It’s a brand new month and there’s a brand new rule for Virgin Islands travelers.
While you don’t have to have a U.S. passport to vacation in the islands, or to come back to the mainland, you do need a passport if you’re going to do some sightseeing in the BVIs.
That mans if you’re planning on taking a day trip or charter to Foxy’s or the Baths on Virgin Gorda. bring your passport\. You’ll need it as proof of citizenship when you return from your BVI visit and clear through the U.S. Customs office in Cruz Bay.
Here's a link to the passport Office's regulations concerning the British Virgin islands.
Many of us, for decades, ignored clearing back in to U.S. from BVI. Homeland Security is threatening $5,000.00 fines for failure to do so. If you live here, get your Local Boater Option card to avoid Cruz Bay. Otherwise EVERYONE on the boat has to appear at customs at Cruz Bay. Someone is going to be made an “example” within the next few months. Don’t let it be you.
So, nothing’s really changed. We still don’t need a pasport to come from the mainland. We always needed a passport to go to the BVI’s. So, what has changed???
You can get into the BVI with birth certificate and picture I.D. You cannot get back into the U.S. with those docs without considerable hassle at Customs. They can refuse you entry. BVI indicates they now want passports, but two weekends ago they were still taking birth certificates.
Friends who visited a couple weeks ago and stayed at Maho complained they were overwhelmed by clouds of Mosquitos and couldn’t leave their tent for days. (the problem, they said, was very wide spread.) Some guests switched to the Weston in despiration. In 30 years of visiting St. John I’ve never heard of that kind of problem. Any explanations?
Yes. A few weeks ago the island was drenched, day after day. Lots of flooding and lots of rain … for a week or more. Lots of rain > lots of mosquitoes … for a while. It’ll get better.
we were in St. John last August and had swarms of mosquitos. This time we are bringing mosquito coils.