USVI and Visas

[Opie]

I have a group of friends and family from Ukraine that would like to join us on a cruise this fall. Do they need multiple entry US visas if cruising to the USVI from Florida?

[Eng23]

This website should be helpful in answering your questions:

 

http://www.state.gov/

 

This is the website for the U.S. State Department. Hopefully someone with first hand knowledge will come along and help you. :)

[Opie]

Unfortunately government websites tend to be inconsistent on these types of questions. Hoping to hear from someone with experience.

[SadieN]

Just flying in from the Ukraine then ending a cruise in Florida would be two entires. Adding in the USVI would be a third.

 

They need to get info at a US embassy or consulate.

Edited July 15, 2013 by SadieN

[Opie]

Thanks for the response. If they have multiple entry US visas, will they need visas for Nassau?

Edited December 24, 2013 by Opie

[Algebralovr]

Thanks for the response. If they have multiple entry US visas, will they need visas for Nassau?

 

Yes, they will. See http://www.bahamas.co.uk/about-the-bahamas-bahamas-visa-customs-immigration

 

It looks like it may be a bit of a hassle.

[Opie]

Yes, they will. See http://www.bahamas.co.uk/about-the-bahamas-bahamas-visa-customs-immigration

 

It looks like it may be a bit of a hassle.

 

I'll update our actual experience here soon - but my information at this point tells me to disregard that, as short stops in Nassau are considered transit rather than visa entries.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

I usually look at the VisaHQ website as it is pretty thorough, however when I put your country's info in it came up with a language that I can't read, Ukrainian?

Check http://british-virgin-islands.visahq.ua/

 

When looking at VisaHQ, check the tabs down the left and see if there is one for CRUISES - besides the ones for Tourist and Business.

 

I agree that you should check US Embassy website, but I think most of the time they issue you with a 10 year multiple-entry visa, so one should be ok. From personal experience:

 

- My parents visited the US a few years ago and when we cruised to Mexico (in the middle of the time in the USA, and this was a Los Angeles/Mexico/Los Angeles cruise), they did not "check-out" of the US at the beginning of the cruise, and then "check-in" to the US again at the end of the cruise, as it was considered to be a temporary exit from the US and their I-94 document held open until they left the US a few weeks after the cruise.

 

I found confirmatory info on the CBP website:

 

"If you are not a U.S. citizen or a U.S. LPR, you will need a passport or the appropriate documentation based on the status you are seeking in the U.S. for any type of cruise, closed loop or not. If you are traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), your I-94W (immigration stamp) that you were issued when you first entered the U.S. can be used for reentering the U.S. at the end of your cruise - as long as the cruise ends before your 90 day admission period has expired and you did not travel beyond adjacent islands or contiguous territory, and you were not outside the U.S. for more than 30 days. If the cruise takes you beyond that 90 day admission period, you will have to apply for a new admission, and you will have to convince the CBP Officer that you were not just taking the cruise in an attempt to circumvent the 90 day limit for VWP travelers."

 

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/kw/i94%20cruise

[njhorseman]

I usually look at the VisaHQ website as it is pretty thorough, however when I put your country's info in it came up with a language that I can't read, Ukrainian?

Check http://british-virgin-islands.visahq.ua/

 

When looking at VisaHQ, check the tabs down the left and see if there is one for CRUISES - besides the ones for Tourist and Business.

 

I agree that you should check US Embassy website, but I think most of the time they issue you with a 10 year multiple-entry visa, so one should be ok. From personal experience:

 

- My parents visited the US a few years ago and when we cruised to Mexico (in the middle of the time in the USA, and this was a Los Angeles/Mexico/Los Angeles cruise), they did not "check-out" of the US at the beginning of the cruise, and then "check-in" to the US again at the end of the cruise, as it was considered to be a temporary exit from the US and their I-94 document held open until they left the US a few weeks after the cruise.

 

I found confirmatory info on the CBP website:

 

"If you are not a U.S. citizen or a U.S. LPR, you will need a passport or the appropriate documentation based on the status you are seeking in the U.S. for any type of cruise, closed loop or not. If you are traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), your I-94W (immigration stamp) that you were issued when you first entered the U.S. can be used for reentering the U.S. at the end of your cruise - as long as the cruise ends before your 90 day admission period has expired and you did not travel beyond adjacent islands or contiguous territory, and you were not outside the U.S. for more than 30 days. If the cruise takes you beyond that 90 day admission period, you will have to apply for a new admission, and you will have to convince the CBP Officer that you were not just taking the cruise in an attempt to circumvent the 90 day limit for VWP travelers."

 

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/kw/i94%20cruise

 

First, the OP isn't asking about The British Virgin Islands, which is what you provided the link about visas to...they're asking about the US Virgin Islands and in a subsequent question about the Bahamas.

 

Second, the information you quoted about the I-94W immigration stamp is of no help or relevance because the Ukraine isn't a Visa Waiver Program country.

[Opie]

For the record (now that we're back), visiting the USVI only requires multiple-entry US visas.

 

And regardless of the many "official" websites that tell you otherwise, foreign visitors to the BAHAMAS on a cruise ship that would otherwise need a visa to enter the country will NOT need a Bahamian Visa to board or disembark (assuming they have US multiple entry visas).

Edited January 15, 2014 by Opie