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I just wondered if anyone who has recently traveled to the US and or PR from usvi has been told what I have been told twice already by usvi customs agent at the airport: that beginning in Jan. '06 we will be required to show a passport. That information has been verbally told to me and I know for a fact that the official US passport regulations exclude US territories. Read the following two paragraphs from the official government passport website:
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.
If traveling outside the United States or a U.S. territory, a passport or other secure document will be required. For example, a person may travel to and from the United States to the U.S. Virgin islands without a passport or other secure document, but under proposed regulations, a passport or other secure document would be required to re-enter the U.S. Virgin Islands from the British Virgin Islands or another country as of December 31, 2006. )
I know that the rules "can be different if the usvi chooses to change the rules", but I just wondered if anyone else has been told what I was told and or if you or someone you know has traveled to/from the usvi to/from the mainland and encountered any "problems".
Thanks,
Traveler
Posted : January 3, 2006 6:04 pm
Traveler,
I'm sure different people have been told different things by different customs agents. Other people's experiences won't matter if you're the one who encounters a problem down the road. Why risk encountering a problem -- get a passport! Even if your trip is in the near future, you can pay a few extra dollars and expedite your application. The potential hassles of a problem and the certain worries of traveling without a passport are unnecessary concerns.
Posted : January 3, 2006 7:58 pm
Correct! Do get a passport. They do request the passport in Puerto Rico twice, also they announced at the AA terminal that nobody needs any type of documents to enter the plane besides your boarding pass, to our surprise there was an officer in the sleeve requesting the passport and the prove of residency to everyone. It is much better to have the passport to avoid any troubles with Homeland security.
Posted : January 3, 2006 8:11 pm
dntw8up,
Thanks for for your comments. I already have a passport. I just have not taken it with me on continental/territory travels in the past. I will remember to carry it with me on future travels just in case. I just wanted to find out if anyone else has been told what I've been told to compare their current experiences under the new year, and I also thought that by sharing my experience other future travelers could be forwarned of possible problems.
Anyone else out there with actual travel experiences to answer me?
Happy, safe and trouble free traveling to all in 2006.
Traveler
Posted : January 3, 2006 8:19 pm
Sorry Traveler, it wasn't clear to me that your query was intended to specifically target only those people who have recently traveled between the islands and the states without using a passport and who have engaged with customs agents in a discussion about traveling without a passport. I have never had a discussion of the sort you mention with a customs agent, presumably because I always travel with a passport.
Posted : January 3, 2006 8:51 pm
Traveler, I believe you may have been a victim of an overzelous or under-trained CBP agent (yes it does happen alot). I work for DHS (Immigration in particular) and I had the same exact thing happen to me traveling between STT and PR. I was able to show my creds and he backed off. He said the reason for asking for the passport was to prove US citizenship. I can only assume there may have been problems with non us citizens coming into USVI from foreign ports like the BVI by non conventional means (private boats for example). Unfortunately in this day and age of terrorist threats it is becoming increasingly important to DHS and CBP to ensure no one is entering illegally. In short, always travel with your passport in order to pass customs as quickly and smoothly as possible! Those full body cavity searches are a bitch! Hope this helps.
Posted : January 6, 2006 5:49 pm
The non-US Citizens are coming in droves on boats from St Martin. There is a huge problem in human trafficking. They land 'em on a remote beach, they make their way over to St Thomas, probably with a connection for documents and whammo- there they are in downtown Kankakee.
I just found this article in The Source: http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1138079216
Posted : January 6, 2006 6:18 pm
AnonDHS,
Thanks for the inside scoop! I have no problem understanding the need for proving US citizenship from usvi, PR or US territories and I welcome the request of said proof, particularly from US island territories as I'm well aware that many reach our shores illegally by boat. I will proudly carry and show my US passport from now on. See ya out there,
Traveler
Posted : January 6, 2006 7:23 pm
