St. John USVI report July/August 2009.

[reservecops]

When we were on St Thomas in Feb we did a daytrip to St Johns to check out the island and snorkel. We took the car ferry over ... we were supposed to bring our US passports, to be able to return to USVI/ ST Thomas

You do NOT need a passport (or anything, for that matter) to travel BETWEEN the islands of St. Thomas, St. John, or St. Croix. All three make up the US Virgin Islands, which are US territories. You are neither entering nor leaving the United States and/or a US territory.

If you want to go to one of the BVIs (from a USVI island), then you need a passport.

If you fly through another foreign country to get to the USVI, then you need a passport. But direct from CONUS to USVI (STT), or between the islands does NOT require a passport.

but oddly, there is absolutely no INS or HLS presence at the cargo ferry. Not sure if this is normally so, but security was awfully lax THAT day! Pay your truck/car ferry rate, and you're in!

That's because proof of citizenship is not required when traveling between St. Thomas and St. John. You are neither entering nor leaving the United States and/or a US territory.

I imagine the the popular passenger only ferry has INS, and that most tourists aren't willing to pay to bring a car over, so the law can focus on the passenger ferry and pretty much ignore the cargo one, but it sure made me wonder.

See above. Again, travel amongst the three USVI's does not require proof of citizenship.

St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix are US Territories. You do NOT need a passport to travel between these islands, NOR do you need a passport to fly directly into or return directly from STT from/to the United States.

While a passport is recommended, a driver's license and birth certificate are all that is required for you to fly from STT back into the US (US airport).

 

[jjwdiver]

Any more info on diving St. John...I can deal with or without the passport issue on the travel channel!