Can I return to the Schengen area without my residency permit?

Question

I'm living in Germany with a blue card. Some days ago I've come to Korea but I forgot to take my blue card. I'm going back to Germany from Incheon airport (Seoul) and will stop over in Heathrow airport (London) and will go back to Tegel airport (Berlin).

How can I go back to Berlin without my blue card? I can ask my wife to bring the card to Tegel airport if it would help, but I'm not sure if I can take the flight at Heathrow airport or even at Incheon airport.

Update

I've asked via another channel and just got an answer saying that he had accidentally put his blue card in the baggage but he was able to enter the country after the security guy checked through the system. That said, more official answer would be welcome.

Update 2

I've come to Germany without any problem, but it was possible as I had Beiblatt attached to my passport, which has the expiration date of my visa. The staff at the check-in desk has checked the document and the German border guard also has checked it. Nobody asked me for the blue card in my case. So I don't know what would have happened if I had neither.

Answer 1

As a citizen of South Korea you are free to visit the Schengen area without a visa, since your country is on the Annex II list. You could therefore exit Germany without any issues. As for the return - while the German border guards might want to see your residency card, it's not really necessary for entry as they have access to the database of people with German residency. However you might face an issue with the airline as they're technically supposed to verify you haven't exhausted the 90/180 days limit in the Schengen area. In this case you would have to either:

• Hope nobody would bother checking and simply show up for the flight, which is usually the case in my experience
• Apply for a temporary visa at the German consulate
• Get a fresh South Korean passport (or a second passport) that doesn't have any Schengen entry stamps
• Purchase a transit flight via Germany to another country (e.g. the UK) and fly without luggage. In this case you would simply exit in Germany before reaching your final destination.

If you were a citizen of a country whose nationals require a visa to enter the Schengen area, your only option would've been to receive a temporary visa before leaving or at the consulate.

Source: being in the very same situation in the Czech Republic.