Hi trying to plan a last minute trip To the USVI. Do we need a passport? I was told it's just like flying to any other US city. Is this true?

Hi. Not true.
http://www.usvi.net/us-ins/html/travel_back....html

Hmm, does that say you need a passport?
See below.

Note: If you have time, you should get a passport if going to the USVI because chances are you will take to take a boat tour to the BVI. If in Jan 07 or later (if I understand this is the correct date), you will need a passport for the boat tours.

Also look at http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/c...mc_2225.html#9
It says: Q. Will travelers from U.S. territories need to present a passport to enter the United States?

No. 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. territory 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.

No, it's not like flying to any US city. If I understand correctly, you at least need BC and ID.

LvSun: If you're talking about the link I provided, no, it does not. It says a passport is ONE of the options...and then goes on to list ALL the options.
At the end of the day, I do think it's always best to have a passport when you leave the U.S. 'mainland". It's just easier to get through airport security. We brought our passports when we went to St. John even though it's not required.

Carib, what I meant was that all the passport regs I read, bottom line, seem to be clear as mud. I agree with you 100%, everyone who even thinks they may leave the mainland one day should get a passport.

Ahhh.. understood.

So, as I read it, for a trip to St. Thomas my young grandchildren (baby and pre-schooler) would need passports b/c they don't have a photo ID?

Try reading it again. Especially the part of not needing a passport if you are going and coming from the USVI and other territories. A birth certificate would do.

RL

Since kids don't have picture IDs, I think the B.C. is enough if they're traveling with both Mom & Dad. But that's just a guess on my part. Hopefully, someone who's gone there with kids and only B.C. can confirm (our toddler already had a passport so I never had to look into that).
You can e-mail the INS to ask them and hopefully they'll reply in a timely manner.
[email protected]

It seems like ages ago now, but I remember taking my daughter there at about 6 months old with only her birth certificate. (Poor kid had to wait until 9 months to get her passport.) Since then, the rules have changed somewhat but as caribtraveler said, it's about as clear as mud whether you can still come and go with a birth certificate.

Thanks everyone. I don't think we have time to get passports before we go. Based on what LvSun sent me it looks like we should be okay as long as we stay in a US Territory.

I'd take BC to be on the safe side.

It's confusing -- we're planning a trip to St. Croix in February and hear it now takes up to 12 weeks to process a passport. Make sure you have a "certified" birth certificate with a raised seal - a birth record will not work! So I guess we can travel with the birth certificate and I.D. only??

The trouble I find with NOT having a passport, even when traveling to USVI.. is that if your flight is detoured for some reason. Like weather, engine problem etc... you may have a problem getting back into the states without a passport.
Just get a passport and be done with it.

While I, too, am confused about whether or not you need a passport for USVI, I would encourage anyone who has time to get one (Beth48) to do so. We travelled to STX annually with our kids and never carried a BC or any i.d. for them (just as I would if travelling to California from Boston). But in February 2005, the ticket agent gave us a hard tiime about not having them (even though I knew they were not required and scared my children by saying they might not be able to leave the island). The INS agent was much nicer but did ask lots of questions of the kids. And he seemed to be entering lots of info into our records so that there wouldn't be a problem in the future.

So for our February 2006 trip, I updated and brought the kids' passports. Much easier and now we travel with them all the time.

Beth48--I ordered my kids passports about this time last year and received them in early January (think it took 5 weeks). So you should be fine.

Beth, Traveling in Feb - you really need to have a passport. St. Croix is not a US territory, is it? But if you don;t have one, read further below.

I am certainly no expert but this is what I have read:

1.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html#4 says:

Q. Will travelers from U.S. territories need to present a passport to enter the United States?

No. 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. territory 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.

2.
However according to http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html#4:

Q. What happens to U.S. citizens who attempt to re-enter the country without a passport or an alternative travel card?

Under the law, the new documentation requirements may be waived under certain circumstances. These exceptions include individual cases of unforeseen emergency and individual cases based on “humanitarian or national interest reasons.” In addition, the State Department has processes to assist U.S. citizens overseas to obtain emergency travel documentation for those with lost or stolen passports.

For the general public, people who apply for entry but do not have appropriate documentation will be referred for secondary screening at the port. In secondary, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers will evaluate any evidence of citizenship or identity the individual may have and will verify all information against available databases. However, to prevent delay at the ports of entry, we would encourage all U.S. citizens to obtain the appropriate documents before they travel.

3.
Most places we have gone (before getting out passports) from what we understood required a BC with a raised seal.

We just got a passport for my son a few months ago. You can go to your post office to file. I am pretty sure he had to have a BC with a raised seal.

OOpps, my mistake. St. Croix is a US territory. So sorry for the brain spasm.

Beth48: I'm a big proponent of passports. My son has had his since the age of 9 months.... BUT do you plan to travel to any foreign countries in the future? If so, yes get a passport. If not, then I think it's a waste of time and money for you to get a passport just for this one trip (just my personal opinion).

Plus, I don't know that you'll get it on time for this particular trip. The holidays are coming up and there'll be a rush of applications with the deadline coming up for "the western hemisphere travel initiative" (link posted by LvSun).

Just be aware that airline agents and the immigration officer in St. Croix will likely be a bit annoyed at you ... you'll make their lives a bit more complicated in terms of having to doublecheck the fact that you legitimately can re-enter the U.S. "mainland"... and you'll likely won't "easily" sail through St. Croix's airport when coming back here.

Your certified BC and a govt. i.d. like a drivers license are enough since it's a U.S. territory.

Enjoy your trip and hope you post a trip report on your return.