Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements

Passports -- All travelers coming from the Caribbean, including Americans, are now required to have a passport to enter or re-enter the United States. You'll certainly need identification at some point, and a passport is the best form of ID for speeding through Customs and Immigration. Driver's licenses are not acceptable as a sole form of ID.

Note: Children are required to present a passport when reentering the United States at airports. More information on obtaining a passport for a minor can be found at http://travel.state.gov.

New Passport Requirements -- New regulations issued by the Homeland Security Department now require virtually every air traveler entering the U.S. to show a passport -- and future regulations will cover land and sea entry as well. As of January 23, 2007, all persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda are required to present a valid passport. Similar regulations for those traveling by land or sea (including ferries) are expected as early as January 1, 2008.

Visas -- Visas are usually not required, but some countries may require you to fill out a tourist card.

Customs

Each island has specific guidelines on what you can bring in with you; these are detailed in the destination chapters that follow. Generally, you're permitted to bring in items intended for your personal use, including tobacco, cameras, film, and a limited supply of liquor -- usually 40 ounces.

Just before you leave home, check with your country's Customs or Foreign Affairs department for the latest guidelines -- including information on items that are not allowed to be brought into your home country -- since the rules are subject to change and often contain some surprising oddities.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection allows $1,600 worth of duty-free imports every 30 days from the U.S. Virgin Islands; if you go over this amount, you're taxed at 1.5% rather than the usual 3%. The duty-free limit is $800 for other Caribbean Basin destinations. If you visit only Puerto Rico, you don't have to go through Customs at all, since the island is a U.S. commonwealth.

Joint Customs declarations are possible for members of a family traveling together. For instance, if you are a husband and wife with two children, your purchases in the U.S. Virgin Islands become duty-free up to $6,400! Unsolicited gifts can be sent to friends and relatives at the rate of $200 per day from the U.S. Virgin Islands and $50 a day from the other islands. U.S. citizens, or returning residents at least 21 years of age, traveling directly or indirectly from the U.S. Virgin Islands, are allowed to bring in free of duty 1,000 cigarettes, 5 liters of alcohol, and 100 cigars (but not Cuban cigars). Duty-free limitations on articles from other countries are generally 1 liter of alcohol, 200 cigarettes, and 200 cigars.

You should collect receipts for all purchases made abroad. You must also declare on your Customs form the nature and value of all gifts received during your stay abroad. It's prudent to carry proof that you purchased expensive cameras or jewelry on the U.S. mainland. If you purchased such an item during an earlier trip abroad, you should carry proof that you have previously paid Customs duty on the item.

Sometimes merchants suggest a false receipt to undervalue your purchase. Beware: You could be involved in a sting operation -- the merchant might be an informer to U.S. Customs.

If you use any medication that contains controlled substances or requires injection, carry an original prescription or note from your doctor.

For specifics on what you can bring back, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go online at www.cbp.gov. (Click on "Travel," and then click on "Know Before You Go! Online Brochure.") Or contact the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667) and request the pamphlet.

U.K. citizens should contact HM Revenue & Customs at tel. 0845/010-9000 (tel. 02920/501-261 from outside the U.K.), or consult their website at www.hmrc.gov.uk.

For a clear summary of Canadian rules, write for the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).

Citizens of Australia should request a helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices, Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

For New Zealand Customs information, contact the New Zealand Customs Service at tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786, or log on to www.customs.govt.nz.