Emergency: Traveled abroad with extension letter but without physical greencard

[nerdcouple 126]

Hello all,

I am supposed to get on a flight from Germany to the US (Lufthansa) in less than 12 hours and just realized that I brought my extension letter but left my greencard at home. Is there any chance they will let me board the flight? The extension letter is dated March 2023 and is for 48 months. I do have pictures of my greencard but I left the actual card at home. What can I do at this point? 

[Verrou 1,899]

they usually will require the plastic card + the extension letter

can u try to reschedule the flight? in the mean time ask someone to over night ur plastic card

how bout apply for boarding foil in the nearest consulate/embassy 

https://www.ustraveldocs.com/de/de-iv-boardingfoils.asp#:~:text=If your Green Card has,status in the United States.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Verrou

[Crazy Cat 39,267]

Without the actual card or a boarding foil, I don't think they will let you board.  See page 30

2019 Carrier Information Guide (cbp.gov)

Edited August 14, 2023 by Crazy Cat

[OldUser 4,818]

Very tough situation, @nerdcouple

You may get lucky and get boarded but I would say it's 1% chance.

 

You need both expired GC and valid extension letter.

 

Otherwise, options are:

1. Fly to Mexico or Canada and cross to the US by land

2. Get boarding foil from US embasy (fees and wait apply)

 

Keep us updated!

Edited August 14, 2023 by OldUser

[mindthegap 2,521]

Nope. If you do, it's because someone breaks (not bends) the rules or doesn't know them, which is unlikely as they usually refer to their computer systems and the carrier information guide if in doubt. which clearly lists the acceptable documents.

Knowing [removed] they will be sticklers for the rules and will not break them. I wouldn't even try. 

 

So, either

a)get someone to send fedex it over to you (easy and quick - you can have it with you within 24hrs) 

b) make an appointment at the embassy for an I-131A boarding foil (slower - days, possibly a week or two, and around $600)

c) fly to canada (easier) or mexico (harder) and enter via a land border. You will be admitted, but not before you endure a horrible visit to secondary while they verify your status,  and then scold you in no uncertain terms for travelling without the correct documentation for re-entry.

 

Those are your only options. 

Edited August 15, 2023 by TBoneTX
offensive reference removed

[Timona 3,941]

@nerdcouple update?

[kippenpox 17]

I'd reschedule the flight and try to get someone to UPS you the card. Did that after forgetting my I-20 back when I was a student. 

[OldUser 4,818]

22 hours ago, mindthegap said:

a)get someone to send fedex it over to you (easy and quick - you can have it with you within 24hrs) 

 

23 minutes ago, kippenpox said:

I'd reschedule the flight and try to get someone to UPS you the card. 

DHL is also an option which is may be fast for shipping to and from Germany / EU 

[nerdcouple 126]

Update: I made it back to the US on my original flight. Since I booked my flight using points, I didn't have anything to lose and decided to push my luck. I checked in online, put my A-number in the form and entered May 2027 as the expiration date of my greencard. Also added my Global Entry number. Went to the airport and nobody asked for the physical greencard at the bag drop off. There was one more document check but nobody wanted to see the actual greencard or the letter so I got on the flight without any issues. At immigration in the US I got in the Global Entry line as always. The officer asked for my greencard and I said I don't have it with me but showed him the extension letter. He looked at it and said 'Welcome to the US!"... I didn't even have to go to secondary inspection so I must have gotten incredibly lucky.

I had a plan B in place in case they would have denied boarding which I totally expected: I would have taken a flight to Mexico City a few hours after my original departure and met my husband there. He was ready to travel there from the US just to deliver my greencard and to get back together to the US on the next flight. 

 

Thanks again for all your replies. I am incredibly grateful for what happened today and that was absolutely not what I expected to happen. Success factors for me were online check-in and Global Entry I believe. Plus a lot of luck! I don't ever want to go through this again though.

[RamonGomez 259]

On 8/14/2023 at 5:17 PM, mindthegap said:

Nope. If you do, it's because someone breaks (not bends) the rules or doesn't know them, which is unlikely as they usually refer to their computer systems and the carrier information guide if in doubt. which clearly lists the acceptable documents.

Knowing [removed] they will be sticklers for the rules and will not break them. I wouldn't even try. 

 

So, either

a)get someone to send fedex it over to you (easy and quick - you can have it with you within 24hrs) 

b) make an appointment at the embassy for an I-131A boarding foil (slower - days, possibly a week or two, and around $600)

c) fly to canada (easier) or mexico (harder) and enter via a land border. You will be admitted, but not before you endure a horrible visit to secondary while they verify your status,  and then scold you in no uncertain terms for travelling without the correct documentation for re-entry.

 

Those are your only options. 

 

 

Lol literally 0% of this turned out to be true. Just goes to show the loudest and most confident aren't always the most correct. Congrats OP.

 

[nastra30 1,985]

26 minutes ago, RamonGomez said:

 

 

Lol literally 0% of this turned out to be true. Just goes to show the loudest and most confident aren't always the most correct. Congrats OP.

 

I don't think you can paint a broad brush and say it's not true. My spouse did travel during ROC and absolutely the airline did ask to see both expired greencard + extension on her return flight. If anything, I'll rather say op got lucky.

Edited August 16, 2023 by nastra30

[Ontarkie 13,917]

Maybe having Global Entry is what worked in the OP's favour? Regardless I'm glad you made it home. 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Ontarkie

[Ellie_7 98]

@nerdcouple Thank you for the update. That is truly amazing.

 

I also wonder whether Global Entry played a role.

(Nonetheless, despite the amazing outcome in this case, I wouldn't recommend any LPR push his chances by intentionally trying to enter the US without the green card.)

 

[OldUser 4,818]

Amazing story, glad to hear you were lucky @nerdcouple

 

Whenever I travelled to Europe and back I was asked to produce GC and extension letter multiple times: during check in and during boarding + connecting flight boarding. 

[mindthegap 2,521]

13 hours ago, RamonGomez said:

 

 

Lol literally 0% of this turned out to be true. Just goes to show the loudest and most confident aren't always the most correct. Congrats OP.

 

 

Aside from...the law being true?

My post is absolutely correct - if the OP hadn't had that stroke of luck/quirk of fate/global entry/whatever, the options listed were more or less their only options. 

 

The OP got incredibly lucky because no-one actually checked their documents prior to boarding a flight to the US, as they are supposed to do. It is literally the law. 

I've shown my I-551 stamp and check in agents have insisted on seeing a card (that expired 8 years ago). On other occasions in the past I've produced the card and the letter and they've still had to verify with the supervisor.  I've done online check in with carry on only to the US over a hundred times, and still had to visit an agent or at the gate every single time for a document check, even when my card was unexpired. 

 

Not having the card at the border itself isn't actually an issue - hence the advice and option to go to a land border from a neighbouring country. The issue at hand here was the very strict rules when boarding a carrier to the US, as laid out clearly and explicitly in the rules in the carrier information guide that all airlines with permission to fly to the US are bound to. It costs the airlines big money in fines if they let someone board without the correct documentation.