Alright, so a few days ago I had this wild idea to get a U.S. Virgin Islands ID card. I mean, who wouldn’t want a piece of that island life, right? Even if it’s just the ID. I’m not a US citizen, so I was curious about the whole process.
First, I hit up the internet. Tried to get some clear answers about whether a non-US citizen can actually get one of these IDs. I found some confusing stuff, but nothing concrete. The search results were all over the place. Some pages talked about “foreigner ID” and “non-citizen identification card,” but I wasn’t sure if that’s what I was really looking for.
Then I stumbled upon something called “Real ID” that’s apparently available in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It got me thinking, maybe this is the way to go? I read that starting May 7, 2025, you’ll need a Real ID to board domestic flights in the US, and apparently, residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands can get one from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Cool, right? But I’m not a resident, so what do I do?
I kept digging. I found some chatter about how you don’t need a passport if you’re a US citizen flying from the mainland US or Puerto Rico to the USVI, just a government-issued photo ID. That didn’t help me much, obviously.
There was this one website, I think it was called “TravelocrAgency” or something like that, that claimed they could help you buy ID cards online. Sounded a bit sketchy, but I was getting desperate.
Then I saw something about “VIRGIN ISLAND EXODUS” and some documents needed for a “limited purpose identification card.” It mentioned that all documents from foreign countries need to be translated into English and notarized. Man, this was getting complicated!
After hours of searching and reading, I kinda gave up. It seemed like a real hassle, and I wasn’t even sure if it was legit. It looks like you really need to be a resident to get one of these IDs, and even then, there’s a bunch of paperwork involved.
In the end, I realized getting a U.S. Virgin Islands ID card as a non-US citizen is way more trouble than it’s worth. Maybe I’ll just stick to dreaming about those beautiful beaches.
- Searched online for information about getting a U.S. Virgin Islands ID card.
- Found conflicting information about eligibility for non-US citizens.
- Learned about Real ID and its requirements.
- Discovered a website offering to sell ID cards online (but it seemed dubious).
- Read about the “limited purpose identification card” and its document requirements.
- Concluded that it’s very difficult for non-residents and non-US citizens to obtain a U.S. Virgin Islands ID card.
- Decided it’s not worth the effort for me.
Anyway, that’s my little adventure in trying to score a U.S. Virgin Islands ID. Has anyone else ever looked into this? Let me know in the comments!
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