St Croix Passport Requirements
Is a passport required to
visit the US Virgin Islands?
As New WHTI Rules Change,
The U.S. Virgin Islands, America's Caribbean,
Not Affected
When the new land and sea phase of
the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) by the Homeland
Security and State Department went into effect on January 31,
2008, U.S. citizens were reminded that they are
exempt from needing a passport for travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Croix, St. John and
St. Thomas.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative passed by U.S. Congress
requires that travelers, including
U.S. citizens who
travel via air, land or sea to and from the
Americas, the Caribbean and Bermuda must travel
with a passport in order to enter or re-enter the
United States.
But since
the U.S. Virgin Islands is a United States Territory, American
citizens traveling to or from St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas are
considered not to have left the U.S., and thus do not need to
present a passport.
United States citizens can visit
the State Departments travel website,
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_2223.html.
When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands,
U.S. citizens enjoy all the
conveniences of domestic travel -- including on-line check-in --
making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever!
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Required Travel Documents
Passports
for U.S. Citizens are not required for the U.S. Virgin
Islands, but you must be prepared to show evidence of
citizenship upon leaving (such as a government issued photo
ID or your passport). Citizens of countries other than the
U.S. should follow U.S. travel regulations. To travel outside
the U.S. Virgin Islands requires a birth certificate & ID
or valid passport. Health certificates are not required
if you're entering from the U.S. or Puerto Rico; citizens
entering from other countries should follow the same guidelines
as for the mainland U.S.
New Requirements for Travelers Between the United States
and the Western Hemisphere
Please note: This
initiative WILL NOT affect U.S. citizens traveling
between the United States and its territories!
Click
here
for more info.
***** U.S. Citizens do not need a
Passport to travel to St. Croix!!! ****
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Travelers from U.S. territories
DO NOT need to present a passport to enter the
United States. These territories are a part
of the United States. U.S. citizens returning
directly from a U.S. territory are not considered
to have left the U.S. and do not need to present
a passport. U.S. territories include the following:
Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
American Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands. If the traveler
also visited non-U.S. territories, he/she is
required to present a passport. |
Information from the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection Website
Documents You Will Need to Enter
the United States
Visitors/Non-immigrants
All persons including citizens of the
United States traveling by air between the U.S., Canada,
Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda are required to present
a passport, Merchant Mariner Document (presented by U.S.
citizen merchant mariners traveling on official business)
or NEXUS Card (NEXUS enrollment is limited to citizens of
the United States and Canada, and lawful permanent residents
of the United States and Canada). Children will be required
to present their own passport.
U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents
(LPRs), refugees, and asylees will continue to be able to
use their Alien Registration Card
(Form I-551), issued by DHS, or other evidence of permanent
resident status or refugee or asylee status to apply for
entry into the United States.
The Western Hemisphere
Travel Initiative (WHTI) will not affect travel between
the United States and its territories. U.S. citizens traveling
directly between the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, the
U.S. Virgin Islands, America Samoa, Swains Island and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands will continue
to be able to use established forms of identification to
board flights and for entry.
As of January 31, 2008,
verbal declarations of identity and citizenship alone will
no longer be accepted. On this date, U.S. and Canadian citizens
entering the U. S. at land and sea ports of entry from within
the Western Hemisphere will need to present (1) government-issued
proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, along
with (2) government issued photo ID, such as a driver’s
license. (
Important Change in International Land and Sea Travel Document
Procedures )
While a passport or other
comparable document is not currently required for entry
by land or sea, U.S. and Canadian citizens are highly encouraged
to carry proof of identity and citizenship. Travelers 19
years and older should also carry government-issued photo
ID. Please visit CBP.gov for the latest information on travel
requirements. (CBP.gov
- Travel Info)
U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service -
Customs
The U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service maintains an office
in St. Croix and is happy to assist visitors by answering
any immigration questions. Their telephone number: (340)
778-6559. At the airport, their number is (340) 778-1419.
You can also call U.S. Customs at (340) 773-1490 if you
have any questions.
When you leave St. Croix by air, give yourself at least
an hour and a half at the airport to go through customs
and immigration checkpoints. At the airline counter you
will be required to show photo identification for security
purposes and check your bags.
Before
passing through Customs you have the opportunity to shop
in the airport's gift shop and/or get a bite to eat at the
small local restaurant located in the lobby. This is your
last chance to try some local food before you return home!
After
visiting the
airport lobby, fill in the Customs Declaration form
you were given at check-in and proceed to Customs. Present
your declaration form, along with your passport, to a Customs
Inspector. You then collect your bags from the luggage carousel
and pass through Immigration where you present your identification
and Customs Declaration form. Be prepared to have all your
bags checked thoroughly, inside and out.
Once
past Customs and the airport screening area there are new
gates with comfortable chairs and a small snack bar which
serves light snacks, soft drinks, beer and limited cocktails.
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