Germany to USA

AaronGingrich

mrymsza - I flew direct from the US to Frankfurt and it worked out great!
On Sept 27 I flew DEN to Frankfurt on United Airlines with a layover in Washington DC. The flight from Washington to Frankfurt was almost empty.
I was able to enter Germany with the Declaration of Relationship form (Erklärung zur Beziehung ) and a letter of invitation from my girlfriend. The form is just 2 pages - fill out your contact info and both sign. The letter was 1 or 2 sentences that said I am her boyfriend (Lebenspartner) and that I am invited to stay with her, and the dates.
It was very easy. The passport control agent asked if I had been in Germany before (I have several times) and let me right through:)
It is also required to get a covid-19 test before the flight or within 48 hours of arrival in Germany. I signed up in advance and paid 59 euros. After passport control at the Frankfurt airport I just followed the signs to the testing place there at the airport. The test took a minute or two and they emailed the results.

Now... does anybody know how I can get my girlfriend back to the US?
Can she apply for ESTA online as usual?
Does it work to go outside of the Shengen states for 14 days (Turkey, Croatia, or UK, etc.) and then enter the US?

I have been getting conflicting reports. Several people her have talked about doing the exact same thing but then disappear from the site. Does that mean it works?? I hope so!:)

Viel Gluck!

charlottew

AaronGingrich Hey Aaron! My question is concerning your travels to Germany. May I ask if you had a residence permit in Germany? I thought that was also required and tourist visa was not sufficient...
Thank you in advance :) Charlotte

"Short visits of an unmarried partner to a partner living in Germany who is a German citizen, a citizen of another European Union member state, a citizen of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, a United Kingdom national, or a citizen of another country who has a current right of residence in Germany"

CapeCodSharks

Hi eveybody! I'm in a similar situation with my gf from Boston. I'm from Spain and it's been 9 months since last time I was with her. We are desperate and we don't know what to do. My idea was to stay in Istanbul, Turkey (out of stupid Schengen) for 15 days and then travel to Boston with Turkish Airlines. Does anybody know if in fact this is possible? Do I need a special paper certification to prove I've been out of Shcengen? Thank you so much!

MaraBaller

MichaWesen yes I have. My Partner is American and I am German. I was the only one who could travel time wise. You need to spend two weeks outside the Schengen area to be allowed to enter the US. And take a direct flight to America no stops in the Schengen area. Therefore I spent two weeks in Turkey and took a direct flight to Chicago, where he lives. Coming back to Germany is no problem when you have a German passport.

AdrianScheffler

MaraBaller Hi Mara, could you provide us with some more details of how you entered the US form Turkey? Did you have to show some proof that you actually stayed in Turkey for 14 days (so a booking confirmation for the hotel or something like that)? And how did Homeland Security react when you showed them your German passport? Also did you bring a negative Covid test woth you? I would really appreciate your insights here, many thanks in advance!

LiahStarmann

Hey Mara, I am in a similar situation. I am thinking of flying to Ireland (spending 2 weeks there) and then to the US. When did you fly? Recently?

DannyJ43

LiahStarmann from my research Ireland is banned as well to travel into the US

ThibautBuccellato

Viliki Hi ! How did you prove you spent 14 days out the schengen zone ? thank you

DannyJ43

AaronGingrich Isn’t UK still banned? My fiancé is from the UK he’s trying to quarantine in Mexico however is flights keep getting cancelled

DannyJ43

Viliki how did this workout for you ?

LiahStarmann

Thank you Danny. I am thinking of travelling to Mexico and then the US. Do you know what quarantine rules are in Mexico? And after being in Mexico for 2 weeks would I be able to enter the US with my ESTA?

CapeCodSharks

LiahStarmann Hi! This is exatly what I'm doing now. In just 4 days I'll get my flight to NY. You can enter in Mexico as a tourist. Before entering the country you have to fill an easy questionnaire that basically asks you if you have the virus. Then after the 15 days here you can travel to the US. My trip is:

Barcelona --> Frankfurt --> Mexico City --(soon)--> NY

ADore

CapeCodSharks Hi there! Checking in on your travels and hoping that you and your partner are together. Were you successful in gaining entry to the US from Mexico?

My partner is Italian, I am a US citizen - we are currently in Italy together, my 90 days are up - so we are trying to get him entry back to the US with me. Curious how your entry went with US Customs/BPatrol.

Nancy

Hello all, I am not sure this chat is still open, but I will try. I am Italian and my boyfriend is American, we haven't seen each other for 11 months now.. I know he can travel to Italy now, but because of his work commitments he seems not being able to take time off. Do you know if Italian can fly to USA without issue? Thank you for your help in advance.

ADore

Nancy Hi there! I am a US Citizen in Italy. My 90 days are up and me and my Italian partner are planning our way to the States. Italian citizens (Schengen Area - EU Citizens) are not permitted to enter the US directly. We are currently looking for safe passage for us both. You will need to find a route where you spend 14 days in a country that is not listed on the US Travel Ban proclamation. I see folks here have entered the US from Turkey, Mexico, etc. We are looking at the Caribbean ...

CapeCodSharks

ADore Hi! So yes finally I entered the US from Mexico. The key of all this loophole is that the US says that everyone that is not an american citizen and has been in the Schengen area for the last 14 days can not enter the US. So the solution is to fly to one country that is not in the Schengen area and remain there for 14 days. In my case I did Barcelona - Mexico City and after those 14 days I flew to New York, but I know that there is people doing the same thing through other places such as Turkey, Dubai, Croatia or Aruba. I really hope this can help you guys!

ADore

Thank you so much for your response. I hope that you and your partner are enjoying your time together and have found some space to celebrate each other! We are planning our journey back to the States and your message is inspiring and also extremely supportive.

MichaWesen

Sorry it's been a while. Yes flying to mexico and then to the US after 14+1 day worked. You do not have to quarantine in Mexico and i did not have to quarantine in the US either. Going back to germany as long as you have a permanent residency or german passport is not an issue. However you will have to quarantine 14 days after re-entry.

Unfortunately this will get a lot more difficult with the new US administration. Not only will they keep the same (kinda senseless) ban in place, you will also have to quarantine when entering the US from any international travel. Meaning you need 4!! Weeks. 2 outside the shengen area, and another two after you finally get to the US. And of course another 2 weeks of quarantine when you get back to germany.

For people like me that have to work. Pretty much impossible. My hope was for the bans to be lifted sooner or later but the Mutations going around kinda make me question if we will travel at all again. Sad. Tired and desperate of the whole situation. Like a lot of us here

Roxielyn

Hello everyone, I’m from the US (Texas) and my boyfriend is from Germany. He is in Med. school in Bulgaria and has been out of the Schengen area since the end of January. We booked him a flight for April 30th to come to the states and I’m a bundle of nerves. He is feeling the same way! He will fly Sofia, Bulgaria > Istanbul, Turkey > Chicago, Illinois > San Antonio, Texas. I’m just in hopes everything will work out. If anyone has any words it would be much appreciated.

mrymsza

Roxielyn Hello! I just got back from visiting my partner in Germany, and wishing you both the best of luck tomorrow! Let me know if everything works well for you both, as I'm looking into this possibility as well. Really have my fingers crossed for you both!!

Roxielyn

mrymsza thank you so much! He’s getting ready to check in to his first flight, I will be sure to post how everything goes.