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  • All U.S. citizens, green card holders, and visa-exempt foreign nationals are not required to acquire a US Virgin Islands visa in advance.
  • The fastest way to get a visa, if required, is to apply for a visa-on-arrival rather than head to the local American Embassy to submit your application in person, as long as you have all the needed documents with you.
  • Visitors from countries that are eligible for Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)* can apply for the authorization online before their trip by going to https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/. ESTA will allow travelers who do not require a visa and who meet other requirements to enter the United States under this program for up to 90 days without first having obtained an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa.

* ESTA is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors traveling to the U.S., including those visiting the US Virgin Islands as part of their travel itinerary on American Airlines flights operated by AA Connections or Piedmont Airlines flights operated by American Eagle, either through JFK International Airport (JFK) or LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

At the time of this writing, exempt from the visa requirement for visiting the US Virgin Islands are nationals of these countries, as long as their stay does not exceed 90 days:

  • Andorra
  • Argentina
  • Austria
  • Belgium (including its regions of Flanders and Wallonia)
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Chile (including Easter Island)
  • Colombia (including San Andrés y Providencia)

Any country not included in the list above most likely requires a US Virgin Islands Visa, but please do check with your country’s authorities for the updated information.

The Visa Waiver Program is an agreement between the United States and a number of countries in Europe to allow them to visit the US Virgin Islands without having to apply for a visa ahead of time.

To be eligible for ESTA authorization under this program, you must be a citizen of these participating countries:

  • Andorra
  • Vatican City State
  • Austria
  • The UK
  • Belgium
  • Turkey
  • Bulgaria (must have a biometric passport)
  • Switzerland
  • Croatia (must have a biometric passport)
  • Sweden
  • Cyprus (biometric passports only)
  • Spain
  • Czech Republic (biometric passports only)
  • Slovenia
  • Denmark (biometric passports only)
  • Slovakia
  • Estonia (biometric passports only)
  • Romania
  • Finland (biometric passports only)
  • Finland
  • France
  • Portugal
  • Germany
  • Poland
  • Greece
  • Norway
  • Hungary
  • Netherlands
  • Iceland
  • Monaco
  • Ireland
  • Malta
  • Italy
  • Luxembourg
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Liechtenstein

You may also be eligible for ESTA authorisation if you have been issued an eTA or Electronic Travel Authorization by Canada before travelling to any country that requires such proof, including the US Virgin Islands.

To enter the U.S. Virgin Islands on an approved ESTA authorization, individuals must meet all of these requirements as outlined by CBP and ESTA regulations:

  • Must have a valid passport (a passport issued by the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand).
  • Must have a valid ESTA authorization.
  • Must have a roundtrip ticket (if your trip originates in the U.S., you only need one-way tickets).
  • Must not be inadmissible to the U.S., including those who have been convicted of certain misdemeanours or felonies that would make them ineligible according to federal law (for example domestic violence convictions).

To apply for a US Virgin Islands tourist visa, you'll need to submit the following at your local American embassy or consulate:

  • Two photographs (size: 2 x 2 inches) with a white background that are taken within 6 months prior to your application date.
  • An original valid passport (must be valid at least six months beyond travel dates) that has blank pages remaining after stamping by U.S Customs & Border Protection upon arrival at St Croix’s Cyril E King International Airport.
  • An onward ticket (only if specifically requested by immigration officials upon entry into the United States Territory of Virgin Islands territory).
  • Your airline ticket or itinerary, if applicable. This can be submitted by email in advance, upon your request. Please make sure to attach it to an email from you as an attachment, not in the body of the message. You can also get your ticket validated at the airport when you arrive in St Thomas so that you don’t need any additional proof of having purchased one prior to leaving home.

To apply for a U.S. Virgin Islands visa, you must print out and complete the application form, and also have the original documents required for the submission, and then submit them all in person at a USVI consulate or embassy. In case of a document in a language other than English, it should have a certified English translation attached to it that is notarised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your home country. There is also a visa-processing fee of US $175.00 (Non- refundable) that has to be paid. As for the turnaround time, it takes around 3-5 days to review your visa application.

You will not need to obtain an entry permit from the US Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture, which was standard procedure if a traveller wanted to bring pets or other animals in the US Virgin Islands in previous years. However, you should make sure your pet is vaccinated and has a rabies certificate. For example, if you're travelling with a dog, it needs to be current on distemper, hepatitis, parvo, and rabies vaccines by 12 weeks old (see your veterinarian for more information).

The USVI Department of Agriculture recommends that cats also be vaccinated against rabies but doesn't specify any particular vaccination schedule in the application instructions (so please check with your vet about what's best for your cat).

Finally, kindly bring copies of all vaccination records along with copies of any other documents required by airlines or/and national authorities prior to departure, as well as proof that your pet is at least six months old and healthy (visitors coming from the United States may need a letter from their vet).