TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin More covid entry BS

since the Preapproval Document does not specifically mention Negatve Covid Test, both the AA agent in PVD AND SXM insisted in seeing a negative test report. Fortunately I had printed out the lab report I got in the email from Walgreens. I recommend printing both documents and have them with you. Personnel are not being properly trained.

That was always the case, that they wanted you to have your Covid test results with you, even after having gotten approval.

The more printed paperwork you have the better! Why not? Its just a little piece of paper. You think the airline staff like us handing them a cell phone with the screen going on and off to fumble around or the battery goes dead or no signal. I have seen it happen at the counter. All those airline and other officials want to see it in hand and the more official seals and stamps the better too! I know eco friendly is no paper but come on. If you go to the AirPort think anything is BS I think your odds of having problems it greatly higher!! IMO. why not go fully prepared. Traveling is not that hard unless you make it hard, EZPZ

Exactly. Print just the pdf of the entry approval. One page. Not the email. Many don’t realize that. And print the negative test. In March we almost missed our flight because people were fumbling around with phones etc and they can’t figure out how to weigh their bags prior to getting in line!!!

What about the Covid vaccination cards? They are not required in order to get approval, but they are asking for them now, if you have one. I just want to have everything all together that I need to show. What about the SXM health insurance printout? Do I need that with the other documents to check in?

When we arrived in SXM they wanted to see our printed negative test and EAHS approval which they stamp. Pretty hard to stamp a phone. I had everything printed out for both of us. Even the insurance.

The COVID vaccine card is uploaded. I just keep that in my wallet and have never been asked for it. In May there was no printout showing payment for insurance. If you got the green approval email sxm knows you paid for the insurance. In May I had two pieces of paper. Stapled together. Easy Peasy!

We all talk about keeping key docs and approvals on our phones. Question - can you find them right now. Not when you get to the airport or SXM, but right now? If you can't, then you need to think about that.

Kim--well, hell, the Covid TEST is uploaded also, but they apparently need to see the print out of the test.

Bahston--There's no way I personally would travel without print outs of all important documents. I will have them with me, just wanted to ensure I know which ones they are actually going to ask for, so that they are on the top of my stack of paperwork!

The lines will go much faster if everyone prints out their negative covid test and their entry approval. Lots of people in Miami were fumbling with their phones, wasting time.
In Miami, your documents were checked while waiting in line, before reaching the ticketing counter.

Ours were never checked in Seattle or CLT. First time they were looked at was in SXM.

Carol - On Tuesday the 8th, they only wanted the document showing the Negative test result and the document showing the (pre-)approval. They did not ask to see anything about the insurance (but of course I had all of that printed out just in case).

One other point - I printed everything in color so that it is more recognizable to those looking at it - I do not think this is required (I know at least a few had black and white copies and they made it through the process) but it cannot hurt if you can print the documents in color.

To me, what would be better is if they have a separate line for those people that want to just use their phone for stuff. Then they can all make each other wait, instead of those of us with printed out copies!!

Agree. And also a line for those not checking bags!!!

In SXM they do separate you, those with printed docs go in one line (the slow line) and those with the docs on the phone go in the short line.

That wasn't the case when we arrived. One line for all.

We had one line, and people using their phones were searching
to find the documents, holding things up.

Can someone answer this, I have flown PHL-SXM during covid so everything was checked at PHL (no online check in and such)
I have a flight in Nov that is PHL-MIA then MIA-SXM but AA has the connection time 45min in MIA.
Will the the covid stuff be checked again at MIA at the gate or will I have to go to the check-in area at MIA?

AA should check your papers in PHL. If they do, then the only check done in MIA probably is passport. We flew RIC-CLT-SXM on Tuesday, June 8. We could not check in online or at kiosk - had to talk with counter agent in RIC who checked for the negative test results and the (Pre-)approval from EHAS. The counter agent in RIC was very thorough and careful - after confirming everything, she entered fact that we were OK to travel to SXM in computer. In CLT, all they wanted was to see passport as you scanned your boarding pass - which I think they always do for an international flight.

That was not the case on June 5: one very loooong line for all.

That is good to know, maybe it changes day to day then. Thanks

erb--What the procedure will be by November is probably much different than now.

So let me be clear on my earlier post. When we arrived, there was one long line coming into immigration from the bus. At the front of that line their was a gentleman that was asking for your paperwork a long with a lady that was walking up and down the line telling everyone to have their paperwork out for inspection. NOW, when you reached that gentleman he looked at our paperwork (printed) and told us to go to our immediate left ( down the ramp ). Others with it on their phone we able to go down the stairs ( which is NOT the ramp, and go to the other line that is where you receive your stamp and entry ). We on the other hand had to meet yet another gentleman and the end of the ramp. His question is, how many in your party, is this your paperwork? Then he is monitoring the booths against the back of the ramp, when one opens, he directs you to that booth, for the young lady to examine your paperwork and receive your stamps ( postage stamps, in case you catch covid so they can mail your body back because the insurance is useless. A little fun, calm down ). All of this time, the people with the info on their phone have been processing thru the LAST line towards immigration, while us lackeys ( or as I call us, sheepople ) with printed paperwork are now try to play caught up with the ones that were smart enough to just have it on their phones. I just wanted to clear that up for any future travers headed to SXM. I know sometimes people just don’t pay attention to their complete surroundings, and are all caught up in this pandemic.

As far as the entry insurance, anyone on here done any research into that? What I mean by that is, has anyone checked out email addresses, property searches, owners of property, owners of web base companies, lawyers that represent owners alike, and most of ALL, money trails? I would normally say follow the money, but in this case you have to follow the whole. I’m just asking, because I know there are some very smart folks on this board, I’m just asking. And yes, to answer what’s in the back of your mind, I have. Please let me know what you think. I have to go now, making a big batch of koolaid right now.

It's simple, print everything, bring it all in a folder, have them ready as you go through them. It's a madhouse at gate check in, and checking in at PJIA. The agents don't want to see phones, we saw people just have there phones and were turned away from boarding!!
I'm praying that by time we come down in Oct into Nov our vaccine cards will be enough for inspection!!