TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands BVI to USVI and back

Sorry for a question that has been answered a lot...for the first time we are going to go to USVI and back to BVI

Can you help me with the fastest easiest protocol to do this?

where would you recommend going in the USVI?

as always thanks in advance

also would enjoy catching up with any TTOLERS between now and the 21st....

Are you on a charter boat or using the ferry? If on a boat, I love the various anchorages in the national park areas on St. John - Trunk, Cinnamon, Maho, Francis bays. There's nothing ashore, unlike the anchorages in the BVI. Keep in mind that when sailing into the USVI, all non-citizens or non-LPRs must have a visa; there's no ESTA when travelling on a sailboat. If you are only in the USVI for a couple of days, then St. John will have everything you need. For a longer stay you can continue onwards to St. Thomas.

on a charter...thanks for the insight. 4 US Citizens

Set up an account on Sail Clear. Enter in the boat information. Documentation should be on the boat, but ask the base if not, or if you have any specific questions on form. Also go ahead an enter all of the crew. Then create a departure notice on Sail Clear a day in advance and submit that. You will need to get a $25 annual subscription to Sail Clear. Then check out of customs at Jost or West End. Bring passports, cash, and boat documentation (be sure to have the CRVL).

Also go ahead and create an account on CBP Roam app for checking in. You can scan all of your passports for easy entry, but still need to set up the boat. When you get to your USVI anchorage, submit the arrival via ROAM. It may take an hour or two to get checked in (or could be faster). They will notify you when it is done. If there are any issues, go to the Customs office in Cruz Bay or call them. If you go to Maho first and need cell coverage for the Roam App, stay out closer to Francis as the cell coverage is bad closer to shore.

I echo what Zanshin said and would stay (circle) around St. John. Specifically, I would recomend:
Spend a day at Maho/Francis - Maho Crossroads, hike to Annenberg Ruins
Head to Waterlemon Cay for a snorkel
Check out Trunk and Cinnamon - if conditions are settled you can use their balls for day stops
There is a great hike from Hawksnest to The Windmill Bar, if you have a fit group - straight up and steep.
Spend a day/evening at Caneel Bay/Honeymoon. Lunch at Honeymoon. Dinner at Zozo's in Caneel, or head in to Cruz bay for dinner - cool town an tons of options.
Then head down to the southside and stay at Lamshur or Salt Pond (only 3 balls I think now) for a quiet night. Ram head is an amazing hike and definitely worth it and
Tons of snorkeling options around Lamshur and Salt Pond. Also consider, hiking the Reef Bail trail to the waterfall (petroglyphs) and ruins. Long hike.
Or maybe head down to Coral Bay for lunch at Lime Out (floating taco bar) - expensive but really good. We have anchored there for lunch and come back to Lamshur for the evening.

And don't forget to send your arrival notice in Sail Clear a day before heading back in. Check in at West End or Jost.

Wow-thanks for the easy version

Thank you so much for this thread. Maybe it's been asked many times but my understanding is that the rules have changed this past year so it's well worth reviewing. I'm glad that it has become more fluid to go between countries. We are picking up a Waypoints charter in the BVIs. It has been cleared for USVI and back. We have done 3 previous 10 day charters solely in the BVIs, but do not have experience with this kind of a trip. This time, we want to loop St John for several days and meet up once again with friends chartering in the BVIs for the final days.

Rush, the information that you provided was perfect and just what we need to begin planning our itinerary.

Thank you!

Great to hear. Also, when checking out/in the BVI, you will likely be with day charter captains who do this multiple times a week. They are always friendly and happy to answer any questions as well.

Helpful post. Two follow-ups:

1) When clearing out of BVI do they ever simultaneously clear you back in if you are just leaving the BVI for 1-2 nights (thereby eliminating the need to clear back in)?
2) When leaving USVI, do you need to clear out, or are you free to exit USVI and transit to BVI without exit papers or documentation? If you don't have to clear out then I assume the BVI doesn't expect any documentation from your last port upon arrival.

Good question on #1 and I am not sure, but I doubt it. I do believe that you have 24 hours to actually leave when clearing out of the BVI. So I have checked out when I arrived at Great Harbour at 9 AM, then enjoyed the day there and actually left the next morning. Or consider checking out at West End, spend the day/night at Norman, then head to the southside of St. John (Coral Bay, Lamshur, etc.).

Question #2 - you do not need to clear out of the US. Just don't forget to do the SailClear Arrival notice before going back to the BVI.