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...