Passport needed?

[normantr]

Lots of posts in this thread seem to be having at least a little fun with the original question. OK I can understand that, after all Hawaii is part of the United States. However I recently went from my home in Virginia (last time I checked this was part of the United States) to the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. Now, St Croix is most certainly part of the United States, although it is not a state proper. The people who live there are citizens of the same country that I am. On the return journey from St. Croix to Virginia I did have to clear US customs and provide my passport as proof of citizenship. In light of this I don't think the original question was unreasonable.

My flight was from Richmond to Miami to St. Croix, and the return trip was exactly the reverse. I did not leave the country of my birth, so perhaps soon we will need "papers" to travel from state to state or even simply out of our home county or city.

What I do think is unreasonable is needing my passport to clear customs to travel from the US Virgin Islands to the US mainland.

Mark Vlahos

However, while Hawaii is a state, St. Croix is merely a U.S. Territory and may be bound to different travel restrictions, much the same as Guam, Puerto Rico and so on. Don't know for sure.

 

[Scubagolf]

Here's the webpage for the State Dept's new rules on what ID is required to travel to/from the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere, such as diving locations in the Carribbean.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

 

[Wildcard]

I often find myself having to explain to geographically-challenged mainland dwellers
that Hawaii is the next state west of California, and is part of the US.

You don't need a passport to visit the 50th state if you're a US Citizen or a PRA.

Sheesh.

Which state is west of Hawaii???? :06:

 

[KrisB]

Which state is west of Hawaii???? :06:

uhh... all of them?

The world is round, you know!

Also, I noticed this from the site Scubagolf sent:

Will this requirement apply to travel between the United States and Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands?

Travel between the United States and U.S. territories will not be affected by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. U.S. citizens traveling between the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam will continue to be able to use established forms of identification to board flights and for entry.

If traveling outside of the United States or a U.S. territory, a passport or other secure document will be required. For example, a person may travel to and from the United States to the U.S. Virgin islands without a passport or other secure document, but under proposed regulations, a passport or other secure document would be required to re-enter the U.S. Virgin Islands from the British Virgin Islands or another country as of December 31, 2005.

Which begs the question: why did Mark have to use a passport?

Things that make you go "hmm..."

 

[Mark Vlahos]

uhh... all of them?

The world is round, you know!

Also, I noticed this from the site Scubagolf sent:


Which begs the question: why did Mark have to use a passport?

Things that make you go "hmm..."

I don't know "why" I had to use my passport. I do know that the hotel and the airline both made a point about telling me to make sure I had a current US Passport and that I brought it with me. I do know that I did have to pass through an official US Customs inspection and I had to fill out one of those silly customs declarations. The experience was identical to entering the United States from a foreign country. I travel a lot and have returned from foreign countries before so I certainly know the difference between domestic and international travel. I was extremely surprised by the requirement. If I lived in the Virgin Islands I would have been insulted, heck I was a little insulted by the need for this inspection any how.

Mark Vlahos

 

[Damselfish]

But customs and customs declaration is a completely different thing than immigration. For some itineraries you can have customs without immigration. It does seem wierd for a passport to be required at customs, was it really required or just desirable over other forms of ID? The thing about customs is the rules on how much you can bring in duty free are different depending on where you're from, so I can see them wanting to see something for that. If there is also immigration, I think they usually eyeball the customs form there so they would have had a chance to verify it. But if it's an itinerary with customs and no immigration, then customs is the only place they can check.

 

[scubawife]

Sure enough, on St Croix's web site they do indicate duty free limits for US citizens and residents returning to the US mainland http://www.gotostcroix.com/customs.htm. That would explain Mark's experience.

I was in Puerto Rico last summer and it was considered domestic. No passport needed, no customs, no immigration. It's also a US territory. Maybe the territories get to make their own deals?

Unlike the USVI or Puerto Rico, Guam, Western Samoa... Hawaii is a full-fledged state, not a territory or anything else. No passport needed and no duty free upon return to the mainland.

 

[gkndivebum]

Which state is west of Hawaii???? :06:

It's also the next state to the south of Alaska


In a past life I used to spend a lot of time in northern New Mexico, and had similar
trouble explaining to some people that despite the appearance of the word "Mexico"
that "New Mexico" was in fact part of the US, and no, I didn't need a passport.

And don't me started on the subroup of people who insisted that the "Mile High City"
(Denver) was higher than Santa Fe ...

 

[sharky60]

I just got back from Maui, and boy do they hate Americans over there. And the exchange rate was just horrible, the average dinner for two was nearly $80 USD. My next vacation is going to keep me in the USA.

Correction, they hate 'haoles', white mainlanders, which is stupid, if it weren't for mainland tourist dollars there wouldn't be any money there and excuuuuuuuuse me, but no matter how much some of the locals don't like it, Hawaii IS the USA

I love Hawaii and my heart is there. The seperatist movment has been going strong for a long time, I just don't think those people are thinking the whole thing through, if the US wouldn't have annexed the islands...sooner or later someone else would have no one would have just let a jewel like that go on it's own and even with all the problems the US has, I'd still rather be an American than anything else.

Having said that, I never have any trouble with locals when I'm there, maybe because I look like and a lot of times mistaken for a local, but I have never been treated rude or felt unwelcomed.

 

[chepar]

Correction, they hate 'haoles', white mainlanders, which is stupid, if it weren't for mainland tourist dollars there wouldn't be any money there and excuuuuuuuuse me, but no matter how much some of the locals don't like it, Hawaii IS the USA

I think the statement "they hate 'haoles', white mainlanders" is a rather strong (and unsupported) generalization to make. I think by and large the residents of Hawaii are very welcoming, warm and gracious to visitors. That is not to say that there are a few idiots around - but that can be said of any place you choose to visit. On the flip side of the coin, there can also be some visitors to the islands that are rude, ignorant and feel that they entitled to act that way because they are spending money to vacation here. Both examples are the exception and not the rule.