Getting to the USVI: Flights, Documents and Sea Routes

The U.S. Virgin Islands are a U.S. territory, so for most American visitors the trip works much like a domestic one: no passport, no currency exchange and flights from mainland airports. A few steps are different. Purchases are declared to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the way home, you may be asked for proof of citizenship when you leave, and a side trip to the British Virgin Islands crosses an international border. Here is what to check before you book.

Which airport should you fly into?

The territory has two commercial airports, both run by the Virgin Islands Port Authority:

• Cyril E. King Airport (STT) on St. Thomas, about two miles west of Charlotte Amalie, the territorial capital. It is the gateway for St. John and Water Island.
• Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) on St. Croix, about six miles southwest of Christiansted. The Port Authority says it is served by major domestic carriers and has daily inter-island flights.

St. John has no airport. Visitors land on St. Thomas and finish the trip by ferry, from Red Hook on the East End or from downtown Charlotte Amalie. The Port Authority puts the Red Hook crossing at about 15 minutes, and the downtown terminal about 10 minutes from the airport. Water Island is reached by a small ferry from Crown Bay. Our guide to getting around the USVI covers both, and Which USVI Island Is Right for You? compares the islands.

Both terminals are open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., but the Port Authority notes that airline ticketing and federal services, including U.S. Customs and the TSA, may close earlier, so confirm check-in times with your airline. The Port Authority has also posted a notice that the St. Thomas runway closes nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for runway work through December 31, 2026.

Which airlines fly there?

The Port Authority keeps a list of the airlines and routes at each airport and warns that all of it is subject to change. When we checked in October 2026:

• St. Thomas had direct flights from cities including Miami, Atlanta, New York (JFK), Boston, Houston and Orlando, on American, Delta, JetBlue, United and Southwest, plus Saturday-only and seasonal routes such as Sun Country’s from Minneapolis-St. Paul.
• St. Croix had fewer: American from Miami, Delta from Atlanta and United from Newark, listed as starting October 31, 2026, plus seasonal Saturday flights.
• From Puerto Rico, Cape Air listed daily flights from San Juan to both islands, JetBlue listed San Juan service at both airports, and Fly the Whale listed daily flights between St. Thomas and Isla Grande, Puerto Rico.

Confirm any route with the airline before you plan around it.

What documents do U.S. citizens need?

Nothing beyond what a domestic flight requires. CBP says U.S. citizens traveling directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the country and do not need a passport, and the Department of Tourism says the same for citizens arriving from the mainland or Puerto Rico.

The airport checkpoint sets the bar:

• Adults 18 and older must show ID that the TSA accepts.
• Since May 7, 2025, a state driver’s license or ID card must be REAL ID-compliant. The Department of Tourism notes that a card without the star is not accepted for domestic flights. A passport or passport card also works.
• Since February 1, 2026, travelers without an acceptable ID can pay $45 for TSA ConfirmID, an identity check. Anyone TSA cannot verify is turned away from screening.
• The TSA does not require ID from children under 18 on domestic flights, though airlines may set their own rules.

Keep proof of citizenship for the trip home. The Department of Tourism says that without a passport, you must be ready to show evidence of citizenship when departing the islands, such as a raised-seal birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID. A passport covers both in one document.

What if you are not a U.S. citizen?

The territory follows U.S. entry rules. The Department of Tourism says visitors who are not U.S. citizens need a passport issued by their own country, and suggests contacting CBP if you are unsure of your status. At TSA checkpoints, non-citizens need a valid, unexpired foreign passport or other approved ID, and the Port Authority points them to the State Department’s visa pages.

Arriving by private yacht has its own rule. The Port Authority says everyone except citizens of the United States, Canada or Bermuda needs a U.S. visa obtained in advance, or an existing visa waiver entry in their passport.

Flying home: customs and duty-free

The flight back to the mainland includes a customs step. CBP gives travelers returning from the U.S. Virgin Islands a $1,600 duty-free exemption, twice the $800 that applies to most trips abroad. CBP’s own pages disagree about a 48-hour minimum stay, so ask CBP if your visit is shorter. The main rules:

• Goods must be for your personal use or gifts, and must be declared to CBP. If in doubt, declare it.
• Travelers 21 and older can include up to five liters of alcohol, if at least four liters were bought in the territory and at least one is a territory product, within their state’s personal limit.
• You can use the exemption once every 30 days.
• Gifts mailed from the territory are duty-free up to $200 per recipient per day.
• CBP may inspect bags for plants and pests. As of October 2026, St. Croix is under an island-wide Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine, and the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture asks that no fresh fruits, vegetables or host plants leave the island.

Arriving by cruise ship

The Port Authority lists three cruise ports in the territory:

• St. Thomas has two: the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Terminal at Crown Bay, owned and managed by the Port Authority, and the Havensight dock at Long Bay, which the West Indian Company Limited has owned and operated for more than a century.
• St. Croix has the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility in Frederiksted, its only cruise pier.
• St. John has no cruise pier. Ships anchor in Cruz Bay Harbor and passengers come ashore by tender.

Your itinerary names the dock. The Port Authority publishes schedules for Crown Bay, St. John and Frederiksted, the West Indian Company publishes its own for Havensight, and the Port Authority warns that ship schedules can change with little notice.

For documents, CBP says U.S. citizens on a closed-loop cruise, one that begins and ends at the same U.S. port and stays within the Western Hemisphere, may show a government-issued photo ID with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. Other countries on the route may still require a passport, so check with your cruise line.

Arriving by sea from the BVI or Puerto Rico

Ferries link St. Thomas and St. John with the British Virgin Islands. The BVI Ports Authority lists the companies that run them, and the Port Authority’s ferry page links to the BVI schedules. A BVI trip crosses a border in both directions:

• Going. The BVI Tourist Board says everyone must present a passport to enter and leave the BVI, by air or sea. Some nationalities also need a visa.
• Coming back. Ferries and other boats arriving from abroad clear CBP at a port of entry. On St. Thomas and St. John, the Port Authority lists the Edward Wilmoth Blyden IV Marine Terminal in Charlotte Amalie and the CBP terminal at the Creek in Cruz Bay.
• Re-entry documents. For U.S. citizens arriving by sea from the Caribbean, CBP accepts a passport, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license or a trusted traveler card, and children under 16 may show a birth certificate. Because the BVI asks for a passport, bring yours.

From Puerto Rico, plan to fly: when we checked in October 2026, the Port Authority’s ferry and cargo page listed no passenger ferry from Puerto Rico. If you are sailing your own boat, CBP’s port pages for Charlotte Amalie, Cruz Bay and St. Croix give phone numbers for reporting boat arrivals; check CBP’s requirements before you set out.

Before you book

1. Fly into St. Thomas for St. John and Water Island, and into St. Croix for St. Croix.
2. Check that your license is REAL ID-compliant, or pack a passport.
3. Pack proof of citizenship for the flight home.
4. Bring a passport for any side trip to the BVI.
5. Be ready to declare your purchases to CBP.
6. Confirm flight, ferry and cruise times with the operators shortly before you go.

When you know your dates, see when to visit for weather and festivals, and Visit for beaches, food and tours on each island. Planning to stay? Start with our moving checklist.