quick question on passports
 

i've done a fair share of internet research on this and im getting a mixed answer:

I'm going to St. Thomas at the end of June. I dont have a passport. I do have intentions of getting one. But, I dont want to have to pay for an expedite fee if i don't necessarily have to.

I imagine the travel.gov site would be most accurate - they say no, because St. Thomas is a US Territory. Makes sense to me. But I just called a passport agency and theyre like "YES YOU NEED A PASSPORT FOR ANYWHERE OUTSIDE THE CONTIGUOUS 48!!!!"

Maybe I pissed the wrong person off on the phone... anyway, i dont want any drama at the airport. but if the travel.gov site blatantly says "you dont need it to travel to u.s. territories" that's valid right? with 7 weeks left before i leave i'd HAVE to pay extra to get it sent to me ASAP. and i dont have it like that.

Are you located near a passport center? If you are then it may not take as long as you think. I was able to get one in two business days without having to pay an extra fee. As far as needing one for this particular trip, it might not hurt to get one. You just never know these days. Have fun!

You SHOULD NOT need it, BUT remember you are at the mercy of the person at the checkout counter who is letting people on the plane, and their knowledge of US Territories and passport laws. Therefore, if that person is like the person on the phone, you might run into problems. In other words, I would get it to be safe.

its always a good idea to have a passport, and they say it takes 6 weeks, i got mine in like 2. So, i would get one just in case...

as far as i know, you don't need one to go there ( i didn't when i went to puerto rico, another territory)
but ya never know when you might have to flee the country, so my advice is to get one anyway, but i don't think you'll need one for st. thomas

A friend of mine who is going to Cancun this summer was worried too it would take a long time. It only took 2 weeks! That's so quick compared to the 4 months is took me 3 years ago to have my renewed!

go the Post Office, expedited is btw $150-$187... last time I checked... and yeah you do need it NOW to go to any of the West Indian islands or territories

I am leaning towards "no" because it is a U.S. Territory, even though you do go through customs. You will likely need a birth certificate in addition to your license, though. I think your best bet is actually to call the AIRLINE you are flying and see what they have to say about it. They are the ones who will check you in. If you need it, pay the extra dough, because regardless of what posters are saying above, there is a rush on them this year, now that you need them for other North American travel.

(btw, is there no chance you will visit anywhere else in the Carribean? It would be sad to have to turn down a day trip because you didn't have the papers.)

ETA: The passport agency told you that Alaska and Hawaii require passports? That sounds pretty suspicious. If you are flying American, their website clearly says you do not need one.

The passport agency people are stupid. I was recently in Hawai'i, and I certianly didn't need a passport.

You don't need one for US territories. Hence, why places like St. Thomas and Puerto Rico are currently pushing that fact on almost every travel website.

I was told that you need a passport for anywhere outside the 50 states. Your best bet is to just get one and save yourself the stress of worrying about it later.

I was in St. Thomas and Puerto Rico a few years ago and I did not need a passport. This was post-9/11 too (I know a lot of rules changed after 9/11). Then again, I traveled via a cruise ship. It might be different but I doubt it. I just needed my driver's license.

I applied for a passport over 2 months ago and still have not received it. Apparently the process is considerably slower right now because of the new regulations. So if you're traveling soon I would definitely do the expedited process and tell them your travel date.

I would say get it to be safe. It's worth paying the extra fee, if you got to the airport and they wouldn't let you on the plane.... :rolleyes:

I got mine renewed last year and it only took about 3 weeks. You never know though.

I would suggest wearing a shirt that you LIKE for your picture. LOL. I was wearing a shirt for work that says "Express Tax." I didn't think it would show up in the picture... hahaha it did! :p

When I read tld's post about what the agency person said, I was *cough*bullshit*cough.

But sadly, it's actually a pretty common misconception with people who do live in the Continental U.S. As a lifelong Hawai'i resident I've never had to produce a passport to travel domestically. :rolleyes:

Anyway, from the USVI Tourism Website

Also, this year, you need a passport to enter Mexico or Canada by AIR but you can still drive there or get there by boat without a passport. In January 2008 though, you will need a passport for Canada and Mexico for air, car or water travel. This is causing big issues along the Detroit/Windsor border...

When I flew home for Christmas, they were flashing this message on the televisions before the movie started: Anywhere outside the US and you need a passport, and that includes Canada and Mexico.

I applied for my passport and they said they weren't very busy, it'd probably take 2 weeks, call them if I hadn't gotten it in 8 weeks. IT WAS A FULL 8 WEEKS BEFORE I GOT IT. So just be on the safe side. There was an option to have it overnighted to you once it was completed, you just paid the $14 for the overnight envelope, not the $60 for expediting the whole process. That's supposed to shave a few days to a week off the process.

Direct from the U.S. Department of State
 

Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
The proposed implementation timeline has two phases:

• Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.
• As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.

The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.


To be safe, I would get an expedited Passport if I were you, especially if this is a new passport and not just a renewal. OH, and don't go to a private passport "agency" to get it...there are all kinds of fraudsters out there right now ripping people off in passport schemes, and even the legit ones don't do anything but slow the process down and charge you even more money for it.

ETA: whenever you want to know the answers to travel questions like this, it's best to go directly to the state department's Web site. There's actually a TON of very useful information on it. I always go there to check on any foreign travel advisories, too.

In November when I traveled to I traveled to Italy, I didn't have passport, I applied for an rush passport between 11/1 and I received my passport on 11/8.

I was going to go through a service because I didn't have a copy of my full birth record, I went down to th department of records, got it same day; the next day I went to the post office and did express mail.

If you need one, expedite it. Before this new requirement, it wasn't a big deal to apply and get your passport 2-3 weeks later. My sister needed a passport for our trip to Europe and she applied maybe 9 weeks before it. After 4, she called the State Department, and they said that they were seriously backed up because of the new requirement. Luckily, they were able to expedite it while it was in process. They Fed Ex-ed it to her house the day before our trip--9 weeks after applying.

This is all a moot point if you're in a big city where you can go to a Passport Agency.