Wow. Nobody from US immigration actually checks your passport when you leave the country. Every other country I’ve ever left has immigration do this, but in the US, they leave it to the airlines. I guess in my case the check-in guy forgot to do his job, because I noticed that green departure record is still in my passport. Wanting to be able to return to the US, I rang the embassy, because, you know, they’ll think I’m still there. Ring back Friday between 2 and 4, they said, which made me remember tales told by people who’d rung every Friday for weeks and not gotten through.
So I did a Google, as you would, and my goodness, I have a lot of work to do.
Better start acting in a way that documents I’m home, huh? At least they stamped my passport properly when I entered Schengen. And I didn’t lose my boarding pass. Should be OK.
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Jan Tore Ynnesdal
My sympathies etc.
They didn’t “take back” the necessary document, so you end up risking lots of trouble. Nice job!
Sometimes I’m happy I almost only travel BGO-OSL – and only a few times a year…
Jill
Well, I sent off copies of my boarding pass, credit card receipts for meals and items bought en route, the taxi receipt from the airport home and copies of every single non-blank page in my passport. I’m glad I even noticed it – and impressed at myself for actually having all this documentation.
It does say, on the BACK of the card where you can’t really read it unless you almost tear it off your passport, that it’s your responsibility to make sure someone gets it back before you leave the country. I wish they’d actually mention that when they give you the card.