HEEELLLPPPPP!!!!

[suzi]

Ok Fellow Forumites...I am in desperate need of help...leaving for STJ this Sunday...so I'm getting stuff all together and I get out the passports... la dee da...and I look at them and low and behold they EXPIRED in March!!!!!
HELP!!! Do we have to have passports? We have always had them, so I never paid too much attention to questions on the board about them. The kids passports are OK, its my husband and I. Can we still use birth certificates???? can I go to Philadelphia and get them done asap????
PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP!!!!

[waterguy]

Birth cert. are fine quit worrying have a good time.

[Margy Z]

I would google "expired passport" and see what you find. I think there's some 10 year rule about expired US passports being ok for ID purposes and if yours is recently expired it should be ok but I would still carry a DL to match.

[VayCay]

in our last discussion we are all pretty confident that you dont' even need your birth certificate, but only a state ID. This is the clearly stated policy on DHS's website. However i've also been told that STT is on island time in implementing these policies, so bring those birth certificates just in case!

Have a great trip!

[Gromit]

As long as you're not planning a boat trip to the BVI's, you should be OK.

[Diana2]

You're fine with a driver's license but I'll bet they never even see that you have an expired passport. A couple of years ago my hubby and I went to Tortola for a two week stay. His passport was expired. The only person to mention anything was the security person at the Grand Rapids airport. No one else even looked at the date.

[Teresa_Rae]

As long as you're not planning a boat trip to the BVI's, you should be OK.

I've heard that as long as you enter by boat you don't even need a passport for the BVIs. But someone else who knows more could clarify that.

[Gromit]

Not so. If you go thru customs in the BVI -- as you're supposed to -- you will need your passport.

Not only that but they aren't too keen on passports that are about to expire. Many destinations these days want you to have anywhere from 3-6 months left on the passport before expiration.

Granted you are dealing with island time and they can choose to do whatever they want but occasionally you can get a real hardass who will hold your feet to the fire.

I've done chartered =/captained as well as bareboat rentals thru the BVI's numerous times over the years and this has been my personal experience.

My motto, better safe than sorry and I always try to keep the ole passport up to date.

Any charter boat operators want to weigh in on this as well?

[waterguy]

The guy's on Loinindasun said we didn't passports and we didn't

[RickG]

This a frequent discussion point and something that DHS has made a mess of due to the 2006 ever changing policies.

No birth certificate is required for travel to and from USVI from the mainland USA (bring it anyways, they will ask!). You need to bring your state issued id card (drivers license). Unless you travel outside to the BVIs via boat, then you will need your birth certificate and a state issued id.

Be aware the some airlines interpret this rule differently. AA seems to require passports for USVI travel.

"Traveling to and from U.S. Territories

U.S. Citizens traveling to and returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the U.S. territory and do not need to present a passport.

U.S. territories include:

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* Swains Island
* U.S. Virgin Islands"

http://www.dhs.gov/xtrvlsec/crossingborders/

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1200677666905.shtm

http://www.virgin-islands-hotels.com/gettingto.htm

That being said, Passports are the least hassle followed by birth certificate with state id. I've tried to get by with just my drivers license and the Immigration guy pushed to see the passort. I'd bring the expired passports as well.

In addition, USVI were granted an extension under the REAL-ID Act. So, id issued by the USVI are legal id for travel within the US and territories.

http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/programs/g ... 70971.shtm

Cheers, RickG

[suzi]

Thanks you'all !!!!! I just cannot even f... believe that I never even checked the exp date!!! thank god we do not have a bvi trip planned this year! I am going to bring the expired passports, birth cert, and drivers lic. AND the print out that I found on line that we do not need a passport. And guess what! WE ARE flying AA !!! With our luck this year, we will get the bozo at the airport in Philly who will insist on a passport!!!
I cannot wait to have some RUM!!!!

[RickG]

This happened to a lot of our friends. Its the "Oh S**t!" moment when they realize that they are going to Europe in 24 hours and have an expired passport. Living in the DC area we can run down to the K Street Passport Office and get things done in a day.

I like to get our passports renewed before we hit the 6 month ticker. I'm renewing all four of ours after our November trip.

Cheers, RickG

[VayCay]

hey suzii...just go ahead and start now....it's after noon on st. john, so it's cool!

[Teresa_Rae]

Ok, I looked it up...you can still do a boat trip to the BVIs without a passport...arriving by air is a different story and you must have a passport, but not if you arrive by water:


April 02, 2008

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: The British Virgin Islands (BVI) are a British overseas territory, part of the British West Indies, lying about 60 miles east of Puerto Rico. There are about 50 islands in the BVI, many of them uninhabited. Tortola is the main island; other islands include Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, and Anegada. Tourist facilities are widely available.

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: For information on travel to the British Virgin Islands, travelers should contact the BVI Department of Immigration at 1-284-494-3471. Visit the Embassy of the British Government web site at http://www.britainusa.com for the most current visa information.

All Americans traveling to and from the United States by air must have a passport. This requirement will be extended to sea travel, including ferry service, by the summer of 2008, except on cruises and other sea trips originating and ending in the United States. Until then, travelers returning from the British Virgin Islands by sea must have government-issued photo identification and a document showing their U.S. citizenship (for example, a birth certificate or certificate of nationalization). Further information on upcoming changes to U.S. passport policy can be found on the Bureau of Consular Affairs web site at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html. We strongly encourage all American citizen travelers to apply for a U.S. passport well in advance of anticipated travel. American citizens can visit travel.state.gov or call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778) for information on how to apply for their passports. The U.S. Department of State recommends traveling with a valid U.S. passport to avoid delays or misunderstandings. A lost or stolen passport is also easier to replace when outside of the United States than other evidence of citizenship.


So they're changing it somewhat in the summer of this year...but it does say:

This requirement will be extended to sea travel, including ferry service, by the summer of 2008, except on cruises and other sea trips originating and ending in the United States.

So it sounds like once they make the change you'll need a passport to take a ferry to the BVIs but you will not need a passport if you are on a "sea trip" that begins and ends on STJ...that seems like it would include daysails, etc.

I wonder if they're keeping the rules that way because they need the tourism dollars in the BVI that come out of USVI day trips?

[Gromit]

Unfortunately, what they state on the web site and what they do in practice can be two different things as noted by Rick G.

Theresa -- Thanks for checking that out, but I for one will make sure that I have my passport with me and I usually recommend to others to do the same.

IMHO -- Better safe, than sorry.