is it true about passports .

[howie's sunshine]

I'm a little nerves we don't have passports.so I guess I better get going on that.so anyone I guess that don't have one are ok untill the end of summer.
from what I have seen on the news as long as you have your paper saying that your passport is pending you'll
be all set.if not I guess you will go through a heavy search of you and your bags. Nice just what I want!

Sunshine

[bert]

You need to have documentation to prove that you have applied for a passport, to get back to America. TSA will take your bags after you have already passed through Customs, either way. So if you have not applied for a passport yet, all you have to do is go down to your local courthouse and apply. They will give you the proof of application that you will need. Have a great trip!

peace.... bert

[kirk]

First, where are you going that you need a passport? just because the US will let back in with proof that you have applied, doesn't mean the country you are going to will let you in without one.

[California Girl]

But you don't need a passport for the USVI... are you going to the BVI?

[CShell1019]

This will get you to the spot when you can print out proof of application once you've sent in the application - just follow the directions

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/st ... _2567.html

[chicagoans]

This will only apply to a few people, but it did in my case: I've been trying to track our passport status for about a month now. (We sent in the applications for 4 of us in March.) I STILL wasn't even in the system today. But then I tried again putting a space between the Mc in my last name and the rest of the last name. (We don't spell it with a space.) There I am!

So, if there's any chance of a variation on your last name, like a space, try it both ways. You might be like me and be pleasantly surprised to be "in the system."

[b-as-u-r]

Thanks for all this helpful passport information. I was actually able to apply it at work today and help out a client with the status of his passport. (I guess that justifies all the visits to the forum during working hours.) Apparently he's been trying for weeks but his last name is Mc... so he wasn't leaving the space that is required and was getting nowhere. Thanks(!) chicagoans for the tip. Apparently they're going to the Dominican Republican (DR) and even though he now has the evidence that he has applied for a passport, DR doesn't accept that, as suggested by kirk. Thanks everyone! Ali~

[chicagoans]

Hey Ali, I'm glad the search tip worked for your client! Now I think that justifies expensing your next trip to STJ!

[Sleehog]

So is there a consensus on whether BVI will accept proof of application?

We are down to a little over 2 weeks to departure and still ne passprots. They also have our birth certificates, so I guess we will go get new copies of those.

[snorkelqueen]

I'm wondering about the BVI's too - many different websites state different things. Some say US citizens must have passport others say drivers license and birth certificate is enough.

[sea-nile]

We just went on a BVI trip. There was one person who had a birth cerificate and an ID and they let them come back to the USVI.
Everyone else did have a passport though.

It seemed to make things easier all around for us.

[texascook]

My guess is that if a passport was required before, it's still required now. I believe that the new exemptions apply only to those countries where a passport was not needed - canada, mexico.....

ever since we've been going to St. John, we've needed passports to go to BVI

[Sleehog]

We have been to BVI twice and always used birth certificates and drivers license... no problem.

I am glad to have a first hand witness to this still working. Fingers crossed...