usvi-on-line
Day trip to Jost by ferry with expiring passport
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martini girl
- Posts: 329
- Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:29 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania
Day trip to Jost by ferry with expiring passport
We are arriving on STJ in less than 2 weeks and were planning on taking the ferry to Jost for a day trip, however, I recently found out that some members of our group have passports that are expiring in April. According to the State Department's website, all persons entering the BVI must have a valid passport with at least six months left on it.
Does anyone know if this policy is strictly enforced?
Does anyone know if this policy is strictly enforced?
Re: Day trip to Jost by ferry with expiring passport
No idea...but I think I would go by the rules...
Those guys take their job pretty serious...They don't seem to smile much.
I am a law abiding person, but man, those guys make me nervous when I go through C & I...
Those guys take their job pretty serious...They don't seem to smile much.
I am a law abiding person, but man, those guys make me nervous when I go through C & I...
~Pam~
"Barefoot in the snow white sand
A bag of sea shells in her hand
She finally found a paradise it seems..."
"Barefoot in the snow white sand
A bag of sea shells in her hand
She finally found a paradise it seems..."
Re: Day trip to Jost by ferry with expiring passport
This is enforced, since you will have left the US and will be re-entering. What's enforced is having passports or the correct number of other proper documents. Charter captains usually won't allow persons board without the required documents, since those folks won't be able to return. The only exceptions I know of is children, as most don't have passports, when parents forget birth certificates. You'll be happier (and less stressed) if your group plans ahead and has the required documents.
Re: Day trip to Jost by ferry with expiring passport
I have never heard of that? I would believe as long as you return prior to expiration you'd be safe.
Here is a link with some numbers for the BVI Customs and Immigrations Offices to confirm, Good Luck!
http://www.bvitourism.com/entry-requirements
Here is a link with some numbers for the BVI Customs and Immigrations Offices to confirm, Good Luck!
http://www.bvitourism.com/entry-requirements
Re: Day trip to Jost by ferry with expiring passport
We traveled to Virgin Gorda on 11/29/2012 and my Passport expired on 12/03/2012 and we did not encounter any problems. We traveled by private charter and not public transportation, don't know if this would matter.
Re: Day trip to Jost by ferry with expiring passport
I was also initially skeptical of the "six months left" requirement, but it is there on the State Department web site's BVI page. The question isn't re-admittance to the US, for which the passport merely needs to still be valid, but rather entry to the BVI. They normally can grant you an up to 30 day stay, and want to be sure that your passport doesn't expire while you are there, so they might not care for a day trip. I would call the BVI immigration folks and confirm this, though, rather than risk it. It's entirely possible that they will say its OK, and if they do, make sure to get the immigration fellow's name.
All this brings to mind a fine tale of ours from eight or ten years ago. Prior to 2009, a birth certificate was also accepted as proof of citizenship for sea travel to and from the BVI. We were renting a villa on St. John at the time, and I and our two daughters were taking the PADI Advanced Open Water training class. To complete our certification, we had to perform three "advanced" activities out of a menu of available options, one of which was a wreck dive (twist my arm)! We happily arranged to dive the wreck of the R.M.S. Rhone, over near Salt Island in the BVI. The morning of the dive arrived, and we were having our documents checked before boarding, when the crew noticed that my younger daughter had merely brought a photocopy of her birth certificate, when either an original or a notarized copy was required. This constituted an immediate crisis, with a crew member claiming that everyone on board could be denied entry if even one person on board lacked proper documentation. What to do?!? It was at that moment that a creative lass on the crew of this unnamed dive operation declared that she had a solution, and we watched mystified as she dashed down to a trash barrel on the beach and began scouring its contents. She emerged victorious with a "HA!", brandishing an empty Heineken bottle from the night before. Huh?? She asked for my daughter's photocopy, laid a piece of cloth on the counter, put the photocopy on top, and set the Heineken bottle on top of that. She then took a 2x4, and with a loud "Whump!", walloped the top of the bottle. Lo and behold, a very impressive raised circular seal had been imprinted into the photocopy of the birth certificate! Granted, on close inspection, the Heineken crest, "Amsterdam-Rotterdam", and whatever else they put down there wouldn't pass muster, but we were allowed on the boat. Clearance at Soper's Hole was uneventful, and the subsequent dive of the Rhone was fantastic, highly recommended if you haven't yet done it. We were on pins and needles as we faced the unsmiling folks at Homeland Security back in Cruz Bay at the end of the day, but the official briefly held up the photocopy, and then waved her through. Brilliant!!!
All the best,
Kevin
All this brings to mind a fine tale of ours from eight or ten years ago. Prior to 2009, a birth certificate was also accepted as proof of citizenship for sea travel to and from the BVI. We were renting a villa on St. John at the time, and I and our two daughters were taking the PADI Advanced Open Water training class. To complete our certification, we had to perform three "advanced" activities out of a menu of available options, one of which was a wreck dive (twist my arm)! We happily arranged to dive the wreck of the R.M.S. Rhone, over near Salt Island in the BVI. The morning of the dive arrived, and we were having our documents checked before boarding, when the crew noticed that my younger daughter had merely brought a photocopy of her birth certificate, when either an original or a notarized copy was required. This constituted an immediate crisis, with a crew member claiming that everyone on board could be denied entry if even one person on board lacked proper documentation. What to do?!? It was at that moment that a creative lass on the crew of this unnamed dive operation declared that she had a solution, and we watched mystified as she dashed down to a trash barrel on the beach and began scouring its contents. She emerged victorious with a "HA!", brandishing an empty Heineken bottle from the night before. Huh?? She asked for my daughter's photocopy, laid a piece of cloth on the counter, put the photocopy on top, and set the Heineken bottle on top of that. She then took a 2x4, and with a loud "Whump!", walloped the top of the bottle. Lo and behold, a very impressive raised circular seal had been imprinted into the photocopy of the birth certificate! Granted, on close inspection, the Heineken crest, "Amsterdam-Rotterdam", and whatever else they put down there wouldn't pass muster, but we were allowed on the boat. Clearance at Soper's Hole was uneventful, and the subsequent dive of the Rhone was fantastic, highly recommended if you haven't yet done it. We were on pins and needles as we faced the unsmiling folks at Homeland Security back in Cruz Bay at the end of the day, but the official briefly held up the photocopy, and then waved her through. Brilliant!!!
All the best,
Kevin