have been so nice to know this information ahead of time!

I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Maybe you and some of the other members here should apply for jobs at the consulate and embassys so others wont have these same headaches! Its a real shame!

[BraveAmnay 56]

I'm so sorry but i dont know if its good idea or no But why did not just book direct ticket tto NY once there try book another ticket to the state where you live

[destiny64 222]

I'm so sorry but i dont know if its good idea or no But why did not just book direct ticket tto NY once there try book another ticket to the state where you live

[The Mean Lady 604]

[IsrAziz 0]

I'm so sorry but i dont know if its good idea or no But why did not just book direct ticket tto NY once there try book another ticket to the state where you live

The tickets available to take going straight from Morocco to the USA are more than double the price we are paying and yes I realize that you get what you pay for but if we could save money its better for us. We will be starting our lives over once in the USA and will not have much money to start with if we pay double the airfare just to get there!

[IsrAziz 0]

Ok we were told today by the travel agent that if we are using the same airline which is give the delay then we dont need to get the transit visa. Meaning for example we had to change our flight from the RAM and Lufthansa to Iberia which will take us all the way using the same airline.

So now we have an overnight layover in Madrid Spain but the travel agent told us that since it is Iberia Airline we are using to get us to Spain and then the following day we are using the same Iberia Airline again to take us on to the USA there is no need to get the transit visa because it is considered one voyage not 2 since it involves only one airline.

Does anyone know if that is true or not??? Please help. I wrote to the link given above at the Embassy in Rabat but Im pretty sure that was about the German issue and now our plans have changed. I wrote anyway asking and if they cant help I asked them to direct me to someone who can.

Our flight is leaving on Tuesday January 22nd and I really hope we can get some valid information by then.

Thank you in advance!

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

Spain is a Schengen country and I'm pretty sure you'll need a visa for him to exit the airport. For you, you won't need a visa and once he is a LPR he won't need one.

It depends on the specific country, but I have heard even Americans getting hassled entering the Schengen zone for proof of onward journey (even though they can be there visa free).

Perhaps someone knows whether you can stay in the terminal overnight and they won't require it?

Edited January 19, 2013 by Nola123

[IsrAziz 0]

Perhaps someone knows whether you can stay in the terminal overnight and they won't require it?

Yes this is what I need to know. I already figured he wouldnt be able to leave the airport so we never intended to but we need to know if he will be able to stay overnight inside the airport.

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

Yes this is what I need to know. I already figured he wouldnt be able to leave the airport so we never intended to but we need to know if he will be able to stay overnight inside the airport.

Maybe this will be a starting off point for you, but I think as long as you stay in the international transit zone you should be fine.

There are three types of visa for travelling to Spain, depending on the type of journey you intend to make:

Airport transit visa.

These visas allow the holder to cross the international transit zone of a Spanish airport. Nationals from countries included in the list of countries with the obligation to carry an airport transit visa must be in possession of this visa (list I and list II).

http://www.maec.es/en/MenuPpal/Consulares/ServiciosConsulares/InformacionaExtranjeros/Visados/Paginas/visas2010EN.aspx

[IsrAziz 0]

Maybe this will be a starting off point for you, but I think as long as you stay in the international transit zone you should be fine.

Thank you very much I read on that site and although my computer wouldnt accept the download of the country list Im sure Morocco must be on it. I am thinking like you said we should be safe as long as we stay near the boarding gate for the connecting flight and dont go roaming around alot. Also I will let one of the airport officials know our situation as soon as we arrive and hopefully that person will be very understanding that we knew nothing about this before we booked our flight. Now we will be flying on Gods good graces.

[lierre 224]

Check the airport website for info on those who have long layovers. They will always have info for international passengers and which countries require visas.

Sometimes, you can get answers from googling, too. I know this because I once tried to search for "do i need visa for long layover in china" etc.

I hope you are able to leave before your deadline.

[IsrAziz 0]

Check the airport website for info on those who have long layovers. They will always have info for international passengers and which countries require visas.

Sometimes, you can get answers from googling, too. I know this because I once tried to search for "do i need visa for long layover in china" etc.

I hope you are able to leave before your deadline.

Thank you for your advise and kind words. I will try your suggestions as well and I hope we are able to leave too!