Questions and Answers

Hello,

I am in a very weird predicament. I moved to Berlin, Germany on February 17, 2020. I am awaiting my work visa to be approved by the German government; however, the visa office closed March 17th and just re-opened on a smaller scale this week. The lawyers/HR team at my company has filed the paperwork with the German gov.

I was supposed to fly back to California and get my final move situated this month (April) though with the situation my AC flight was cancelled.

I NEED to get back to California as I have to get my storage situated (paying $2300 a month for my current apartment) and also have to sign some legal stuff in front of a notary ASAP.

I booked a KLM flight – TXL – AMS – LAX return.

I do not see a problem getting home.

My question is, will KLM let me on the plane if I technically DO NOT have the official work visa; however, I do have my Anmeldung, Tax ins number, Medical ins number, my offer/contract letter, lease agreement for my flat, and hopefully by tomorrow have a note from the government stating that visa has been filed?

I did speak to an immigration officer at Tegel and he told me that all of those docs should be fine for DE and Netherlands officials; however, you just need to ensure that KLM is ok.

Thank you,

Marc

KLM shouldnt have any problem with you. As long as you have valid travel documents (i.e. a passport in your case) they arent going to care. Regardless of your particular work situation, Americans do not need a visa to legally enter Germany – which is all the airline would be worried about. Airlines sometimes make an issue of your passport not being valid for at least 6 months from date of travel, but thats about all.

tl;dr – if German immigration does not have a problem with you, KLM certainly shouldnt.