TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands BVI to USVI Process/Fees

Last time to visit was 2022, the tail end of covid restrictions. At the time going from the BVI to USVI appeared to be a pain and seemed pretty expensive.

Can anyone advise if the process is any better and what the costs to go from the BVI to USVI and back during the week we visit might be?

Hi! We live in Apex just down the road from you. The process is doable, but there are steps. To clear out, you enter all of the information for the boat and the people in www.sailclear.com. You then report a departure on this website and take a picture of the number/code so you can share this as you clear out in a BVI Customs office. You then report arrival using the Roam app in the USVI. You do not have to report your departure out of the USVI when you leave, but you will need to clear back in when you go into the BVI. Bring your paperwork. The whole process should be less than $200. We have learned some things about doing this, so if you would like to talk, send me a PM. For example, we clear in and out of the Jost office, but you do not want to be there in the morning when all the day boats are clearing.Good luck!

Thanks for the info. Seems pretty straightforward. What time of day to you clear out of the Jost office? If I go straight to USVI from yacht rental on Tortola, either Road Town or West End office works as well? If you plan to check back in at JVD, but arrive late in afternoon, ok to check in the next morning?

You can check out of the BVI the day before (within 24 hours of departure I believe), which is what we do so we can leave early the next morning. If you arrive in the evening when you return, you’re technically supposed to moor in the bay with the customs office and stay on the boat until you clear the next morning. This is my understanding, but if I’m incorrect, please chime in someone.

You are definitely supposed to stay on the oat if you arrive after customs closes. If you do go ashore, don't admit it!!! Also, if you say you arrived after closing time they used to charge you extra even though you cleared in in normal business hours.

Here are a few more details if you clear through Jost... When you walk in, you need to see the officer on the right first. If its the normal guy, he gets angry when people proceed past his office to the window in front of you. The guy at the window in front of you (2nd step) is usually Mark - he's a great guy. There are two more windows after Mark. Take your paperwork from entering the BVI with you so they know you have already paid the national park fees (and maybe the departure fee/tax - I can't remember).

When you get over to the USVI, you report your arrival using the CBP Roam app (there is a user decal fee listed in the app, and you enter a number to avoid this, but I can't remember what it is - search on this forum - we've figured this out in a prior thread). We have used the Roam app to report our arrival twice, and the first time, they didn't clear us until I called the office. They said they had up to 24 hours to clear us, but we were approved within a few minutes of the call. Last year, they didn't approve us for hours, so I just went to the office in St. John since we were going to town anyway. They said that their system was giving them trouble. They then asked me about food on the boat (mainly meat and produce). I did not lie, and they said that we needed to make sure we didn't take the food off the boat. I have heard that in at least once instance the officers made a captain bring the boat in, and they went through it. My guess is that there was something suspicious or the captain did something to piss them off.

We really enjoy popping over to St. John, but it does take some commitment. We typically leave Cruz Bay by 6:00 pm and cruise up the north short of St. John (with the sun setting behind us) to Maho to spend the night (we moor at Honeymoon while in town). Early the next morning, there are often deer on the beach and other wildlife before the mob hits this beach. Anyway, I hope all of this helps in some way. Enjoy your trip! We are headed down mid-June and the preparation has begun!

If you don't have a decal, enter 00000 (pretty sure it was 5 digits), and then continue - no problem.

Have fun!!!

Update on this from our experience this month.

When we brought the boat from the BVI to the USVI we cleared via Roam and were approved within about 15 minutes. We did not have any food on the boat because we were picking up all our food provisions in the USVI. At the end of the trip we brought the boat back into the USVI and still had some provisions on board from our original shop so I did declare meats on our form. After about 2 hours of waiting to get approved I called them. They asked me what type of food we had on board and I told them. They made us bring the boat into the dock in Cruz Bay and went through our fridge and freezer. They took all meat (except cooked chicken and seafood) off the boat to dispose of.

Lessons learned: You can't bring meats into the USVI. Even if it was originally purchased in the USVI, if it left the territory it is considered to be contaminated. The only exception to this rule is cooked chicken (not raw) and anything that swam in the ocean.

The entire time I was very respectful with the officers and they were very friendly and helpful. I asked them if we were in trouble and they said we were not and in fact thanked us for being honest and declaring the items.

Just FYI, in the past I have done this same thing: declared the meat, had the phone call and they told me to just not let the food come off the boat. This time, I think they were training a new guy and they followed protocol.

Well, this resolves a discussion we have been having about whether we will go to St. John next month! We were just there in March on land for a week, but we love the island, so we often spend a day or two there on our boat trips. Thank you for taking the time to send this update!

I couldn't help thinking of:

Now friends, there was only one of two things that Obie coulda done at the police station, and the first was he could have given us a medal for being so brave and honest on the telephone, which wasn't very likely...

Dan