USVI-On-Line

I always pick a bunch up at the customs office on STJ and leave the extras at the villa If yhou go there ask if you can have some even though they are sitting by the door I didn't one time and got yelled at

Pia wrote:Yes that is correct - you DO clear US Customs and Immigration upon departure at the STT airport but do not upon arrival.

Islandelle and zrock - as this is your first time to STJ/STT you might not know you need to be at the airport 1.5 to 2 hours before your departure to clear Customs and Immigration - so bring ID

Pia

Thanks Pia. That is good to know. We were planning on bringing our passports anyway since we are going to VG for a week so no problem there.

dtenel wrote:We always grab a customs form right when we land. While hubby is waiting for luggage, I go over to ticket counter and grab one. That way we can fill it out before we leave our hotel and not have to mess with it at the airport.

Great advice there! It'll probably be the last thing you think about upon your arrival onto STT, but if you tuck those forms in with your return tix,passport,roundtrip ferry tix, etc,...into your safe,you just might be a little bit ahead of the game upon departure.
Again,great advice!
Smiles-
MJ

mahojim wrote:Great advice there! It'll probably be the last thing you think about upon your arrival onto STT.

I was just thinking the same thing. How am I going to remember to pick up those forms as I'm bee-lining it to the free rum, while I'm calling Dependable on my cellphone for my pick-up. Not to mention that I'll be excited to get to Coral Bay to "unpack" (to borrow a phrase from MahoJim!)

Lovermont

I hear that some people actually unpack right on the plane!

As long as they don't undress on the plane!

Feel the same as lovermont,going to be so excited to get to STJ and start to "get it", that will be doing an "OJ Simpson" thru the airport. (for the young here,ask your parents what this is).

You have to undress at least a little, to "unpack" Mahojim style.

It's official. This thread has been hijacked! I don't think this is the kind of carrying on that was discussed at the beginning.

JIM

jimg20 wrote:It's official. This thread has been hijacked! I don't think this is the kind of carrying on that was discussed at the beginning.

JIM

Guilty as charged. Hee hee

Lovermont

This thread has given some great info. on customs forms and ID issues.

I'm not sure, but I don't think anyone ever answered the other part of your original question, "If carrying on only and you print boarding pass ahead of time off the internet(AA), do you go straight to customs?"

The answer to that other question is YES, if you don't have checked bags and you check-in online and pre-print your boarding passes, you skip the ticketing line and go straight to customs.

well VickiH got us back on track.
sometimes have to do a little hijacking to see if anyone is paying attention.

Thanks Vicki,
I was actually asking for my daughter who is living on St John and is coming home Monday for a week. When we were there in June, there were no custom forms laying out on the counter as you enter customs, so I thought maybe there was a new procedure that required getting them from your airline which would require standing in line. Apparently, they were just out the day we left.
Thanks again for all the help.
RT

toes in the sand wrote:

jimg20 wrote:Customs is a Function of leaving for the US or returning from other places like BVI. The trip from the US to STT has no customs stop.

JIM

We visited two weeks ago. We did not leave the USVI but we were still required to pass through customs and declare any purchases.
We had a surprise at customs this trip. Our Customs agent was pleasant and amiable. Never had that before at any airport.

As far as ID. I always bring my passport with me when flying even if it is within the continental US. It just makes things easier with the TSA.

I think we must have had the same customs agent. He asked us if we had a good time.

We said "Yes, it was great!"

"Well, if you didn't, I would have to make you stay"

I think the "other part of the question" was answered indirectly. IF you print your boarding passes, AND pick up those customs forms when you arrive and have them completed before arriving at STT for departure...THEN you can bypass the ticket counter and go straight to customs.

This is AWESOME info for anyone not checking bags, and will still save you time if you are. Our first trip last June was carry-on luggage only, and we had the same dilemma and got told to get in the AA ticket line for all our "paperwork". The lady at the AA counter shook her head, handed us the forms, and said "you mean she didn't just give you forms out of the stack in her hands?"....Sure enough, the customs 'greeter' had a whole pile in her hands and was giving them out by this time!!

I will DEFINITELY remember to grab those forms when we arrive next time. Wifey has to hit the bathroom when we land anyway, so that will give me something to do!