travel documentation needed?
 

what travel documentation is needed for travel to St. Thomas? will kids under 16 need passport or US birth Certificates?

After Dec 31, 2005 everyone, regardless of age, will need a passport. For now, original birth Certificate with raised seal and picture ID will do the trick.

I think the point that people are missing is that after 12/31/05, it doesn't matter what documentation your destination requires, YOU CAN'T GET BACK INTO THE USA WITHOUT A PASSPORT.

St Thomas is the US Virgin Islands - therefore, passports, birth certificates, etc are not necessary because this is US territory [as is Puerto Rico]. Flying to St Thomas is no different than flying to Miami - all you need is photo ID for the airlines.

Are you sure about that?
I honestly don't know, but I thought I saw on other postings that you DO need a birth certificate (and soon a passport) to travel to St Thomas and back.

The U.S. government site states that you will NOT need a passport to travel to and from a US territory, but.. the possibiltiy of your flight being diverted, or going thru another country is possible. I wouldn't leave the continental US without a passport. PERIOD.

Scubagirl is right EXCEPT this St Thomas is the United States. Quoted from the US State Department Website at
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html

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

Travel between the United States and U.S. territories will not be affected by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. U.S. citizens traveling between the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam will continue to be able to use established forms of identification to board flights and for entry.

If traveling outside of 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, 2005.

We traveled to St John on July 8, my husband had only his drivers license with him, upon on return thru Customs in ST. Thomas he was told that he should have additional identification, either a birth certificate or passport, there was a slight delay and some flack, but we were allowed to pass thru, even though everything we had read said that a drivers license was all that was needed. The Customs official said that to get back into the US, more than a drivers license was needed? So next time we do not leave home without our passports.

If there is more doubt, call a travel agency. Our travel agent we booked our trip through stated we would need to get passports. Log on to travel.gov for more info or contacts.

Funny how your would THINK the airlines know...well, not always so.I was in my TA's office yesterday.Another agent took a call from a client who had just landed in San Juan headed for Nevis.She had booked her ticket on AA.com.At NO point,according to the traveller,had there been any indication that she needed a passport for Nevis.She boarded the flight to San Juan wihout incident.Fortunately,her brother was able to catch up with her in San Juan and bring her passport so she could board the flight to Nevis.

I was booking a trip to the Dominican Republic this weekend and the travel agent asked if I had a passport. He explained that they had just had a couple on their honeymoon to one of the Islands (dont remember which - but the customs agent only spoke french) and they couldnt get onto the island because they didnt have passports. It was a new rule for entry that had passed a few days or a week before but the travel agent and the airlines had not been informed. They did eventually get them to be allowed in but not with out alot of hassle and a lot of phone calls back and forth. He also said that there was another island that invoked the same rules the next day. So you might read that certain docs are needed to get back into the states but make sure you have what you need to get into the country you are going to as well. The last thing I want when traveling is problems with customs. Getting a passport ahead of time is so much easier.

This is a bit silly - all the anecdotal stories have one thing in common - people trying go to or return from a foreign country with something other than a Passport. Funny thing, people travelling with Passports never seem to have these problems. The solution seems simple enough - get a Passport and leave immigration problems behind! Not to preach, but I cannot understand why so many US Citizens are so adverse to getting a Passport. The process is relatively easy, they are good for 10 years and cost comes out to less than $10 per year.

To answer the original question, US citizens do not need a Passport to travel between the mainland and any of the USVI's including St. Thomas. After December 31, 2005 US citizens will need a Passport to get back into the US after visitng any Caribbean island, except Puerto Rico and the USVI's. "Nuf said"!!