New Passport rules for Caribbean sailing Vacations

Beginning Jan. 1. U.S. citizens will no longer be able to cruise through the Caribbean and then re-enter the United States with only a driver's license or voter's registration card as identification. A passport will be required. The office of Homeland Security initiated this new policy due to heightened concerns that terrorists could smuggle equipment or operatives into the United States from neighboring countries. This doesn't apply if you're only making stops in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These islands fly the U.S. flag, thus no passport is needed. However, if you cruise over to the British Virgin Islands or down to Sint Maarten, for example, U.S. immigration officials will insist on seeing a passport before they'll let you back in the country.