Not if you are an American citizen. You will need a government issued photo identification card and an original or notarized birth certificate. If you have time, a passport is preferable and will make traveling to the British VI easier should you decide to hop over there for a day.
Pamela

do my family need passports to visit the bvi in june or july of 2006?

Yes. And it's worth the trip too - never a dull moment in the BVI!

Actually I have to disagree with Renee, you only need a birth certificate and drivers license to enter and leave the BVI, and I've even gotten people in with just a birth certificate. Starting in January 2007 you will need a passport to visit the BVI, the law was supposed to go into effect in Jan 2006 but they postponed it until 2007.

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

That's what I thought! But trying to book a daysail with a tour company that shall remain nameless refused me if I couldn't provide my passport - and this was just a couple weeks ago. Why would they do that?

Renee,

A few reasons maybe perhaps. Maybe they weren't aware that the regulations had changed before they were even properly implemented. Maybe they're preparing for the changeover and maybe they've been given some nonsense by an immigration officer. More of that as a postscript here!

With all due respect, obtaining a passport isn't a really big deal and when you visit the U.S. Virgin Islands but want to travel to the British Virgin Islands, you're basically crossing the same lines as you would by travelling from, say, Newark to Heathrow. What was forgiven in years past has now been totally revised by Homeland Security. It is, unfortunately, the way that it is.

Hope this helps.

PS: On a trip to Puerto Rico a couple of months ago, the Federal regulations had been lifted on cigarette lighters but the one in my pocketbook was nonetheless confiscated in STT. On the return trip to STT, something suspicious came up on the radar at the PR airport and a second cigarette lighter, which I didn't even remember I had, was confiscated even though it hadn't been confiscated during the STT search. The paperwork concerning cigarette lighters and other previously prohibited articles obviously hadn't reached yet or was sitting on someone's desk...

I'd already had to remove my simple sneakers and walk barefoot over the same ground where all sorts of gnarly feet had previously trodden, wondering how many people with Athlete's foot or similar fungal problems had left their mark. AAArgh!

Go figure. Just get passports. You may well have no problem getting in and out of the BVI from the USVI but much is dependent on who is working the procedure on that particular day. If someone is having a bad day and they want to mess with you because for whatever reason they don't like the look of you then they'll do it - and you really don't want to go there.

Again, hope this helps!

Do minors need passports for travel to BVI?

No they need birth certificates or some form of Govt issued ID IF you are travelling in 2006. Starting jan 1 of 2007 EVERYONE will need a passport to travel to the BVI but you will not be required to have a passport to come to the USVI.

"Starting jan 1 of 2007 EVERYONE will need a passport to travel to the BVI but you will not be required to have a passport to come to the USVI."

My understanding of the situation is that a valid passport will be required to visit the USVI beginning 01/01/07.

Hello,

Visiting the BVI from the USVI:

The entry requirements for the BVI are affected by their policies.

"VIRGIN ISLANDS, British - Islands include Anegarda, Jost van Dyke, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda. Proof of U.S. citizenship, photo ID, onward/return ticket, and sufficient funds required for tourist stay of up to 6 months. Consult the British Embassy for further information (202/588-7800)."

Returning to the USVI after visiting the BVI, the US policies apply and:

"The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all travelers, including U.S. citizens, to and from the Americas, the Caribbean, and Bermuda to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States."

Visiting US Territories from US:

"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."

Comments:

While this is a VI travel board and you may be thinking about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative as it applies to visiting the VI it does affect "all United States citizens traveling within the Western Hemisphere" and "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."

Best bet is to visit the US Department of State's webpage that discusses the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to get complete details: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html and read up on it to see how it might affect you and your travels!

Hope this helps.

--Islander

Hi Islander.

I've had a USVI driver's license for years and on it is listed the U.S. state in which I was born but last month the immigration folks hassled me at the STT airport when I was trying to leave the island on a flight to Miami. I travel regularly and I've never had a problem before but this time the gentleman claimed that I needed proof of citizenship to leave the island, and while a raised seal birth certificate would be acceptable for now I'd need a passport beginning January 1, 2007. Since I had neither a birth certificate nor a passport with me, and plenty of time before my flight, I zipped home and grabbed my passport. The customs/immigration guy noted that the folks at the ticket counter tell customers that they don't need proof of citizenship to travel within the U.S. states and territories but that they no nothing about customs/immigration policies and what they really mean is that one does not need to provide proof of citizenship to purchase a ticket. In any case, he wasn't letting anyone depart on that day in May without proof of citizenship. I know that an individual's experience with the folks at the airport depends on whom one deals with and the quality of that person's day, and I understand that there's no effective means by which a customer can satisfactorily resolve issues with the inconsistent application of real or imaginary government policies, so in the future I will always carry a passport for travel within and outside of the U.S. and I recommend anyone who does not wish to be arbitrarily hassled and delayed do the same.

Why is there so ambiguity as to whether we need a passport? Why is there so much confusion even among government employees? For example, when I show up for an AA flight to PR, there is a big Homeland Security sign saying that US citizens only need a driver's license. However, when I took Seaborne to PR, they said I needed proof of citizenship. I thought that one of the VI Tourism Department's selling points was that Americans did not need a passport to go to the USVI.

Hi DL.

I agree, the inconsistencies are ludicrous. My experience left me wondering, if only a driver's license is required to ENTER the USVI from the states, what happens to folks who come here with only a driver's license and when they want to LEAVE the USVI to go back to the states are told they need to provide proof of citizenship with a birth certificate or passport, both of which are at home in the states? The selective enforcement of what seem largely like imaginary rules is annoying but it's unclear which government agency is responsible for the mess. Perhaps the government will soon require us to have id chip implants so the TSA folks can simply scan us like a carton of cereal at the grocery store.