Travel to other countries with a green card

[no comment]

My wife has been here in the US for a little more than a month and we recently got the green card in the mail.  If we were to travel to a European country, how would they regard her status with a Peruvian passport and the card? 


I've read the info regarding travel and re-entry to the US at the USCIS.gov site, but I'm wondering if anyone has traveled to Europe and what special Visa is required and would it cover all countries within the European Union?

[Kenrik]

As a green card holder, you are free to travel outside the US, & travelling outside the US temporary or briefly usually does not affect the permanent resident status. In the event you did not intend to make the US your permanent home, you will be found to have abandoned your permanent resident status.

[DesmondID]

I do not know about Europe specifically.. We are making our first trip out of the country tomorrow to a British commonwealth Island. The rules for green card holders is basically the same for U.S. Citizens other than they had to be arriving directly from the US, the stay was limited to 30 days, and they had to show their return ticket if requested.

You can look up the visa requirements for each country you are planning to visit and they should have the LPR requirements/restrictions as well.

[Jeff S]

My wife travels all over with a green card, with me and by herself - however, it depends on the visa rules for the countries you are going to. Most will accept a US permanent resident the same way they accept a US citizen, particularly if they are traveling with a US citizen spouse. No problem getting home with her green card.

[no comment]

Thanks for the responses.  I had in mind a trip including Spain & England so there would be no problems with the languages.

[utopiacowboy]

My wife traveled to Spain and Portugal with me while she was still just a permanent resident. We had to go to the Spanish consulate in Houston to get her a visa - it was a real pain in the ass because she had to show that she had enough money - in fact we had to show our marriage certificate so that they could include my resources with hers.

The good thing about it though is it's a Schengen visa which allows you to travel through all the countries of the European community.

Canada and Mexico both allow a US green card holder to visit without a visa.