DoubleDTown

Hi TT Community,   Has anyone used remote notarization of the USA's form DS 5525 (absent parent's consent for a passport application)?   I've got to renew a minor's passport and of course it's more convenient for our family if only one parent goes to the consulate - meaning we need a notarized consent form.   Since Spring 2020 many states have authorized notary publics to do remote online notarization and various websites (e.g. OneNotary.com) have sprung up to make it easy to do.    Has anyone had an experience using a remotely notarized document successfully with a U.S. consulate here.  (e.g., Frankfurt, Berlin)   Berlin's American Citizens Services unit wrote me indicating it is okay:  "Electronic notarizations are acceptable if the notary public completed all of the notarization functions required by the form, such as verifying the affiant's signature (either in person or by an audio-visual link) and included the notarial certification on the form or document itself (or an attachment to the document).  Notarial certifications that must be verified on a website are not acceptable"   I find online notarization with a U.S. notary public easier and cheaper than visiting a German Notar.    As an illustration, I used a website to do remote online notarization with a video link for a U.S. Post Office change of address form.  I was in Germany, notary public was in Florida, the address being changed was in Illinois.  Post Office accepted it fine.  I'm pasting below that example.    Anyone do that for a consular document yet?     

my experience with the German criminal justice system is that even though the system is built around a presumption of innocence and the government being required to prove guilt, an Amtsgericht will pretty much rubber stamp whatever a Staatsanwalt wants even if s/he doesn't have what an objective observer might consider supporting evidence.  I suspect that goes triple for anything involving taxes or work authorization.    and how would a Kontoauszug prove you didn't get paid?  How could anyone know how many accounts you or the payor has?  Or that you weren't paid in cash? 

  in NYC and Chicago, it was definitely common to tip bartenders in 1990s.  Beyond that time and geography I don't have a plethora of personal experience.

  and there is always aluminum foil and scotch tape

  Santitas,   thanks for taking the time to share your experience.  useful!   Follow up question:  was your negative test certificate for a "rapid antigen" a/k/a "schnelltest"?      A PCR test is not necessary, right?

  I think paper would be best.  Was there maybe a downloadable pdf attached to the SMS?  or a link to a webpage where a pdf could be downloaded?  The CDC website says:   What information must be included on the test result? A test result must be in the form of written documentation (paper or electronic copy). The documentation must include: Type of test (indicating it is a NAAT or antigen test) Entity issuing the result (e.g. laboratory, healthcare entity, or telehealth service) Specimen collection date. A negative test result must show the specimen was collected within the 3 days before the flight. A positive test result for documentation of recovery from COVID-19 must show the specimen was collected within the 3 months before the flight. Information that identifies the person (full name plus at least one other identifier such as date of birth or passport number) Test Result https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html       

  the "attestation" is likely to be found on your airline's website (or at least a link).  For example, Lufthansa says "All travelers to the United States of America are required to complete the disclosure and attestation form before departure and have a printed version with them."    the Lufthansa website has a link to a CDC pdf.    you can also find the pdf on the CDC website  https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/fr-proof-negative-test.html 

Just like in U.S., you can start out by posting signs whether they are true or not.  Videoueberwacht.  Alarmed, u.s.w.  Motion sensors on exterior lights.  Cats and other things will set the lights off, but should anyone nose around a back window having the area lit up will be less inviting.

  that's a tight budget.  I just spent 800 EUR for delivery and installation of a dishwasher. But the 80 EUR for delivery and installation was worth every penny.    I once had a good experience buying everything from Ikea and having a handyman put it together for me.  If you've got a vehicle to transport the pieces in, that can avoid delivery cost and get you another day's labor out of the handyman.  But I am pretty sure I still spent more than 4000.  Depends on how many cabinets you get I suppose. 

  digging deeper into the United website and entering my LH booking code (flight operated by LH) and looking at what United says LH wants for return to Germany, I see United says: "Passengers are exempt from pre-departure testing if they have completed full course of COVID-19 vaccination 14 days before departure."       digging deeper into the LH website and asking for info from BOS to FRA, LH says if coming from a Hochinzidenzgebieten or Risikogebieten you can show an antigen test not older than 48 hours or Impfnachweis.        and on another web page LH says: "Für die Ein- bzw. Rückreise nach Deutschland ist unabhängig von der Risikoklassifizierung ein negativer Corona-Test nötig. Dieser ist vor der Ankunft in Deutschland durchführen zu lassen.  Vollständig Geimpfte, Genesene und Kinder unter sechs Jahren sind von der Testpflicht ausgenommen. Bei der Einreise aus einem Virusvariantengebiet ist der Test auch für Geimpfte und Genesene verpflichtend."    See  https://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/corona-tests    

  MollyWolly,  that's good to know.   How about Metall's question?   Did the ariline (especially United) insist in USA on seeing a test result for flight back to Germany, or was vaccination in Germany good enough for the airline?  

  I don't mean a self test, I mean a rapid antigen test done at a test center.    United Airline's site says “any negative Antigen or Molecular test”;  Lufthansa says "Accepted tests are: antigen, NAAT, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR or TMA."  CDC says: could be either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test   Helfire99, have you flown and seen it?  I haven't flown so am clueless. 

  Dresden does free schnelltesting all over town (though less places than 6 weeks ago).  Cheapest PCR test I found is 40 EUR.  adds up for the family, plus the timing issue.   anyone flown to USA with an antigen schnelltest certificate (not PCR) ?