TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Departure Tax

We are arriving STT, ferrying to Roadtown and back on return. Can someone refresh my memory on departure tax? How much? Does it have to be cash? Where do you pay?

$20 per person, cash or credit card, paid at the ferry dock.

$10 On the St. Thomas side.

since when? I have never paid to leave STT

nope, never paid to leave st thomas either???

It's added to the ferry fare.

The actual departure tax leaving via the airport is 40.00. There is 20.00 added to each ticket and then the 20.00 you pay directly.
G

Pretty sure we paid a departure tax leaving STT by air because we sent our kids (adult kids) through security etc separately because they were on a different airline than us. Met up with them after security and they were like " we had to pay money to get out!" It was the first time during the trip thy had to get their wallets out <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I don't think so, there is not a separate tax

I have never paid a departure tax leaving STT.
G

Never in 13 years from STT.

The USVI never had a departure tax, maybe some unscrupulous person took advantage knowing the children wouldn't know any better.
They probably didn't get a receipt.

We have been flying into and out of STT since AA pulled flights out of EIS. We have never, ever, paid a departure fee from STT. BVI, yes, but STT, no. Scam? Maybe...

I don't think it effects the airport but they definitely add $10 to the departing ferry fee. It was increased from $4.85 to $10 and added to the ticket price in March 2014. You may have just thought the ferry was just squeezing out more but it was a tax increase.

There is no place in 'security' be it TSA or CBP that collects or charges money explicitly for departure.
CBP may have charged them duty if they declared over the limit on purchases -- a porter may have charged them if they used one to take their bags.

Hmm... No idea what my kids were talking about then. Sorry for the confusion!

Departing St. Thomas on the Road Town Fast Ferry I was charged $35 for the one way fare to Tortola, plus $10 as the "new USVI departure tax" (I believe this was invoked about a year or so ago). Needless to say, a day trip from Tortola to St. Thomas has become very pricey ($35 one way from Tortola, plus $15 departure tax - as I am a resident - it is $20 departure tax for visitors), then $35 one way from St. Thomas plus $10 departure tax means it's $95 round trip for me, $100 for visitors. I never buy round trip since I want to be able to take the next ferry leaving and the three ferry companies no longer honor each other's tickets. Very disappointing!

yes we agree getting pricey to take the ferries, we started flying right in, not that much more money to do that anymore & you are there almost instantly <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

You might get sticker shock if you price flying to EIS now. With the pullout of American fares have soared. It was almost double in May to fly to EIS verses STT on the major airlines and triple if you add in spirit. USAIR was 605 to STT. The best I could find to EIS was 1100. The ferries have also raised their fares in response to the AMR pullout. When AMR left it took 384 seats a day out of the market. Cape Air added flights but even 10 a day is only 90 seats total.
G

I don't find it that much higher to fly into EIS, but we also always use a commuter book instead of booking end to end with JetBlue. About $700-800 typically and I can't get to St Thomas for that much less.

I can fly to STT for $587 (just checked it for our May trip), same time to EIS is $1169. We almost always see this big of a difference from Detroit.

You ever look at it separate to San Juan and then Tortola? I know it costs us about $400-500 to get to San Juan. Another $360 to get to Tortola.

us too from Colorado, almost double. Matt, if you were a bit creative, you should be able to get to SST for about $400. Jet Blue to FLL and Spirit it STT about $100 each way, each leg. Mostly we avoid SJU like the plague.

I know we could get there for less, but it would cost us in time. We go direct to san juan. And having done the ferries twice, im more inclined to avoid them like the plague.. nothing appealing about them at all., san juan has always been good for us and I love the cape air flights for the views. I also figure you have to add $100 to STT costs for the ferry, plus an extra taxi, so it just hasnt seemed worth it for us., I do always look at the options, but it just doesn't work out.

Yup....we have been doing this exact thing for a few years now and find it pretty reasonable also. Even with the increase in the price of the commuter books to 1800 . The arrival into EIS, welcomed back by Wonel the luggage guy and Amos the NSX shuttle driver is lovely. ...not to mention the taxi stand bar folks.....Oh my the DIF!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

As mentioned before here...we are spoiled in the Wash DC area, for this trip we paid $232 for a DIRECT flight to STT arriving 1230, then return flight is $180 commuter ticket Beef to San Juan and $320 to DCA, total round trip $732 PERFECT! We could have flown round trip through STT for $460, but the couple hundred difference minus extra STT cab/ferry is well worth the convenience for the afternoon flight from Beef! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />