New Passport Rules and Regulations

Article posted from The Virgin Islands Daily News Newspaper:

 

New passport rules for Caribbean travel do not apply to USVI
By TANYA MANNES
Tuesday, May 10th 2005

The U.S. government says that new passport rules for visiting the Caribbean will not apply to U.S. citizens visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands - news that is welcomed by the local tourism industry.

The U.S. State Department and Homeland Security Department last month announced that starting Dec. 31, Americans traveling to Caribbean islands will be required to have passports, a border control measure. V.I. Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards and V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association President Beverly Nicholson have been trying for weeks to get clarification on whether the rules will apply to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"U.S. citizens will not need a passport in order to visit the USVI," State Department spokeswoman Nicole Thompson told The Daily News after researching the matter.

However, U.S. citizens will need a passport to travel to the British Virgin Islands and Caribbean countries beginning Dec. 31 2006.

Thompson said the new rules will not apply to territories that are under the auspices of the United States because there is no need for a passport to "re-enter" the U.S. Residents can travel within U.S. possessions with a driver's license or birth certificate.

"Traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands will be like traveling to Hawaii," Thompson said. "You're on U.S. soil. You don't need a passport."

The requirements to travel between the U.S. and its possessions will remain as follows, according to U.S. Homeland Security Department spokesman Barry Morrissey: "U.S. citizens are exempt from the passport requirement. However, it is highly recommended that they bring proof of citizenship such as a current or expired passport, a U.S. birth certificate or a naturalization certificate, in order to avoid delays."

In addition, airline policy usually requires that passengers show a form of photo identification, Morrissey said. Check with the airline before purchasing a ticket.

Sue Challis, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Homeland Security Department, confirmed that the passport rules do not apply to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Homeland Security's Web site, which explains the new border protection rules, states: "How will this program affect travel by Puerto Ricans to other islands in the Caribbean? Answer: Travel between U.S. territories in the Caribbean will not be affected. However, travel between U.S. territories and other Caribbean islands will require a document."

Only one in five Americans has a passport, and the Virgin Islands benefits as a destination because of its status under the U.S. flag. The V.I. Tourism Department markets the territory as "America's Caribbean" and emphasizes that it is less of a hassle for U.S. citizens to visit than a foreign country. Similarly, the V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association has adopted the slogan "It's Just Easier" to vacation in the Virgin Islands.

The United States, particularly the Northeast, is the largest market for V.I. tourism. Some 70 percent of visitors staying in local hotels are from the United States.

"That is fantastic news to us that the U.S. Virgin Islands would not be included in the new rules," Nicholson said. "It certainly is a marketing issue for the territory, and we were hoping that the Virgin Islands would not be included in this."

Travel Agent, a trade publication, estimates that 60 million Americans, or 21 percent, hold passports.