passport to return from US virgin islands?

Question: Do I need a passport to return to the Untied States from the US virgin islands?

Answer: No passport is needed to visit the US Virgin Islands unless...

While the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative now requires U.S. citizens who travel to the Caribbean region and return to the United States to present a valid passport or other WHTI-approved travel document, the US Virgin Islands are excluded.

In fact, any territory that belongs to the U.S. is excluded. According to the State Department, U.S. citizens and nationals who travel directly between parts of the United States, which includes Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, without touching at a foreign port or place, are not required to present a valid passport.

Notice the condition: "without touching at a foreign port or place." A stop at any foreign port would then require you to present a passport to re-enter the U.S. unless traveling on a closed-loop cruise.

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