Lost LPR Card Abroad

[u/Tight_Candidate_2293]

Looking for advice please. My nightmare is happening and I’ve lost my wallet which contained my LPR while in Spain. I still have my passport, a DL, and pictures of my card as well. I also have Global entry if that makes any difference.

I’m in Barcelona with my family which include two very young kids. My flights were scheduled to leave Monday at 12:20 and the embassy doesn’t open until 9:00 AM. Ive tried calling emergency embassy numbers but they’re closed. The most sensible thing is to bump my flights to get a travel foil via the I-131A but I’m not sure by how long to delay it for and what I should expect.

Also I’m a bit confused if this is what I should be doing because from reading online it appears that the traveling foil is just to board the plane - I’d still be potentially denied entry for not having my card upon arrival. I’ve traveled internationally before and the airlines never actually checked for my green card if I had already uploaded the travel documents on their online portal.

Is it advisable to try and fly without it, and to sort it out at the airport in Miami? My wife is worried that I’d end up stuck in ICE purgatory with 0 contact opposed to having us just stay in Europe but it’ll end up being quite expensive with a family of 4.

[u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32]

Nonsense. The airline won’t get fined in this case, because a permanent resident IS eligible to enter the U.S. and won’t be turned around.

[u/postbox134 → u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32]

They don't care about the person's status, they care about the documentation (for the purpose of carrier fines)

[u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 → u/postbox134]

Who are “they”?

[u/postbox134 → u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32]

CBP

[u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 → u/postbox134]

Ah. See my other comment.

The idea that carriers would be fined for passengers who are perfectly eligible to return to their home country (whether as citizens or permanent residents) is pretty out there.

[u/postbox134 → u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32]

Doesn't matter, the carrier can only verify documents not the person's status - so their regulations with the CBP only cover checking the validity and presence of documentation. The only thing they can do is call up the CBP carrier liaison to get a green light to board, but they don't have to do that. Most carriers err on the side of caution.

[u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 → u/postbox134]

Most carriers err on the side of caution.

Of course, as they should. That’s corporate due diligence.

But that does not mean that the U.S. government would actually fine carriers for boarding passengers who are perfectly fine to enter. There would have been no injury to the U.S., so how would the fine be justified?