Hi,

I'd like to know if a passport is necessary to vist St. John in the USVI. This is sort of a budget trip, so if it's possible to avoid the passport cost, I'd like to. As this is a US territory, will a birth certificate and driver's license be sufficient? Also, I've never flown before, so at security check, what's done? Do they just look at the license and BC and wave you through or are there computer checks, etc done? Just would like to know what to expect. Thanks!

As long as you are going before the end of this year, you can get by with a picture ID (driver's license) and an official birth certificate with a raised seal (issued by a state government, not a hospital). Unlike in Puerto Rico, you do go through both immigration and customs in the USVI (though you will do it on the way home, in the St. Thomas airport ... I don't believe you go through immigration when you arrive in St. Thomas). They'll probably just look at your documents nad wave you through. They're pretty much used to this, so it isn't a problem. You may have more difficulties if you want to go the British Virgin Islands on a day-trip, but you can do plenty of sailing without crossing the border. Enjoy your trip; St. John is beautiful.

We went to St. Thomas last Feb., and my husband did not have an up to date passport. We took his BC and DL. It slowed us down a little when leaving St. Thomas, but they let us through. They eyed him suspiciously because he had a beard at the time of travel, but not on his DL picture.

USVI is the United States. You should only need the same documentation as you would need for Florida. Go to travel.state.gov for official information.

tigerhawk,
that is not correct. Doug got it right in his reply. You DO need documentation to fly from STT to the US mainland, and there is a check at the departing airport in STT.

Absolutely no documentation is required to travel between states in the US. OK, maybe the Republic of Texas is an exception, but at least the other 49 states.

One other exception - a United Airlines phone call center guy told us this past summer our son needed a passport to fly from Wyoming to Boston since it was required for out-of-country travel.

My passport is in my maiden name; my current diver's license is in my married name (although I do have my "old" but unexpired license with my maiden name on it). Will this be a problem traveling to the USVI??

I found this on the firstgov.gov website--it says that we'd only need "regular" id and no passport to get to the usvi:

Will this requirement apply to travel between the United States and Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands?

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will not affect travel between the United States and its territories. U.S. citizens traveling between the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa will continue to be able to use established forms of identification to board flights and for entry.

If traveling outside the United States or a U.S. territory, a passport or other secure document will be required. For example, a person may travel to and from the United States to the U.S. Virgin islands without a passport or other secure document, but under proposed regulations, a passport or other secure document would be required to re-enter the U.S. Virgin Islands from the British Virgin Islands or another country as of December 31, 2006.