Hello Deb,

You don't need a passport to go TO St. John from the United States mainland. There is no airport on St. John so you have to fly into St. Thomas. There is no inspection/stops when landing in St. Thomas from a US mainland airport. If you were flying from a foreign airport then yes you have to pass through customs/immigration and show proof of nationality.

You DO pass through customs/immigration when LEAVING the USVI to return to the US mainland.

When I called Customs & Border Security a couple days ago they said:

To leave the USVI and return to the mainland the following applies:

For American Citizens you should have one of the following (in order suggested by the immigration officer I spoke with):

a) passport
b) gov't issued picture id (ie. "drivers license, must be current picture of you, not something from 10-15 years ago") AND Birth Certificate

c) Legal Residents need to use their green card/alien registration card.

When I called a few weeks ago a different officer had said:

If you do not have a passport or your birth certificate you may use a current gov't issued picture id and you will be given an oral declaration where you are asked a series of questions.

However the officer I spoke with most recently said this was not a legitimate option.

There is a new law in place that will be making passports mandatory for all US travelers. I will post the details in a separate post.

--Islander

The Press Release states: " The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all U.S. citizens, Canadians, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure document to enter or re-enter the U.S. by January 1, 2008.

Currently, U.S. citizens, and some citizens of other countries in the Western Hemisphere are not required to present a passport to enter or re-enter the U. S. when traveling within the Western Hemisphere. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA, also known as the 9/11 Intelligence Bill), signed into law on December 17, 2004, mandated that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, develop and implement a plan to require U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to present a passport, or other secure document when entering the United States."

The full Press Release is at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2005/44228.htm

The FAQ states: "All travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Canada or Mexico will be required to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. This is a change from prior travel requirements. All United States citizens traveling within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports will be affected. Certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States, namely most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and Mexican citizens will also be affected."

FAQ Page: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html