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

[WMyrtle 5]

Just a few words about our trip to Mexico City before going to the US. Hopefully, it will help some of you and give you some hope

 

I’m French and my boyfriend is American. We spent 16 days in a lovely hotel in Mexico City.  We stayed in our room most of the time, just to stay safe and then the big day arrived.

 

I was stressed out even if I was more than ready : I had my ESTA with me, I had my return ticket for Paris too and I checked everything before leaving (especially all the great information on Visa Journey). We also called the US Customs and Border Protection, and I emailed them a couple of days before leaving Mexico (I had their answer printed on me too)

 

So, I went through the immigration in Dallas a few days ago and everything went well.

 

After five months being apart, I’m able to spend a few weeks with my boyfriend. This is ... so great.

 

No matter what is your nationality, if you’ve spent the last fourteen days in a country outside of the Schengen Area, you’ll be fine.

 

Good luck everybody! 

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by WMyrtle

[Princely 1]

On 8/14/2020 at 12:20 AM, WMyrtle said:

Just a few words about our trip to Mexico City before going to the US. Hopefully, it will help some of you and give you some hope

 

I’m French and my boyfriend is American. We spent 16 days in a lovely hotel in Mexico City.  We stayed in our room most of the time, just to stay safe and then the big day arrived.

 

I was stressed out even if I was more than ready : I had my ESTA with me, I had my return ticket for Paris too and I checked everything before leaving (especially all the great information on Visa Journey). We also called the US Customs and Border Protection, and I emailed them a couple of days before leaving Mexico (I had their answer printed on me too)

 

So, I went through the immigration in Dallas a few days ago and everything went well.

 

After five months being apart, I’m able to spend a few weeks with my boyfriend. This is ... so great.

 

No matter what is your nationality, if you’ve spent the last fourteen days in a country outside of the Schengen Area, you’ll be fine.

 

Good luck everybody! 

 

Excellent. I'm so happy for you. I sent you some questions about hotel etc over direct message. Hoping you can help me out by answering them. Thank you so much!!

[remotercharm 31]

After staying a month in Mexico we flew from Cancun and went through immigration in Atlanta. It was a breeze.  Planning for him to stay almost the full 90 days unless we get an interview. 

Edited August 16, 2020 by remotercharm

[Onomatopoeia 0]

Hi all - just wondered if anybody had success since July entering/re-entering via Aruba?

 

I'm currently in the US on an E2 visa (valid until March 2022) - I haven't left the US since November 2019. My girlfriend (US citizen) turns 30 in November and we've had a trip booked for a while (almost a year) to visit Aruba for 4 days then.

For various reasons we're still unsure if we'll go ahead with this trip - general uncertainty about the safety/how sensible it is to travel during COVID, plus Aruba seems to be spiking anyway since re-opening to tourists in July, so it seems a strong possibility they'll close their borders to tourists again by November anyway.

My question though is if we do go ahead with this trip - would I actually be able to re-enter the US from Aruba on the E2 visa? This isn't one of the visa categories exempt from the "travel ban" if you've been in certain countries within 14 days, and Aruba is technically part of the Netherlands...though obviously not part of the Schengen zone.

The use of the Schengen wording seems deliberate enough that I'd assume overseas territories like this in the Caribbean don't count, though it seems unclear and not sure I'd like to take the chance.... the US consulate website (https://cw.usconsulate.gov/news-events/covid-19-information/) for Aruba and the other Dutch Islands states "There are currently no restrictions on traveling from Aruba to the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) maintains a list of countries/regions that are under current COVID-19 travel restrictions. Note that for the context of these restrictions, Aruba is NOT considered part of the Schengen Area." which seems pretty clear...but this is the only place I could find any sort of explanation....not sure I'd fancy having this argument with a border agent. 

I don't suppose anybody has had success entering / re-entering the US in the last few weeks, from Aruba, or has any further knowledge on the above?

Thanks

Edited August 17, 2020 by Onomatopoeia

[HRQX 4,145]

2 hours ago, Onomatopoeia said:

not sure I'd fancy having this argument with a border agent.

Seems like a valid concern. Last month @strenaq contacted CBP preclearance in Aruba and was told that Aruba was part of the ban by the CBP Officer:

 

2 hours ago, Onomatopoeia said:

My girlfriend (US citizen)

If you marry your girlfriend you'll be exempt to the Schengen Area proclamation as a spouse of US citizen.

[Onomatopoeia 0]

50 minutes ago, HRQX said:

Seems like a valid concern. Last month @strenaq contacted CBP preclearance in Aruba and was told that Aruba was part of the ban by the CBP Officer:

 

If you marry your girlfriend you'll be exempt to the Schengen Area proclamation as a spouse of US citizen.

 

Thanks - that's very interesting about the CBP advice, and how it seems totally at odds with the consulate website...emphasizes my fear that this is all very loose and would be "luck of the draw" on the day, which I'm not willing to risk.

 

Appreciate the marriage advice too! Definitely something we're looking strongly at before it comes time to need to renew the E2. 

 

 

[SBML 34]

On 8/2/2020 at 6:07 PM, remotercharm said:

How long did you tell them you're staying for?  I'd like him to stay for either the time he gets an interview or the full 90 days, though not sure if they will like to hear staying up to 90 days.

Sorry for the late response, I've been busy as hell. I said two months, as I had the plane tickets to return for that exact date, he asked me if I had return tickets, I said yes, but he didn't ask me to show them. 

[Pat S. 5]

Hi all!

 

Maybe I need to stay 14 days in Mexico City and as many of you has stayed there before entering US, I would like you to recommend any hotel or airbnb where you have stayed so I can begin my research.

 

Any recommendation would be really appreciated!

 

Thank you!!

[LibertyBears 22]

Hey all 

 

I was thinking about visiting my fiance with ESTA (uk passport holder)
I'm currently in Hong Kong which is apparently listed as an exempt country 

and I was a little worried that they might see my passport and refuse to let me in 

I'm not sure how to prove I've been in Hong Kong this whole time neither, Hong Kong doesn't stamp passports

I have a landing slip which shows when I landed , and Hong Kong currently has a system in place since March where only HK residents are allowed in. I don't have HK residency so I have been here since March.
But how do I prove all that to the CBP officer 😧 , do they just base it on my word? Did anyone have to provide physical evidence at the border? 

I'm in middle of processing K1 at the moment and super worried about if I get denied entry it would affect the K1 process

Also to my fiance visiting me, that was originally the plan but it seems that now, it's simply not possible. Due to him needing to quarantine for 14 days once he's back in US and he does not have enough vacation days to see me and quarantine.

Edited August 21, 2020 by LibertyBears

[Boiler 45,651]

Presumably you have been living somewhere, hotel, rented an apartment?

[LibertyBears 22]

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Presumably you have been living somewhere, hotel, rented an apartment?

My parents live here so I've just been staying with them. 

[HRQX 4,145]

3 hours ago, LibertyBears said:

Also to my fiance visiting me, that was originally the plan but it seems that now, it's simply not possible. Due to him needing to quarantine for 14 days once he's back in US and he does not have enough vacation days to see me and quarantine.

The travel advisory is for mainland China, not HK.

Also, no federal law on 14-day "quarantine"; it's just recommended: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/from-other-countries.html "CDC recommends that travelers stay home and monitor their health for 14 days."

Thus, it's state specific.

3 hours ago, LibertyBears said:

and I was a little worried that they might see my passport and refuse to let me in

They don't deny solely based on nationality. Take with you any supporting items that can place you in HK when you travel to the US.

Edited August 21, 2020 by HRQX

[LibertyBears 22]

21 hours ago, HRQX said:

The travel advisory is for mainland China, not HK.

Also, no federal law on 14-day "quarantine"; it's just recommended: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/from-other-countries.html "CDC recommends that travelers stay home and monitor their health for 14 days."

Ah sorry I was not clear. 

Yes but my fiance cannot visit me in Hong Kong as Hong Kong has closed it's borders completely to everyone except for HK residents.

If my fiance were to visit me it would be in UK which has the travel advisory 

21 hours ago, HRQX said:

They don't deny solely based on nationality. Take with you any supporting items that can place you in HK when you travel to the US.

That's good to hear. I plan to request my inbound outbound information from Hong Kong borders which hopefully works. I cannot think of anything else besides that 
I have no hotel receipts or bank activity

[LibertyBears 22]

47 minutes ago, LibertyBears said:

I plan to request my inbound outbound information from Hong Kong borders which hopefully works.

although this may not work as it takes some time for it to be processed and I will still have a "gap" in the information as they will not be able to give me the inbound outbound dates right up to the actual date I plan to leave HK to america. 
As in if it takes them 5 days to give me that information, and I request for March - present date, it will arrive in 5 days and I will have 5 days unaccounted for 😕 

 

I might just book a hotel in hong kong for two weeks just to get some kind of proof, or is this not necessary?

[HRQX 4,145]

20 minutes ago, Ririwoo37 said:

Would the option of getting married through proxy (for states allowed) could make the European eligible to enter ? (They say Spouses are ok to come in)

You'll have to ask CBP Traveler Communications Center if they use INA 101(a)(35) definition for "spouse" in the Schengen Area proclamation exemption. https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/i-94/traveler-compliance

 

INA 101(a)(35): "The term "spouse", "wife", or "husband" do not include a spouse, wife, or husband by reason of any marriage ceremony where the contracting parties thereto are not physically present in the presence of each other, unless the marriage shall have been consummated."