Persons using different passports when traveling with ESTA run risk of being ‘flagged’- VI Go’vt
According to a press release from Government Information Services (GIS) today, August 25, 2023, the Office of the Deputy Governor has confirmed that some ESTA Visa Waiver applications were denied due to an issue where re-entrance to the Territory was not properly logged, thus inaccurately indicating that some travelers had never left the United States (US).
It said, following further investigation and discussions with the US Customs and Border Protection, it was revealed that travelers who have entered the US with their United Kingdom (UK) passport and returned to the Territory using a different passport, including a Virgin Islands Passport, may be at risk of being flagged as having overstayed in the US This may therefore affect an individual’s ability to qualify for an ESTA Waiver in the future.
Use one passport for travel
“The public is reminded that entrance to the United States is logged using a passport number. Therefore, persons who travel to the US using a UK Passport and valid ESTA must return to the Territory using the same UK passport to ensure that their arrival and departure, both ways, have been successfully recorded.
“Travelers should also note that departures from the US Mainland to the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) or Puerto Rico is not considered as an official departure from the US Official departure from the US will only be logged upon completing an international flight or voyage to a non-US Territory or State,” the press release stated.
Travelers who are experiencing or have experienced challenges when using an ESTA are asked to contact the Office of the Deputy Governor at dgo@gov.vg with details including name of traveler, date of travel and a brief description of their experience.
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24 Responses to “Persons using different passports when traveling with ESTA run risk of being ‘flagged’- VI Go’vt”
I've said the same thing in a previous post.
you cant enter St Thomas with your BVI passport and try to leave from the airport with your UK passport. It is as if you were never process through Immigration so they will refuse you from travelling further. I had this same experience travelling with a family member. We were going to New York and he was process through St Thomas Immigration with his BVI passport. His passport did not even had in a BVI/USVI Waiver Initiative. When we went to the airport he pulled out his UK passport and ESTA but he was refused because that passport did not showed that he entered St Thomas and was stamped. The stamp was in his BVI passport. The immigration officer said if he had the BVI waiver in it, he could have continued on with the flight. Therefore, he had to leave the airport and go back to Tortola.
That is where the mix up coming from. Personally, I feel if you are just going to the US mainland, use your BVI passport with the Waiver. If you plan to go on a cruise or outside the US mainland, travel with your UK passport and Esta. I've travelled with my BVI passport with my visa waiver initiative and an ESTA for the cruise and it went easy as abc. I booked my flight from ST Thomas to Miami going and coming. When I reach by port Miami, all they ask for is your ESTA and passport. It is not scanned in the system. They just check to make sure the information is correct. When it was time to fly back to St Thomas, I used the same BVI passport which was already scanned in the system from St Thomas and everything was a breeze.
Y'all just have to decide where you're going and use the one passport.
For example, you have Belongers travelling to Europe recently and have to buy different tickets through Antigua in order to get back home because you cannot reenter the US through Miami or New York with the VISA waiver.
You can check your entry/ departure status on the US Border Control website. When I applied for my visa waver, I registered both the UK and BVI passports. The system links the two passports. If You search using the UK passport number, You will get the same results as if You use the BVI passport number.
Here is the link:https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/
On the search form use:
United Kingdom (GBR) for the UK Passport.
For the BVI Passport use:
British Virgin Islands (VGB)
Know your status before travel to avoid any embarrassment.