Belgian mother of a American child, want to travel to USA thru Paris airport, to see her bf/child dad

Question

I'm Belgian, my bf active duty US military, our daughter have dual citizenship, Belgian birth certificate, Birth abroad certificate, US and Belgian passport. I would travel on ESTA, I need to reapply for it since it expired in April. To be short we qualify in the exceptions from the White House proclamation of travel ban.

"Sec. 2. Scope of Suspension and Limitation on Entry. (a) Section 1 of this proclamation shall not apply to: (iii) any alien who is the parent or legal guardian of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, provided that the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident is unmarried and under the age of 21;"

I can't travel to US from Belgium, government forbid travel to USA unless it's for funerals or caring for a dying family member. As I wanna take the less risks, I would like to fly from Paris CDG, France to Dallas, Fort Worth, USA, American Airlines have a straight flight.

American Airlines, United Airlines both told me that since I qualify with the White House proclamation exemptions, I would be able to board, if I bring the birth certificate, my bf passport as well as my daughter passport.

CBP confirmed on the phone that I could go to USA straight.

I called Paris Airport, the French Border Police told me that I would have no issue to board if I qualify, problem the Police officer I got on the line didn't want to send me an email as proof of what he was saying... He didn't want to give me the PAF email either...

I'm stuck here between, booking for 2.100 € of train and plane tickets and get to the airport with my 2 years and 9 months old and not booking a regret it. I'm so scared to be denied boarding and have to crush my daughter's hope of seeing her dad, she is getting excited everytime she see a plane, saying she will go see her dad soon, she is getting excited everytime I pack a small bag, thinking she is going to see her dad.

I really need to find a real answer, does anybody have PAF email address? Is there any way I can be sure to board that plane?

Answer 1

IMHO, the PAF (Police aux Frontières) will most likely not care at all on the way out, it is not their responsibility.

The only thing they care about are things that are related to France, the Schengen Area or the EU, such as non-Schengen nationals who overstayed or some other way did not meet the terms of their visa, people who are wanted by the police, people trying to leave with a child without the other parent's permission, people trying to join some jihadist group, and even then often only for French nationals... None of that is of concern to you. As far as I know, there are no Covid-19-related restrictions for leaving France, the Schengen Area, or the EU, only restrictions on entry (which includes transit).

They do not care about whether you'll be able to enter the US or what the conditions for that are. The only people who will check if you are allowed into the US are the US CBP on arrival and the airline at check-in and/or boarding. In theory, you are covered by the exemptions in the travel ban and an ESTA should be enough, but there have been several discussions which indicate that the CBP may sometime make things difficult. Some US embassies recommend you contacting them before travelling, while other advice includes getting an actually visa.

Note however that if the Belgian government actually forbids you from going to the US, you going directly or through France most likely won't change things.

Of course, if you go, I strongly recommend you make sure all your tickets are refundable or at least exchangeable. Rules can change very quickly, as people travelling from Spain, France or Netherlands to the UK have learned. Travel insurance is probably a good idea as well, but double-check their terms and exclusions, they are probably trying to avoid paying out as much as they can for all the Covid-19-related issues.