Many people think if you have the passport of a banned country that you cannot enter the US, but that is simply not true.
The Plan
*As a disclaimer I am aware that there is inherent risk to traveling during the Pandemic. However my fiance and I followed all customs of Mexico including temperature checks, sanitizing after entering anywhere, mask use, and social distancing.*
My fiance and I were dying to see each other ever since the coronavirus lockdown. I did not want to burn all my paid time off days flying to England and quarantining for 14 days in England, and it was not possible for him to fly directly from the UK to the US because of Trump’s travel ban. We devised a plan to meet in a neutral country for at least 14 days, and after that period there would be no restrictions on him to enter the US. We originally decided on St. Lucia, but found that there was a new airline scam. There would be flights that you could buy, but the airline would soon cancel the flight and offer you credit towards a future flight in hopes you would take the credit and not the refund. FYI if the airline cancels you are ALWAYS eligible for a refund. (Side tip try to buy tickets with your credit card, which gives you more protections). We realized it was pretty much impossible for him to get a flight to St. Lucia, so we set our sights on Mexico.
The Flight
My fiance booked three different flights that all ended up canceling. On the fourth flight he booked, he got lucky and was able to keep the booking, but it was a hell of a journey. He flew from London to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Mexico City, spent a night in Mexico City, then flew from Mexico City to Cancun. He was heavily questioned by the gate agent in London “Why don’t you have a return flight from Mexico?” “Where are you going?” When my fiance answered with I’m going to the US, the gate agent told him he could not do that. When my fiance said he could, the gate agent begrudgingly let him on the plane. Meanwhile I got a two and a half hour direct flight on Delta from Atlanta to Cancun. My biggest issue was the line at Starbucks in the airport…
The Entrance
After spending 15 days in Mexico, we boarded our flight to Atlanta. We got on the flight no problem, and we got through customs with a “Welcome back” greeting. To make it clear, as long as you have not been to Brazil, Iran, Ireland, China (excluding some parts of Hong Kong and Macau), The Schengen Area of Europe, or the United Kingdom you ARE allowed to enter the US by plane.
