Do You Need a Passport To Go To St. Lucia? (From US & Elsewhere)

No sight in the world compares to the cyan-blue hues of the Caribbean sea. It is tempting for anyone with money to spare to visit St. Lucia and soak in the vistas, that is if you qualify to visit. So, do you need a passport to go to St. Lucia?

You need a passport to go to St. Lucia if you are a U.S. resident. St. Lucia is an island country and requires a passport, valid ID, and vaccine card or negative COVID test to enter. British citizens also must provide a passport to enter St. Lucia because it is an independent country despite being part of the British Commonwealth.

St. Lucia is an open country that supports international travel with two impressive airports. You can easily visit St. Lucia for up to 42 days without a visa. Follow along as we explore what it takes to visit St. Lucia.

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Do You Need a Passport to go to St. Lucia?

You need a passport to go to St. Lucia as a U.S. citizen or you are from any foreign country. Make sure that your passport’s expiration date won’t fall during your trip to St. Lucia. An expired passport can prevent you from leaving St. Lucia even if it was valid when you arrived.

The airport will deny you passage to St. Lucia if you are unable to provide a valid passport. Make sure that you have enough space in your passport for a new stamp so that you don’t make it harder to enter St. Lucia. Otherwise, it could cause a delay in your travels if you need to add pages to your passport or get a new booklet altogether.

Lately, many Americans have applied for St Lucian citizenship to acquire a second passport from this marvelous country. St. Lucia is famous as one of the Caribbean countries with great CBI programs, offering serious benefits.

Moreover, you can apply for St Lucian citizenship by investment program and gain a second passport. Apart from being able to travel and stay in St. Lucia as long as you desire, you can enjoy many benefits that this passport brings.

You can enjoy visa-free travel to many countries, and family members can enjoy inheritable citizenship. Make sure to check all available options.

Is St. Lucia a U.S. Territory?

St. Lucia is not a U.S. territory, and it is part of the British Commonwealth. Much like the Virgin Islands is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean, so too is St. Lucia but for the British. However, St. Lucia is quite far from the Virgin Islands despite sharing a common sea.

The Virgin Islands and St. Lucia are 626 kilometers apart from one another. St. Lucia is a relatively small island that spans 238 square miles and is only 27 miles long. Independent since 1979, St. Lucia enjoys the benefits of the British Commonwealth without adhering to all of its laws and regulations.

Related Read: Best Time to Visit the Caribbean

St. Lucia Travel Requirements?

Every U.S. citizen must provide a valid passport to go to St. Lucia. Sea travelers must also provide an Enhanced Driver’s License (EHL), but that isn’t necessary if you fly to St. Lucia. An enhanced ID typically costs $30 and is worth the cost if you travel to foreign territories by sea.

However, an Enhanced Driver’s License won’t help you if you fly to St. Lucia from the United States. Bring a government-issued ID with you when you fly to St. Lucia or you likely won’t get in. This includes your passport book, passport card, driver's license, or social security card.

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Airport security won’t allow you past security if you don’t have a valid government-issued ID as an adult. Children don’t need to provide an ID, but parents must present proof that it is their child. The best option is to bring a copy of their birth certificate to prove your relationship.

Can You Travel to St. Lucia With a Driver’s License?

You cannot travel to St. Lucia with only a driver’s license. A valid driver’s license is not enough proof that you are fit and qualified to travel to a foreign country. Passports provide proof that you are a legal resident without any legal problems that would prevent travel.

You cannot legally drive in St. Lucia if you are a U.S. citizen even if you have a driver’s license. It is only legal to drive in St. Lucia as a foreigner if you have an International Driver’s Permit.

Related Read: Best Time To Visit St. Barth’s

Can I Travel to St. Lucia With a Green Card?

You can travel to St. Lucia with a Green Card but you will need to get a visa to enter successfully. A green card alone cannot get you into St. Lucia or any country or territory. Provide a foreign passport, valid ID, and green card when you travel to St. Lucia to legally enter if you weren’t always a U.S. citizen.

It is a common misconception that St. Lucia is part of the British Virgin Islands. While St. Lucia is a British Commonwealth, it is fully independent. The British Virgin Islands only refer to Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, and Anegada.

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St. Lucia COVID Travel

You must present your vaccine card to travel to St. Lucia if you are fully vaccinated. Travelers that are fully vaccinated don’t need to get tested before visiting St. Lucia. Fully vaccinated refers to having both rounds of the vaccine two weeks before your travel date.

St. Lucia requires that you get tested for COVID 5 days before you travel for valid entry. Not all COVID tests are considered valid, and self-administered tests don’t count. The test results must come from a healthcare professional or certified COVID testing center.

Otherwise, the test results won’t be accepted even if they say that you are negative for COVID. They can only accept a COVID test if it features your name, address, and key information to verify your identity. You are also subject to be tested again when you get to St. Lucia if you aren’t fully vaccinated even if your previous test was negative.

Related Read: Best Time To Visit Punta Cana

Do You Need a Visa for St. Lucia From UK?

You don’t need to provide a visa if you have a British passport traveling from the UK. However, you still need to present a British passport to enter St. Lucia as a British citizen. British citizens are allowed to stay in St. Lucia for up to 42 days without needing a special application.

Special applications are required if you want to visit St. Lucia for longer than 42 days as a British resident. British residents who don’t have a passport may need to get a visa to travel to St. Lucia, so it’s important to contact the travel board.

Does My Child Need a Passport to go to St. Lucia?

Your child only needs a passport to go to St. Lucia if they are 16 years old or older. They won’t need to provide a driver’s license at that age unless they currently have one. The passport is only valid if it won’t expire for another 6 months.

It is wise to practice COVID safety leading up to your trip so that it doesn’t get cut short if anyone in the family fails a test upon arrival. St. Lucia is a perfect family destination because of the pools, spas, adventure parks, and resorts. The island country is most well-known for its unforgettable beaches, and your children will appreciate them.

Do You Have to be Vaccinated to go to St. Lucia?

You don’t have to be vaccinated to go to St. Lucia, but they recommend vaccination against several ailments. Currently, St. Lucia recognizes vaccines from companies such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Covaxin, Moderna, and AstraZeneca. St. Lucia recommends that you get vaccinated against other ailments besides COVID such as yellow fever, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, polio, and influenza.

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You can contract other ailments such as chickenpox, shingles, measles, mumps, and pneumonia. St. Lucia doesn’t require you to provide proof of vaccination against any other illness besides COVID at this time. However, the CDC and WHO recommend that you stay up to date on all vaccines for foreign and domestic travel.

Related Read: Best Time To Visit Aruba

Is Travel to St. Lucia Open?

Travel to St. Lucia is now fully open as long as you provide valid documentation. You won’t be allowed into St. Lucia if you provide a COVID test older than 5 days or one that is positive. They also won’t allow you in if you aren’t vaccinated and fail to provide a valid test.

St. Lucia briefly limited travel in 2020 due to the widespread outbreak of COVID like many other travel destinations. However, they have since relaxed their COVID restrictions to where it is much easier to gain entry to St. Lucia. St. Lucia still encourages safe COVID protocol such as wearing a mask on the flight or boat over.

They no longer recommend a pre-travel quarantine period as they did at the start of the pandemic. However, it is a good idea to avoid travel if you feel the symptoms of COVID whether you get tested or not.

Is St. Lucia an International Flight?

St. Lucia is an international flight if you are coming from the United States. The island country of St. Lucia is 2,460 miles from the central United States. St. Lucia only features two airports and one of them focuses heavily on international travel.

You will likely fly into the Hewanorra International Airport if you fly to St. Lucia from the United States. It can take upwards of 7 hours to get to St. Lucia from the United States depending on where you are in the country.