We'll be traveling from the U.S. to St Thomas via plane and then to Tortola via ferry at the end of the month. I think I understand the entry and insurance requirements but am a little nervous if someone could help me out.
Flight to St Thomas requests a rapid to or PCR test within 5 days (will test at pharmacy a day or two before) Ferry to Tortola requires rapid or PCR test within 48 hours (have e med kits to take in st Thomas) I attached my insurance which I think covers the insurance requirements?? How is this checked? Did I get the right thing? To get back to St Thomas requires another test within 5 days. (Have a second e med) Flight back to US may require another test (have another e med just in case)
Just to help clarify, it's not actually a 48 hour requirement for the BVI, it's actually 2 days. So if you are ferrying to Tortola on a Friday, you can test anytime on Wednesday and use that test for your BVI entry. I'd suggest just taking your eMed.com test 2 days before your BVI entry and using that result for the USVI portal and the BVI entry.
No test required to board your flight in STT to get home.
We plan on flying to stt and staying 1 night before continuing to the BVI but if I can find a rapid test with same day results I'll do that and just it for entry to both St Thomas and BVI. Glad we don't need another test for gone.
We plan on flying to stt and staying 1 night before continuing to the BVI but if I can find a rapid test with same day results I'll do that and just it for entry to both St Thomas and BVI. Glad we don't need another test for gone.
Any idea if my insurance is correct?
Thanks
Just do an eMed test from home day before you leave. Results in 20 minutes.
Medicare generally doesn’t cover health care while you’re traveling outside the U.S. Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands are considered part of the U.S. There are some exceptions, including some cases where Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) may pay for services that you get on board a ship within the territorial waters adjoining the land areas of the U.S.
Last edited by cwoody; 12/16/202109:31 AM. Reason: Quick search
I will be in a similar situation in Jan (fly to STT, stay one night, ferry or water taxi to Roadtown the next day).
Am I correct to understand that the 48 hour window for entering the BVI is just to avoid having to retest on arrival, and that otherwise you have a 5 day test window?
I gather that the USVI wants you to register your test results with their portal at least 24 hours before arrival there, which seems to push the edge of the 48 hour window for the BVI, even if it is really a 2 calendar day window.
Am I correct to understand that the 48 hour window for entering the BVI is just to avoid having to retest on arrival, and that otherwise you have a 5 day test window?
Yes, you are correct. 5 days is acceptable for entry but you will take another rapid test at your port of entry. If you can test within 2 days of arrival you will skip the arrival test and go directly to immigration/customs on arrival.
Am I correct to understand that the 48 hour window for entering the BVI is just to avoid having to retest on arrival, and that otherwise you have a 5 day test window?
Yes, you are correct. 5 days is acceptable for entry but you will take another rapid test at your port of entry. If you can test within 2 days of arrival you will skip the arrival test and go directly to immigration/customs on arrival.
At least at Beef you do go to the same holding area with everyone else even if tested less than 48 hours where they check your papers and vacc cards and if acceptable they escort you to C&I...the 2 days is a great idea because the last thing you want is a false positive on Day 1 and Emed takes 20 minutes (5 min prep and 15 minute wait to be read)
We are going down for a charter on 12/27. Our flight hopefully lands in St. Thomas at 2:20 PM and we are booked on the 5:30 PM ferry to Road Town. If we take the emed home test in the morning on 12/26 will that allow sufficient time to be cleared by the USVI portal? Thanks.
If you test on the 26th you can use it to skip the entry test in Road Town I believe. The USVI portal is pretty quick....like later the same day or early next.....but, I'm not sure if they review Sunday applications as promptly.
The 25th will skip the entry test as well (unless they have tightened that up??!!). When we traveled from BVI to USVI on 12/7 it took 30 hours for portal approval. I would give them more time, especially during a busy holiday period, but that is JMHO.
Thanks for the responses. It sounds like testing on 12/25 is the way to go. My understanding is the BVI will let you skip the covid test on arrival if you have a negative test that was taken no later than 48-hours before arrival.
Some airlines will not let you board with portal approval - just FYI. I have yet (many trips through STT since this mess began) not received clearance before departure.
bvi.gov.vg/travel-protocols states that you can skip the test on arrival in the BVI if you have a negative test result "taken no later than 48-hours before arrival." I thought I read here that it was 2 days as opposed to 48 hours. Does anyone know which it is?
I am super confused and I certainly don't want to get anything wrong before traveling. The current travel plan: We are scheduled to arrive by air at STT on March 11 and then catch a ferry to either West End or Road Town that same day. We will be on a private catamaran March 12-19. We leave the BVI and go back to St. Thomas by ferry on March 19.
-Vaccination: We took the Johnson and Johnson 1-shot vaccine. Does the BVI consider that 'fully vaccinated'?
-Insurance: This is our biggest question. We have trip insurance but I am unsure what the 'minimum approved coverage' is for medical costs and repatriation. Does the BVI publish the minimum coverages so that I tell if what I already have works?
-Entry testing to the BVI: Question 1: it looks like we have to show proof of a negative test that was taken less than 5 days before arrival in the BVI. It says PCR or rapid antigen - is the eMed test accepted? Question 2: it looks like upon arrival at the ferry terminal, if the negative test result is less than 48 hours old, we don't have to take the rapid test at the ferry terminal, correct?
-Return testing to the USVI: we have to have a negative antigen or NAAT test result taken within 5 days. I was going to ask where I can get a qualifying test in the BVI but does anyone know if the eMed test result is accepted to get back into the BVI by ferry?
Thanks in advance for everyone that responds to all of these questions.
It will most likely change by then but here goes all IMHO...we just returned. INTERLACED IN CAPS
Originally Posted by chippero
I am super confused and I certainly don't want to get anything wrong before traveling. The current travel plan: We are scheduled to arrive by air at STT on March 11 and then catch a ferry to either West End or Road Town that same day. We will be on a private catamaran March 12-19. We leave the BVI and go back to St. Thomas by ferry on March 19.
-Vaccination: We took the Johnson and Johnson 1-shot vaccine. Does the BVI consider that 'fully vaccinated'?
YES
-Insurance: This is our biggest question. We have trip insurance but I am unsure what the 'minimum approved coverage' is for medical costs and repatriation. Does the BVI publish the minimum coverages so that I tell if what I already have works?
YOU WILL BE FINE JUST SHOW TRIP INSURANCE WITH NAMES. THEY DIDNT EVEN ASK US DEC 11 FOR IT AND WE DIDNT HAVE BUT WE DID HAVE PROOF OF INTERNATIONAL HEALTH COVERAGE FOR EVERYONE ON TRIP
-Entry testing to the BVI: Question 1: it looks like we have to show proof of a negative test that was taken less than 5 days before arrival in the BVI. It says PCR or rapid antigen - is the eMed test accepted?
YES...WE USED IT. MUST BE PROCTORED
Question 2: it looks like upon arrival at the ferry terminal, if the negative test result is less than 48 hours old, we don't have to take the rapid test at the ferry terminal, correct?
YES...
-Return testing to the USVI: we have to have a negative antigen or NAAT test result taken within 5 days. I was going to ask where I can get a qualifying test in the BVI but does anyone know if the eMed test result is accepted to get back into the BVI by ferry?
EMED ACCEPTED...IN JUNE WE DID AT JVD WHEN WE NEEDED FULL PCR TO RETURN. AGAIN EMED MUST BE PROCTORED. BRIGN EXTRA EMEDS
Thanks in advance for everyone that responds to all of these questions.
One error I just noticed: on my last question about getting back into the USVI from the BVI, I accidentally said "to get back into the BVI by ferry" when I meant to say "to get back into the USVI by ferry" with the question basically being does the USVI accept the eMed test result. I don't think my error changes your answer that the USVI does accept eMed correct?
We just used Emed proctored and note it is 1 day rule and not 24 hours
Also note they want pdf with CLIA seal and signature and not Navica approval
They email pdf of results and you need dob to open. You can open with chrome and use password and then print to pdf and get around password requirement
Excellent. I see that you may have printed your results. I don't know that we'll able to do that. Will they accept the PDF results on my phone?
If you only have a phone, open the PDF that included CLIA and signature and save a screenshot. USVI will accept the screenshot of the PDF. This is what we did last month.
Will be following with interest as we are booked to start a month sailing starting on March 12th . Sure things will change by then and hopeful it’s for the better . Looking forward to the end of this wild crazy year ! Good bye 2021
Apologies in advance for continuing to beat a dead question :-)
Several people have stated that the testing window to avoid retesting on arrival is really 2 calendar days. But bvi.gov.vg/travel-protocols still says "48 hours". It seems odd that they state this in hours, but state the 5 day limit in days. Has anyone actually arrived with test results greater than 48 hours old but still within 2 calendar days?
Apologies in advance for continuing to beat a dead question :-)
Several people have stated that the testing window to avoid retesting on arrival is really 2 calendar days. But bvi.gov.vg/travel-protocols still says "48 hours". It seems odd that they state this in hours, but state the 5 day limit in days. Has anyone actually arrived with test results greater than 48 hours old but still within 2 calendar days?
Yes, happens all the time. I just had 15 guests come in with tests around 58 hours old.
Just a suggestion for people using the proctored tests; since you know you will have your results in about 20 minutes, consider testing the day before travel instead of 2 days before travel. With all the flight cancelations in the US, this gives you some flexibility if you get stuck overnight somewhere. In the last group of arrivals we had this week, 4 people were stuck in St Thomas and 1 was stuck in San Juan for a night. Their tests were 3 days old when they arrived and had to pay for another test at the airport and further delay their arrival.
[quote=RatmansWife]We are getting calls for housing quarantine guest who tested positive on their US entry tests. I think finding room for everyone could be an issue.
Or suppose rooms are available, but they're $750/night, and you need to stay for a week? Plus ordering in food.
Then there is the contact tracing. Suppose you test negative, but one of your boat mates tests positive. It sounds like that's okay now, but not sure.
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