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Application process for ‘fully vaccinated’ to be automated on travel portal

- Customs & Immigration Forms to be removed from portal
The application process for the ‘fully vaccinated’ will be automated on the Virgin Islands travel portal. Photo: VINO
Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) has also said the Customs and Immigration Forms will be removed from the travel portal. Photo: VINO/File
Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) has also said the Customs and Immigration Forms will be removed from the travel portal. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) said there would be an additional perk for fully vaccinated persons seeking travel approval on the BVI Gateway Portal.

He said via a live press briefing on September 3, 2021, that this was among the changes coming to the portal following talks with ‘various stakeholders’.

“The way forward involves making some changes to the gateway portal which we hope will improve the ease of use of the system for residents and visitors. Under the previous system, all applications for fully vaccinated travellers, partially vaccinated travellers and unvaccinated travellers were processed manually by a team of persons from various departments.”

Increased applications via travel portal

Over the past few months; however, the volume of applications from persons wanting to travel into the Virgin Islands has increased significantly, and this would have contributed to longer processing times on occasions due to incorrect information being uploaded.

These incorrect information spans from individuals submitting travel insurance with no COVID-19 coverage, COVID-19 test results that are not approved, such as saliva and antibody tests, incorrect vaccination cards or persons claiming to be vaccinated when they were not.

“Now, with the application process for fully vaccinated persons being automated, fully vaccinated persons will be able to get their travel authorisation certificate automatically once they have uploaded their documents correctly at the time of registration. The system will automatically generate the travel authorisation certificate instead of it being done manually as was the case in the past,” Premier Fahie said.

“I must emphasise that although the system is automated for fully vaccinated travellers, random review of approved applications will be made to further verify documentation if any discrepancies are found, the approval will be immediately revoked.”

Removal of Forms

Premier Fahie said another change to the portal will be the immediate removal of the Customs and Immigration Forms from the portal.

“This would reduce the amount of time persons spent completing their applications. We are progressing to automate the process for fully vaccinated persons to get their approvals,” he stated.

The travelling public should also be aware that they ought to present proof of vaccination, negative results for an approved COVID-19 test along with their gateway travel portal application when they arrive in the territory.

If they do not provide authentic documentation, they could face fines of up to $10,000.

16 Responses to “Application process for ‘fully vaccinated’ to be automated on travel portal”

  • Another suggestion (07/09/2021, 08:25) Like (15) Dislike (3) Reply
    Retain the information of repeat travelers. Some people travel frequently. If they were fully vaccinated four months ago, they're still vaccinated! Require travelers to update their insurance and any other information that has changed.
    • Quick Question (07/09/2021, 10:17) Like (6) Dislike (1) Reply
      How do you get a computer to know if your insurance includes Covid coverage? Write “Covid” on the top in crayon?
    • Booster Shot (07/09/2021, 13:05) Like (5) Dislike (3) Reply
      Leave it. When the booster shot rolls out many of you can’t say you’re fully vaccinated if your 6 months has passed since your last shot
  • aint the UK alone is racist (07/09/2021, 08:45) Like (23) Dislike (23) Reply
    The discrimination game has begun in the BVI
  • Thats a welcome move.. (07/09/2021, 08:55) Like (44) Dislike (12) Reply
    Hope it works..It takes dedicated workers to be on board with these changes to make these changes work...No matter how easy it is...If you do not get an quick response then, it is still complicated, Its only going to work when responses are much faster....Also the Vax card need upgrading with a photo and a BVIHS stamp at front and back..
  • AOC (07/09/2021, 09:17) Like (4) Dislike (6) Reply
    Hallelujah!
  • Why??? (07/09/2021, 09:36) Like (13) Dislike (3) Reply
    Why take off Immigration and Customs from the portal. Just let the agencies interface with the system and when the passenger arrive they sign their forms. Then sometime later another company will get a job to put them back on. The forms are almost filled automatically on the portal. This is craziness, waste of time and money, no one thinking outside the box.
    • @Why??? (07/09/2021, 13:09) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
      I agree totally here. Part of the problem right now is none of the governmental agencies talk to one another in the BVI. Entry to the terrirtoy requires filling the same info out (on paper....) multiple times just for different govt agencies ,customs, health, immigration etc. The same problem exists all over the BVI govt where labor doesn't know what immigration knows and inland revenue info is not known by NHI or SSB. Take down all the stupid barriers and get governmental agencies sharing information. The efficiencies gained mean you could probably get rid of a few hundred govt employees and save us tax payers some $$
    • x (07/09/2021, 16:11) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
      No sense for customs form to be on there. If I'm away and I complete my application on the portal a couple days before I travel to come back home, I still have more shopping to do. The customs form will be inaccurate whet I get here.
    • Hmm (07/09/2021, 19:26) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      It’s nonsense cause when I started my forms I had to fill out my customs form online and I wasn’t finish shopping.
      • Digital Age (08/09/2021, 07:30) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Keep the form digital and allow access to update it. Store the persons information so they dont have fill it our every time the travel. Hell you should be able to complete the form on your phone while on the ferry over but that would mean the portal would have to work on iPhone (it doesnt) and you would need wifi on the ferry. (most dont have)
    • ok (08/09/2021, 12:44) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Because the customs and immigration part on the portal does not link with the system, even though you fill it online on the portal you still have to full out the immigration card on arrival. So seeing the systems are not linked, that’s the best thing they did
  • Unvax winner (07/09/2021, 12:26) Like (11) Dislike (2) Reply
    These politicians gone further from reality. They have to be getting control by nano technology in the vaccines.
  • equal rights & justice (07/09/2021, 14:52) Like (7) Dislike (8) Reply
    The BVI Government needs to stop this Discriminating crap about vacinated and unvacinated.In Gods sight all man are created equal.God give man a right to chose so why should man believe he has the power to dictate how peoples lives should go and if its not there way they should be penalize. Division, discriminating and confusion is of the devil. Stop being a pusher of the devils agenda and show some BVI love. God is love and let the people see Gods love in you all.
  • BS! (08/09/2021, 10:21) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    To this day this thing doesn't work right and now you're going to let the same incompetent programmers add another lot of malfunctioning code to the program? Good luck to all of you.
  • Hmm (09/09/2021, 14:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    This is not true! Took me 48 hours to be approved!!


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