Latest COVID-19 Travel Requirements For Traveling To The USVI

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — The planes are still landing, the cruise ships are still docking and new COVID-19 cases are still on the rise. So it's a good time to review the latest travel requirements for flying into the U.S. Virgin Islands.

We've summarized the requirements for everyone, whether you're a visitor, a resident, or a "neighbor" (hello, BVIs).

First, a blanket rule: every traveler age five or older must use the USVI Travel Screening Portal.Even if the USVI is just a stop on your journey. Fill in the portal before starting your trip! And if you're coing from a foreign country, the age cut-off is two years (not five). See below for more detail.

Most travelers are required to submit negative results of a COVID-19 test prior to travel, but not everyone. And the length of time between when you take the test and when you land in the territory differs depending on where you're coming from.

If you're traveling from the U.S. mainland or from another U.S. Territory (like Puerto Rico)...
Fill in the USVI Travel Screening Portal and provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken within five days of starting your trip. You can submit results from either a COVID-19 molecular test (e.g. RT-PCR, viral or nucleic acid amplification) from a nasal or throat or saliva swab, or a COVID-19 antigen (rapid) test from a nasal or throat swab.

Keep in mind that results from COVID-19 antibody tests are no longer accepted.

If you were vaccinated in the U.S. Virgin Islands...
If you received your vaccine in the USVI, you can submit your vaccine status when you're traveling from the U.S. mainland (or another U.S. Territory). That means you can skip the COVID-19 test. To qualify, you must be "fully vaccinated,” meaning you received the full, required dosage(s) in the USVI and have passed the two-week immunity-building period.

Here's what to do: fill in the USVI Travel Screening Portal and after you've added your flight information, you will see an option (in red) for people who have been vaccinated in the territory. It reads, "ONLYL FOR PASSENGERS WHO WERE VACCINATED IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS." Check the box and you should receive a tracking ID.

If you're traveling from the British Virgin Islands...
Passengers traveling from the BVIs to the U.S. Virgin Islands must fill out the Travel Portal and provide evidence of a COVID-19 antigen or PCR test taken within 48 hours of commencement of travel. The test must be negative.

If you started in the USVI and are returning to the USVI...
You still have to fill in the Travel Screening Portal and receive clearance, no matter how short your trip is. If you were vaccinated in the territory, you can submit your vaccine status. If you are not vaccinated, you must supply a negative result from a COVID-19 antigen or molecular test taken within five days of commencement of travel to the USVI. Keep in mind: results from COVID-19 tests taken in the USVI will NOT be accepted on your way back. You have to take a second test before returning to the territory, no matter how short your trip away is.

If you are an international air passenger...
All passengers age two and older must have a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than three days before travel. An antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) is acceptable. Alternatively, passengers can show documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months. This applices to air passengers arriving in the U.S. Virgin Islands from a foreign country.

More questions? Contact Patch directly at Ashleigh.Baldwin@patch.com or check in with the Virgin Islands Department of Health.

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