NO TEST REQUIRED FOR TRAVEL FROM USVI TO THE UNITED STATES MAINLAND

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — As the world responds to new vaccination and testing requirements before boarding an international flight to the United States, officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands are reminding the traveling public that the new rules do not apply to direct travel from the USVI to the U.S. mainland.

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“While international travelers to the United States must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test (either antigen or PCR) taken within one calendar day of departure to the U.S., this only applies to the U.S. Virgin Islands if you are arriving in the USVI via air from a foreign location, such as the British Virgin Islands or Antigua,” explained USVI Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte.

“These travelers are coming from a foreign country and their first point of entry into the United States is either St. Thomas or St. Croix, so the new rules apply,” he explained.

The Commissioner underscored that there are no vaccination or testing requirements for travelers leaving the USVI and heading to the U.S. mainland. “We are an American overseas territory, and as such, travel to St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas or Water Island is within the United States’ domestic jurisdiction,” the Commissioner reminded, while asserting that travel to the USVI does not require a passport from U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland.