TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands US passport card acceptance?

Can I use a US passport card for entry now? The last thread on this topic said yes but only by boat, not air (that's what it was designed for). But those posts were from 2018. I got the card when I last renewed my passport by then never ended up travelling or using it down there. I'm coming back in a few weeks for the first time since 2014 and am starting to get a little nervous. Too late to cancel plans or expedite a passport book. I've got a "man on the inside" who said he'll check for me on Monday. But I thought the TTOL crew might have a quicker answer. Any info would be appreciated!

Domestic flights only, or for re-entry to the US, but according to the State Department:

The U.S. passport book and U.S. passport card are both accepted as ID for domestic flights.

You may not have heard about the U.S. passport card before. The passport card cannot be used for international air travel, but it is still a great ID to have in your wallet.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) accepts the passport card as ID for domestic flights.
Use the passport card when entering the United States at land-border crossings and sea ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Do not use it for international air travel.
The passport card only costs $30 for adults if you already have a passport book, and only $65 for first-time adult applicants.
The passport card has the same validity as the passport book: If you’re over 16, your passport card is valid for 10 years. If you’re under 16, your passport card is valid for 5 years.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/passports/how-a-passport-can-help-you-fly-domestically.html#:~:text=The%20Transportation%20Security%20Administration%20(TSA,it%20for%20international%20air%20travel.

Right, I'm clear on all that. I'm flying from Newark, NJ to STT which is a domestic flight. Then ferrying over to Road Town. So I'm arriving by sea, not air. My question and concern is will the BVI still accept it for entry like the TSA website says they should?

Pretty sure the BVI expects an actual passport.

I think that Mrs. Ratman is correct, becuase the port of entry wants something that can be stamped.

Plus , to be kind,our Immigration Dept is not very "flexible"...even if you are in the right it may still now work..and the more you argue the point the worse it may get.Get a passport.

Just reread the US gov't website and it only speaks to reentering the US; the US gov't cannot impose rules on a foreign territory. As Malcolm says, Immigration are generally not a magnanimous lot. Get a passport.

Found this on the US State Dept website:

Generally, all U.S. citizens are required to present a valid U.S. passport when traveling to the British Virgin Islands, as well as proof of anticipated departure from the British Virgin Islands. This includes travelers arriving by airplane and by private sea-going vessel.

You could try going right to the source. Mr. Ian Penn is the BVI's Chief Immigration Officer. I have found him pleasant and responsive when I have had questions and requests. His e-mail address is IPenn@gov.vg I have not tried calling him but the phone number in his signature block of his last e-mail back to me is 284-468-4705.

My adult daughter showed up with a passport card once. It was not well received arriving in the BVI. I think the fact I had at least 40 entry stamps in my passport got her through. So it is possible. Probably not smart however.

I got the card years ago SPECIFICALLY for travelling to the BVI. But then Irma and life (birth of my first and only child!) prevented me from ever coming back. I emailed Mr. Penn (thanks for the suggestion) and am waiting to hear back from my "inside guy". This sucks!

If Mr. Penn sends you an e-mail stating that you can use the card for BVI entrance, be sure to print a copy out, bring it with you, and immediately let the immigration officer know about it when you get to the window. I won't bore you all with my story.

My thoughts exactly, ecm56. Thanks for all the info!

If you are within too short of a timeframe to get an expedited passport through the mail reach out to your local congressman, my friend got one same day last March. She didn't realize until like 4 days before travel her passport expired, and she could not get a local appt ...congressman to the rescue!

I've got an in person appointment at the Philly office on the 17th. I leave on the 21st. So I'm going to beg like a dog and hope they can turn it around by the 20th, if not the same day.

Aries, I'm curious and don't mean to "pick at the scab" here, but is it the case that you obtained the card without getting a book? I got both when I renewed but was not aware that one could get just the card (which expires on the same date as my book). I'm pulling for you to get through here (I know that all of us here are, actually), and it seems to me that if you were able to meet the requirements for getting the card, merely getting the book now should be fairly easy. Let us all know how you make out.

UPDATE: I just received an email from Mr. Penn and C&I granting me special permission to enter using my passport card on the 21st!

ecm56: Thank you again for the suggestion to email him. It worked like a charm!

Fitzhughlaw: I just got the card back in 2017 because I was being cheap and really had no intention of travelling anywhere other then Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. The TSA website sold it as the perfect solution for half the price of a book. Nowhere does it say anything about there possibly being exceptions to its acceptance in any of the islands. I assumed they had checked that all out before pushing this product. But, I am now definitely going to apply for a book as backup! Planning to travel down there again in July and don't need to go through this again.

Thanks again everybody for the suggestions and well wishes! Maybe I'll see some of you down there in two weeks during my triumphant return after a long 10 year absence and I'll buy you an adult soda!

I don’t want to sound harsh but it is a typical American attitude to presume we can dictate to other countries what they will accept and not accept for travel. The passport is the international agreed standard. TSA can’t change or require anything else. I do however believe all they advertised was that the card would allow admittance back to the US from Caribbean travel, not the inverse.

Aries4:

Great news! I am so glad that worked out. We'll be on Anegada arriving on the evening ferry on the 29th.

Eric

Just saw your other post - we'll just miss you.

Have a good trip!