Non US citizen leaving US

[amphibious1]

I am America but my girlfriend is not. She flew in to the US but now we are leaving by Boat. When we went to the customs office to check out. the officer said that there is no form for her because she flew in and is boating out. We didn't fill out anything or get anything. It sounded odd to us.
Has anyone eles experienced this same thing??
Thanks for your info.


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[Island Time O25]

Did she come on a visa waiver? Is she leaving before her authorized stay expires?

In any event you might want to document the fact that she left before her visitor's status expired. I.e. get some photos of her (or some other documents) clearly showing that she was out of US by such and such a date. Or entry stamps in her passport from the next country she entered. Otherwise in the DHS data base she will be showing as not having departed on time.

[Arthur Garfield]

I've had experience with this in other countries. Have your GF get her passport stamped exit from an US Immigration officer !
If not probs eternally for her to return to US.

[amphibious1]

Thank you for the info
We will be leaving before her visa has expired. We will try to get a stamp before leaving.
Thanks again


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[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by amphibious1

Thank you for the info
We will be leaving before her visa has expired. We will try to get a stamp before leaving.
Thanks again


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If your friend does not get the exit stamp from the Dept. of Immigration, it will haunt her all over the world. The various immigration and security agencies are extremely interested in out of the ordinary behavior, and communicate about it with each other.

Maybe she can find out from Homeland Security how to go about it, but it is not a trivial deal, although one could argue that it should be.


Ann

[belle-isle]

Unless things have radically changed, you do have to fill in a form when coming in. They generally distribute them aboard the aircraft. Then the immigration officer cuts it and keeps the large part and gives you the small part. Most often it is stapled in the passport. Perhaps this is what they need. Obviously if your girlfriend has lost this card, it will be a problem because they specifically ask you to hold on to it during your entire stay. When you leave by plane you mist return this card before boarding the plane.


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[swisscraft]

We (both Foreigners on Visa Waiver) left the US a few years ago with the boat. Told no stamps or anything else needed, call is enough. Being uncertain what would happen when coming back we decided to use the "mail in process" to prove we actually left (you will need to check it online, but a stamp from another country in the passport was enough). Easy process and never had a problem since.

Another important thing: The Visa Waver program does not apply for boaters, its just valid if you enter the US with "Public Transport" (sure thats different for Canadians). To enter the US with our own boat we needed a VISA - we got this in the Dominican Rep, the process to get an appointment and the time it took at the embassy was painful - but when we actually reached the lady at the counter it was strait forward - guess this was mostly because we come from a Visa Waiver country..

This was back in 2010/11 - it may have change...

cheers Marco

[MarkJ]

Its very difficult to get the exit stamp, you need an international airport and a way to get into CBP without a boarding card. Lol And in the last year there is no departure card on the inbound clearance by plane so it can't be dropped off.

I send a photo of my passport with the next countries inward clearance stamp to CBP Headquarters
1300 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW Washington, DC 20229.

They are not that dumb as to hassle you next time you go into the usa when your passport shows next countries. But I do always keep my old passports and gpx routes
I have found CBP very good.

Btw in large cities there maybe a CBP office somewhere to do it.

[Dauntlessny]

Originally Posted by amphibious1

Thank you for the info
We will be leaving before her visa has expired. We will try to get a stamp before leaving.
Thanks again


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She should get her passport stamped, though immigration may not be inclined to do so, since she could actually stay in country (unlike at the airport)

Therefore, it's best to get her passport stamped ASAP when you arrive someplace else.

[boatman61]

When I clear in and out off any country I usually have to fill in a form on which one off the things one enters is
Name, Home address, Nationality and Passport number.. Skipper and Crew.. never had a problem flying back into the USA for a boat after leaving this way.. on occasion if its a pain locally I just head out.. soon as you hit the 3 mile mark coming out off Nth Palm Beach or Ft Lauderdale you'll get a fast RIB pull you over and do all the stuff on the spot.. photo passports etc.. quick form filling..
Just be courteous and leave on a Nice day.. else they may just turn you back..

[Robin3]

Originally Posted by belle-isle

Unless things have radically changed, you do have to fill in a form when coming in. They generally distribute them aboard the aircraft. Then the immigration officer cuts it and keeps the large part and gives you the small part. Most often it is stapled in the passport. Perhaps this is what they need. Obviously if your girlfriend has lost this card, it will be a problem because they specifically ask you to hold on to it during your entire stay. When you leave by plane you mist return this card before boarding the plane.


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Good luck with that. When I was travelling in/out ( me Brit, wife American) in the years before we moved here in 2012, most often they would 'forget' to remove the immigration visa card bit from my passport on departure by air. I lost count of how many times I mailed this to US Immigration by recorded mail on my return to UK so that I could avoid any future potential problems with them thinking I was an overstayed visa illegal still hiding in the USA. I now live here and am a 'legal alien' with a green card visa and am paranoid about keeping immigration informed of my address etc, likeit says on the instructions, but have little faith anybody really knows what to do with the information even if they give a toss. I doubt much has changed in practice in the last 4 years other than in political rhetoric maybe

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Robin3

Good luck with that. When I was travelling in/out ( me Brit, wife American) in the years before we moved here in 2012, most often they would 'forget' to remove the immigration visa card bit from my passport on departure by air. I lost count of how many times I mailed this to US Immigration by recorded mail on my return to UK so that I could avoid any future potential problems with them thinking I was an overstayed visa illegal still hiding in the USA. I now live here and am a 'legal alien' with a green card visa and am paranoid about keeping immigration informed of my address etc, likeit says on the instructions, but have little faith anybody really knows what to do with the information even if they give a toss. I doubt much has changed in practice in the last 4 years other than in political rhetoric maybe

It helps feed the 'Illegals' numbers thus keeping the Paranoia levels elevated...

[lordgeoff]

Originally Posted by amphibious1

I am America but my girlfriend is not. She flew in to the US but now we are leaving by Boat. When we went to the customs office to check out. the officer said that there is no form for her because she flew in and is boating out. We didn't fill out anything or get anything. It sounded odd to us.
Has anyone eles experienced this same thing??
Thanks for your info.


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Yes had exactly the same thing. I arrived by commercial airline and departed on a USA registered boat I had bought. I was told before leaving Oz i would need a B1/B2 Visa which i got. I spent a couple of hours checking with Homeland security, immigration customs etc. All of them said just leave.
Didn't sound right so went to immigration at Baltimore Airport and told them the story, gave them my passport and 30 minutes later I was told "I was good to go". There wasn't any exit stamp in the passport and the arrival chit was still stapled to my passport which is supposed to be surrendered in departure (this was in 2013). Anyhow. When I arrived in Azores the immigration stamped and signed my USA chit just in case there was a problem if I re entered USA some time in the future. It was just proof that I had left USA and not gone underground or something.
All the people were friendly but each department said to just leave.
I'll give you an update if/when I manage to get back to USA.

[onavegador]

I left Florida Azores bound in April 2013 and was told by the homeland security officer in the office at port everglades that I do not receive a stamp in my passport. I insisted and told him that I will be back in the US next year and was told that I would have no issues. And so it is. I think my entries and departings to and from the US are saved in the System of the homeland security. It seems strange at first but it works even it is totally different from what I was used sailing twice around the world.
Happy sailing and fair winds
James

[amphibious1]

Thanks for all comments, specially to the ones who went thru the process .


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