Which islands need a passport? Rules for US citizens

Hawaii, Florida, South Carolina and Massachusetts are states, and Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are US territories. You fly on a domestic ticket and need no passport. See them ranked on our no-passport list.

The territories add one step on the way home. Leaving Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands, your bags go through USDA agricultural inspection before the flight, and most fresh fruit, plants and cut flowers cannot go to the mainland. Leaving St. Thomas or St. Croix, you also clear US Customs and Border Protection. The USVI Department of Tourism says to carry a passport, or a raised-seal birth certificate plus government photo ID.

Watch the borders next door. The British Virgin Islands, a ferry ride from St. Thomas, are a separate country: the State Department asks for a passport valid on entry and proof of onward travel, and the BVI has required an online immigration form since January 1, 2025.

Since May 7, 2025, TSA has required travelers 18 and older to show a REAL ID-compliant driver's license, a state-issued enhanced license or another accepted document, such as a passport, to fly within the US. Children under 18 need no ID at the checkpoint.

If you arrive without acceptable ID, TSA's alternative identity check, now called Confirm.ID, costs $45. TSA set that fee in a Federal Register notice effective December 3, 2025. It is a fallback, not a guarantee: TSA must still be able to establish who you are. A passport book or passport card avoids the question entirely.

Federal rules, at 8 CFR 235.1(b)(5), let a US citizen re-enter with a government-issued photo ID plus an original or copy of a birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or a Certificate of Naturalization, when the cruise starts and ends at the same US port and stays within the Western Hemisphere. Children under 16 may use the birth certificate alone. That rule covers many round-trip cruises to the Bahamas, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Three cautions. The cruise line may require a passport anyway. The State Department strongly recommends a passport book on every cruise, because if you are hospitalized ashore or the ship breaks down, you will need one to fly home. And a passport card covers only sea and land re-entry from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean, not a flight.

A first-time adult passport book costs $165: $130 to the State Department plus a $35 acceptance fee. A book and card together cost $160 plus the $35 fee. Expedited service adds $60, and 1-3 day return delivery $26.87. Routine processing takes 4 to 6 weeks and expedited 2 to 3 weeks, and the State Department says mailing time is extra: up to 2 weeks each way.

Plan on two months for a routine application. Book every ticket in the exact name printed on the passport you will carry.

Many countries want your passport to stay valid well past your trip. Airlines can refuse to board you if it does not. These are the rules on our island pages, from the State Department:

Turks and Caicos is a split case: the State Department says 3 months past departure, while its tourist board says 6, so carry 6.

Most islands now want an online form before you land, and a few charge for it. Use the official sites; Aruba and Curaçao both warn about look-alike sites that charge.

• Free forms: Curaçao's Dicard, Barbados's Immigration and Customs Form (opens 72 hours ahead), ArriveAntigua, St. Lucia's entry form (no more than 3 days ahead), Jamaica's C5, Grenada's E/D card (since March 2, 2026), Sint Maarten's ED card, the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, the Philippines' eTravel, the Maldives' IMUGA and Mauritius's All-in-One form.
• Forms with a fee: Aruba's ED card carries a $20 Sustainability Fee for visitors 8 and older. Seychelles' Travel Authorization costs $11.23 (€10) for standard processing.
• Visas and levies: Bali, a $28 visa on arrival plus an $8 tourist levy. Zanzibar, a $100 Tanzania visa plus $44 of mandatory Zanzibar insurance. Bonaire, a $75 visitor entry tax for ages 13 and up.
• Shorter stays: since September 15, 2026, Thailand gives US citizens 30 days visa-free, down from 60.

The EU's Entry/Exit System started in stages on October 12, 2025 and became fully operational on April 10, 2026. At your first Schengen border it registers your name, passport data, fingerprints and a facial image, and it replaces passport stamps. Expect a longer first crossing.

ETIAS, the travel authorization for visa-free visitors to 30 European countries, is not yet in operation, according to the European Commission, and no applications are being collected. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch. The fee will be $22 (€20). Until then, a US passport with 3 months of validity beyond your departure is all you need for stays up to 90 days in any 180. Martinique is French but outside the Schengen area, and we found no official statement extending ETIAS to it. Compare the islands on our Europe ranking.