Has Anyone Left Europe's Schengen Area for 14 Days to Then Enter USA?

[talia0506 23]

27 minutes ago, Lskifghj said:

Sorry to hear you had to go through this bad experience. You probably got unlucky with idiots at work. Your documents were already impressive. It sounds like it is just a hit or miss with the workers. Yes, you’re lucky you have time on your side. Or maybe try a different country and flight? Croatia via Turkey? (If you can find a flight)

There are flights at the moment from 10th June but who knows if Turkish Airline suspends them again: https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/flights/booking/availability/?cId=75f276de-f52f-4230-b5dd-cb57bf2df622

[RFOM 50]

53 minutes ago, thisguyflies said:

Strange indeed. Unfortunately, there really was no convincing them despite my best efforts.

You see, KLM and its partners can be really fussy and make a mess sometimes.

As I have my family in France and wanted to spend time with them before flying to US, in the beginning of April I flew from Dublin to Paris with Aerlingus (which is KLM partner). Two weeks before flying, to make sure I could fly to France, I contacted the French Embassy in Ireland and they told me"yes", as a member of EU (I have an Irish passport) I could enter France without a problem". To avoid any issue, my sister made sure to send me letters stating the address and explaining I was going to stay with them for as long as I needed.

I went to the airport (with my 3 suitcases and my bike) and at the check-in the Aerlingus assistant said straight away "oh if you are not a French resident you cant fly". I explained to her everything and that I had already spoke to French Embassy and she said "oh they did not give you the right information, I will call a supervisor". The supervisor also said I could not fly, so after I insisted they called Border Control in Paris and... of course I WAS RIGHT. After 1 hour i was able to go to departure gate. It was so stressful,  all I thought about was "what a hell I will do since I do not have an apartment and job in Ireland anymore". It showed me how little they knew about the whole immigration/travel ban process. 

Before I buy my tickets to Mexico City, I contacted Aeromexico and they said it was fine to travel with them, so it seems I wont have issues leaving Paris. 

 

[RD7712 143]

This is very disturbing news. My fiancee's flight and mine are in one week. She quit her job and her flat for next week. No where to go once she goes to the airport. Now I am stressed. 

 

 

[Ja3germeister 90]

2 minutes ago, RFOM said:

You see, KLM and its partners can be really fussy and make a mess sometimes.

As I have my family in France and wanted to spend time with them before flying to US, in the beginning of April I flew from Dublin to Paris with Aerlingus (which is KLM partner). Two weeks before flying, to make sure I could fly to France, I contacted the French Embassy in Ireland and they told me"yes", as a member of EU (I have an Irish passport) I could enter France without a problem". To avoid any issue, my sister made sure to send me letters stating the address and explaining I was going to stay with them for as long as I needed.

I went to the airport (with my 3 suitcases and my bike) and at the check-in the Aerlingus assistant said straight away "oh if you are not a French resident you cant fly". I explained to her everything and that I had already spoke to French Embassy and she said "oh they did not give you the right information, I will call a supervisor". The supervisor also said I could not fly, so after I insisted they called Border Control in Paris and... of course I WAS RIGHT. After 1 hour i was able to go to departure gate. It was so stressful,  all I thought about was "what a hell I will do since I do not have an apartment and job in Ireland anymore". It showed me how little they knew about the whole immigration/travel ban process. 

Before I buy my tickets to Mexico City, I contacted Aeromexico and they said it was fine to travel with them, so it seems I wont have issues leaving Paris. 

 

Yes, KLM hires a bunch of idiots. They deadass said to my face that there are no travel restrictions for the US until I let them double check with CBP. Seems like we all need to put on our Karen masks if we want to board that flight

[Leah88 192]

3 minutes ago, Ja3germeister said:

Yes, KLM hires a bunch of idiots. They deadass said to my face that there are no travel restrictions for the US until I let them double check with CBP. Seems like we all need to put on our Karen masks if we want to board that flight

I don’t want to be a Karen tho!!! And I’m also very sorry to hear you didn’t get to fly @thisguyflies but you still have so much time!!! I have 1 month before my visa expires. I’m sure you’ll be fine to enter before September!

[Kaatje 81]

1 hour ago, Ja3germeister said:

Honestly I think it all depends on the people at the airport. One person could be super strict and the other the complete opposite. Like you said, if you booked a flight just go for it. That's what I'm doing. Anything can happen, good or bad. One way to find out

Does he have a K-1 as well? Or a different visa?

And keep us updated on his situation please!

K1. His flight boards at 14:45, will keep you updated.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Kaatje

[Kaatje 81]

59 minutes ago, Kaatje said:

K1. His flight boards at 14:45, will keep you updated.

He's boarded! He even send a picture of him walking on the plane 😄

We'll know how things at immigration in Mexico go in about 10 hours or so.

[RD7712 143]

This is going to be a roller coaster ride. I hope all goes well!

[Ela G. 389]

14 hours ago, ohohoho said:

That's great! You mentioned before that it works for ESTAs, too. Would you know anyone that did that?

Don’t know anyone! But it works the same as with visas! as long as you’re traveling by air from a non-restricted country you should be good to enter the US.

[Ela G. 389]

4 hours ago, thisguyflies said:

Hi, everyone. I've been monitoring this thread very closely for quite some time and want to share some vital new information on the Mexico travel route that people with a K1 visa are considering.

 

As I type this, I am literally just back from the airport.

 

Long story short: KLM DIDN'T ALLOW ME TO BOARD THE FLIGHT. My planned route was Manchester (UK) > AMS > MEX and after trying my best and talking with them for around 1hr 30min, they didn't allow me through.

 

Here's what I experienced at check in:

I arrived super early, as I guessed something like this would happen; needing a discussion.

I explained what my plans were. I showed them the K1 visa in my passport and two emails I received from the Mexican consulate in the UK saying I can travel and an email from CBP (bit of a copy paste job from them...).

I had a flight booked from Mexico to the US for 12th June (to Oakland, CA), which I showed them the conformation for.

The lady at check-in was very nice about it, but was talking with her colleagues about the validity of my travel. They weren't sure what was allowed, despite me explaining the situation.

They called up Amsterdam airport to talk with somebody who handles immigration for KLM and explained the situation.

THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART: OVER THE WEEKEND, THEY HAD AN UPDATE FROM THE MEXICAN IMMIGRATION AUTHORITY ON WHAT CONSTITUTES AS NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL. ACCORDING TO THEM, THIS UPDAT STATED THAT STAYING IN MEXICO FOR THE 14 DAY PERIOD BEFORE TRAVELING TO THE USA IS NOT ALLOWED AND NOT CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL.

Sadly, this option doesn't seem like a possibility anymore.

They really tried to help me. They sent a photo of my K1 to Amsterdam and even suggested a direct flight to the USA might work...but another call to KLM immigration in Amsterdam told us that this wasn't enough for entry either.

 

So, I'm back where I started. I can at least say that I tried. My visa expires in 2nd Sept, so my best hope is for flights to resume before then. Past that, hopefully a re-issuance is successful.

 

I understand that this might be frustrating for those with things booked like I did, but I hope it can help somebody out.

 

Attached is proof of my tickets [PERSONAL INFO REDACTED] if you needed to see that I'm very serious about this.

 

My boarding pass from MAN > AMS > MEX

 

My flight confirmation from MEX > USA

 

My email from the Mexico consulate

 

My email from CBP

 

(Oh, and consider my username ironic now...I made it a few days ago hoping the provide an update from journey to Mexico.)

 

Good luck, everyone.

 

Awful news 😞

[Sparkle Sparkle 914]

Well as that option is closed others are opening up....you can still travel through Cyprus https://www.france24.com/en/20200522-cyprus-ends-passenger-flights-ban-from-june-9-with-conditions

Most of the flights still stop over in Turkey but I can imagine 14 days in Cyprus with very affordable hotels.

@thisguyflies must have been very tough for you. 

  @ashp65 your visa is still valid till September alot can happen before then.

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Sparkle Sparkle

[thisguyflies 72]

UPDATE

 

I spoke with KLM on the phone like they recommended I should do when I got rejected at check in (their hold music is awful, was on hold for about 40 min). They informed me that I was put down as a "no show" and no notes were made on my booking despite the fact that I specifically asking if they could do that, which they said they did....sooooo yeah nice one KLM....

 

I traveled back to the airport just now to see if anyone could help me. After dodging a disgusting guy spitting next to my car (yes, seriously), I managed to speak with somebody at a check in desk (not KLM).

 

After talking with them about my situation, I'm going back again tomorrow morning to see if I can:

1: Get them to fix my booking status from today to give me a chance for a refund

2: Get confirmation from them that I can fly to mexico...go Giga-Karen mode and speak to Mr KLM himself if I must.

3: Try to get them to change my booking to the next flight to Mexico (this Saturday).

 

To anyone reading my posts who have had their nerves skyrocket; here is my advice unto you if you're worried:

 

PACK LIGHT

Make sure you meet KLM's 12kg allowance and size restrictions (or whatever your airline is). Don't have any checked bags.

 

CHECK IN ONLINE, PRINT OUT YOUR BOARDING CARD

This was my big mistake...I believe I could have bypassed talking to the check in people and gone straight through security, as I had my boarding card printed already. I would have definitely been questioned at the gate or elsewhere, but I think it's a risk worth taking to avoid the uninformed check in staff.  It's a little risky, but you'll be closer to your goal.

 

PRINT OUT AND FILL OUT THE HEALTH FORM

Download it here print out for each flight you're taking if connecting. This is for KLM only, but you might be able to find something similar for other airlines.

 

IF THEY TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN'T FLY....JUST REMEMBER KLM (KAREN LIVES MATTER) AND ASK TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER

No guarantees, but don't accept what they say. If they've already spoken to them on the phone, demand to speak to the manager in person.

 

GATHER ALL THE EVIDENCE AND DOCUMENTATION YOU CAN PROVING THAT YOU CAN TRAVEL

Didn't help me out much, but it's worth having.

 

Good luck

 

 

[ashp65 4]

@Sparkle Sparkle our visa expires 23rd June 😔

[Sparkle Sparkle 914]

5 minutes ago, ashp65 said:

@Sparkle Sparkle our visa expires 23rd June 😔

A couple of days more could have made all the difference. 

[dpnce 102]

11 minutes ago, thisguyflies said:

UPDATE

 

I spoke with KLM on the phone like they recommended I should do when I got rejected at check in (their hold music is awful, was on hold for about 40 min). They informed me that I was put down as a "no show" and no notes were made on my booking despite the fact that I specifically asking if they could do that, which they said they did....sooooo yeah nice one KLM....

 

I traveled back to the airport just now to see if anyone could help me. After dodging a disgusting guy spitting next to my car (yes, seriously), I managed to speak with somebody at a check in desk (not KLM).

 

After talking with them about my situation, I'm going back again tomorrow morning to see if I can:

1: Get them to fix my booking status from today to give me a chance for a refund

2: Get confirmation from them that I can fly to mexico...go Giga-Karen mode and speak to Mr KLM himself if I must.

3: Try to get them to change my booking to the next flight to Mexico (this Saturday).

 

To anyone reading my posts who have had their nerves skyrocket; here is my advice unto you if you're worried:

 

PACK LIGHT

Make sure you meet KLM's 12kg allowance and size restrictions (or whatever your airline is). Don't have any checked bags.

 

CHECK IN ONLINE, PRINT OUT YOUR BOARDING CARD

This was my big mistake...I believe I could have bypassed talking to the check in people and gone straight through security, as I had my boarding card printed already. I would have definitely been questioned at the gate or elsewhere, but I think it's a risk worth taking to avoid the uninformed check in staff.  It's a little risky, but you'll be closer to your goal.

 

PRINT OUT AND FILL OUT THE HEALTH FORM

Download it here print out for each flight you're taking if connecting. This is for KLM only, but you might be able to find something similar for other airlines.

 

IF THEY TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN'T FLY....JUST REMEMBER KLM (KAREN LIVES MATTER) AND ASK TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER

No guarantees, but don't accept what they say. If they've already spoken to them on the phone, demand to speak to the manager in person.

 

GATHER ALL THE EVIDENCE AND DOCUMENTATION YOU CAN PROVING THAT YOU CAN TRAVEL

Didn't help me out much, but it's worth having.

 

Good luck

 

 

Thank you so much for the details! Wishing you the best of luck for tomorrow, can you please keep us posted?

One question: May I ask you why one must not travel with any checked bag?