BVI?

If you are not a citizen if the BVI they make it very difficult to purchase real estate. You have to get approval from the government and this can take up to two years with eighteen months being average.

If you own a home in the BVI , but are not a citizen, you can only reside in the BVI for six months at a time without getting special government permission.

The population in the BVI's is small so most residents depend on getting what they need from the USVI.

If you think the Feds ignore the USVI the Brits ignore the BVI to even a greater extent in my opinion.

If you are trying to stay in touch with folks on the US mainland mail service to the BVI is much slower than to the USVI. To avoid this problem some people have their mail sent to PO Boxes in the USVI and then pay a courrier to bring the mail to them in the BVI.

Hope this helps.

Peter

Chris,

The BVI islands are much smaller in terms of population and atmosphere. Beautiful like the USVI islands are in different ways of course but similar in terms of beaches... Like Peter mentioned big issue is belonging and not - belonging and those are not my words but theirs... they are really concerned about who belongs (people from there or Brits) and people who do not belong (everyone else) and in force it, which means it is a bit more difficult to get in, job, buy property.... Unless you have dual-citzenship or are British - that might help... investigate it some more and see if its possiable for you if you are interested... most web sites I have seen are travel oriented.... try
www.b-v-i.com
www.britishvirginislands.com
www.bviwelcome.com

or just search for bvi, british virgin islands, tortola and the other specific islands and you will find info.

--Islander

Thanks again.

I guess it is kind of silly, but I feel like I really should stay with concentrating on the USVI. I have this feeling like 'I belong' there more than the BVI, so I guess the Brits would be happy to hear that.

Even though the news about the BVI was of a discouraging nature, it is kind of what I expected and even wanted to hear anyway. I am strangely? drawn to STT over STX also, but I guess that is just a matter of feeling less isolated due to the constant cruise traffic there.

Okay, time to try to put it out of my mind for a bit and go back to live in Pennsylvania for a while longer 🙁

Chris

Islander and Peter have given you the real reason that few Americans settle in the BVI. The government on Tortola has been very closed and is unwilling to let "outsiders" .. (non-belongers) fully participate in island life. I know a family from England who have lived on Tortola for nearly 30 years. They have a very successful charter business and a family (that unfortunately they returned to England to birth so) they are not belongers. They cannot vote, property ownership is more costly and they are still not accepted by the "old time" Tortola famlies. This family is not the exception, but the rule.
The BVI is a beautiful place, with more varied and interesting anchorages than the USVI
but their government is petty and vindictive. They recently changed the "rasta" law and felt that it was a very progressive thing to do. For those of you who don't know about the "rasta law", it prohibited entry into the country of anyone with "dred locks". This, of course included many professionals and government officials from other places.
Recently the BVI government has seized USVI fishing boats and held then "hostage". I don't know enough about the politics of that situation so I won't comment further.

I have spent many wonderful days..weeks.. in the BVI (I don't have dred's).
It is sad the Government is not more open to outsiders. However...maybe they are right...The BVI remains much more undeveloped and pristine than the USVI. I like that...

b: While I agree with much of what you say, I disagree that the BVI are more undeveloped and pristine than the USVI. Walk from Customs to Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke and look at their method of dealing with garbage...walk the beach at Trellis Bay...Then walk even Trunk Bay on St John (probably the busiest beach there) or even one of the developed beaches on St Thomas (Sapphire, Morningstar) and look at the difference. Cane Garden Bay is not a pristine anchorage. Hoo-ha! Am I gonna get it from the BVIers!!!

Thanks East Ender, I needed that... Yes.. you are right, because of the BVI government's indifferent attitude, there are many infrastrucure needs that are unfulfilled.
Your list is incomplete when it comes to the problems, which do not include the thousands of charter boats that dump their raw sewage into the bays and coves of the BVI. { a big problem here too} . And more I don't want to discuss.However I was referring more to the lack of "high rise" tourist hotels and cruise ship intrusion. There are still many cays and islands where nobody is...on the BVI. That is changing there and is for sure changing here. Still, for undeveloped you can't beat Anagada and Green Cay, Sandy Spit and Monkey island even Peter,Norman and Cooper Islands and #$%&.
have fun.... b

Not familiar with #$%&. Is that in the BVI or USVI? And how do you pronounce it? Is the silent?

David: I am waiting to hear your stand-up routine! 😉

Thanks, EE. I feel better knowing I still have at least one friend left. After my last case of "Post Haste" I was afraid you were among those waiting for my "Sit Down and Shut Up!" routine... 🙂