Travel to the USVI - Frequently Asked Questions

Are passports required to travel to the United States Virgin Islands?

Passports for U.S. Citizens are NOT required for the U.S. Virgin Islands, but you must be prepared to show evidence of citizenship upon leaving the territory (such as a government-issued photo ID or your passport). Citizens of countries other than the U.S. should follow U.S. travel regulations.

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What identification can a U.S. citizen use to enter the United States Virgin Islands?

U.S. citizens do not need a passport when entering the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the official U.S. Virgin Islands passport requirements, but you may be required to show proof of citizenship (raised-seal birth certificate and valid government-issued ID card such as a driver’s license) when departing the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John.

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Even though you are not required to have a passport to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands, you may want to take a passport versus having to carry the two forms of identification needed for departing the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Do I need a REAL ID to enter the United States Virgin Islands?

On May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities.  If you are a resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands, you may obtain a REAL ID from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  Visit the BMV website for a listing of the requirements and pricing.   Read more about REAL IDs on TSA's website.

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What are the COVID-19 entry requirements for the United States Virgin Islands?

All domestic travelers and international travelers are no longer required to complete the USVI Travel Screening Portal or present an approved green QR code to travel to the USVI. Please refer to the CDC requirements for domestic travel and the CDC requirements for international travel to stay up to date on the current travel requirements for the United States. 

For questions, please call the VI Department of Tourism at (340) 774-8784 or send an email to info@usviupdate.com.

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What are the duty-free restrictions in the United States Virgin Islands?

The following are the current duty-free exemptions in the USVI:

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• $1,600 Per Person Tax Exemption U.S. citizens, including children, can go shopping and return with up to $1,600.00 worth of duty-free merchandise every 30 days from the USVI.

• If you return directly or indirectly from a U.S. insular possession (U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or Guam), you are allowed a $1,600 duty-free exemption. As long as the amount does not exceed what that state considers a personal quantity*, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will allow you to enter the U.S. with up to five liters of alcohol duty-free as part of your $1,600 exemption - as long as at least four liters were purchased in the insular possession, and at least one of them is a product of that insular possession. Additional bottles will be subject to a flat duty rate of 1.5% and subject to Internal Revenue Service taxes.

• Alcoholic Beverages U.S. residents 21 years of age and older can return to the mainland with four liters of liquor, duty-free. Add a 5th liter duty-free if it is a product made in the U.S. Virgin Islands (Captain Morgan and Cruzan Rum)! Compare this to the one-liter-per-person duty-free limit outside the U.S. territory. Please note: Some airlines will allow you to check on a box of liquor without an additional baggage fee. Please check directly with your airline for up-to-date information.

• Tobacco Products U.S. citizens age 21 or older are allowed up to 100 cigars (not of Cuban origin) and up to 5 cartons, or 1,000 cigarettes duty-free, per person, if purchased in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Click here for more information from the U.S Customs and Border Protection website.

• Merchandise Shipped to the United States A U.S. resident may ship goods purchased in the U.S Virgin Islands (“unaccompanied purchases”) to the United States. Unaccompanied purchases are goods you bought on a trip that is being shipped to yourself in the United States.  In this instance, you may declare up to $1,600 worth of duty-free per person under your personal exemption if the merchandise is purchased in the USVI. An additional $1,000 worth of goods may be mailed dutiable at a flat rate of 1.5% percent.

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What should I do if I lost an item while traveling in the U.S. Virgin Islands?

The Virgin Islands Port Authority will not have items left In taxi cabs, in hotels, on board an airplane, or any items lost at the TSA checkpoints.

 

• For items left at a hotel, in a taxi, or on an airplane, please contact the hotel, the taxicab company, or the airline respectively.

• For lost luggage, please contact your airline directly.

• To locate items left in any of our airport terminals, please contact our public relations office at info@viport.com or call (340) 714-6639.

• For items left at a TSA checkpoint, please contact TSA directly.

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Are cruise ships sailing to the United States Virgin Islands?

Cruise ships are sailing to the U.S. Virgin Islands.  If you are sailing to St. Croix, your cruise ship will berth at the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility in Frederiksted.  If you are sailing to the St. Thomas/St. John district, your ship will either berth at the Austin Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay or at the West Indian Company Dock in Havensight.  Ships also berth in the harbor at Cruz Bay, St. John.  Please check your itinerary to verify your port.

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