TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Passport requirements?

I just had a customer tell me about a horror story for her travel to Europe because her passport expires less than 6 months after her travel dates. Basically, your passport has to expire 6 months or more after you travel in certain countries.

What is the requirement in the BVI?

I tried to use the "search" feature but could not find an answer.
Thanks,
Bill

Per the BVI Tourism Board there is no 6 month requirement. A few years ago we had passports that expired a month or so after we left and had no problems. That said, I would probably update my passport before traveling as you never know who may be working the counter the day you arrive.

Just found it on
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/british-virgin-islands/entry-requirements


Passport validity

You must hold a valid passport to enter the BVI. Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay.

I just can not understand why anyone would not renew early, why push your luck

Because maybe you forget to?

We had a guest at Adagio suddenly realize that his passport was about to expire - he managed to get through check in by downloading his boarding pass in advance the night before and only taking carry on so he wouldn't have to talk to a gate check in person - your biggest risk is that the airline refuses to take you on board because they are liable if you get turned down at your destination - having said that BVI is pretty lax but there are many countries in Europe which insist on 6 months before expiry.

Shortly before our last trip we realized that my wife's passport would expire a couple of weeks after our return. We had to decide which was the greater risk -- that we'd send in her passport for renewal and not get it back in time, or that we'd have trouble with the airline or a BVI immigration agent, despite the BVI's stated policy.

We decided not to renew before the trip, and everything worked out fine.

Dan <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

The Moorings website says your passport needs to be valid 6-Months after your stay. Like most things in the lions I think it depends on who you get at C&I. I would not chance it.

I am not that disorganized and we travel a lot, BTW Feb. 2023

This day and age, this is something that should just be added as a reminder on your phone.. We also travel regularly so I'm always checking it.. I think ours is up in 2019.

IMHO opinion you are crazy to risk it. Even if things work out fine its in the back of your mind all the time..not exactly the way to relax in our beautiful islands..

The BVI consider a passport expired if it expires in six months.
They'll usually let you stay anyway unless your obnoxious

The website link that prcn linked above states that it only must be valid for the length of your stay. It appears to be an official government website.

Once I wanted to stay an additional 30 days and was told that they'll do it but I would have to renew my passport next time entering because I had only about 4 months left on it.
I don't remember the ladies name but she was the head of immigration at the time about 8 years ago.

I don't know whether the rules have changed since then and often those in a position of authority are wrong.. Just sayin'. If I personally happened to be in that situation, I would keep a printout of the above website with me, just in case. But, unless you're in a situation like DanS described above, I agree it would be more prudent to just get it renewed early.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

I traveled to Hawaii at the end of March 2017; one of our traveling companions was required to renew her passport (which expired in 5 months), else she would not have been permitted to fly. And this is in the US! I wouldn't take the chance.

Travel agent or airline employee was very mistaken. a US citizen does not need a passport at all to fly to HI, just a gov issued photo ID. It is a US state after all. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> Not all that surprising as research has shown many US college grads can't even find the US on a map.

You kid right?