12 mth in Caribbean - ESTA?

[H2Oaddict]

Hi All,

I hope I've started this thread in the correct location. I've seen some discussion on this forum regarding traveling into the US and the ESTA requirements. However, I'm planning on traveling into the Caribbean from Australia via the US. Ideally I'd like to transit through the US on an ESTA and then spend my year long seabatical in the Caribbean before flying back to reality through the US again on an ESTA.

I've found some info on the net which suggests that as the Caribbean is within the US visa waiver zone and I'm staying more than 90 days in the Caribbean, I might have some issues coming back to Oz through the US. Which seems a bit crazy to me as I'm not planning on being in a US territory for more than 90 days.

Therefore I'm just wondering if anyone can share their previous experience with transiting the US on and ESTA, spending more than 90 is the Caribbean (outside any US territory) then transiting back through the US to their home.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[MarkJ]

I take it you are Australian?

To enter the USA with a private boat you must, no ifs buts or maybe, have a B1B2 visa.

Let me repeat this...


(yes there is a very short stay work around by jumping a ferry from the BVIs to US is then sailing to Florida, but my experience with Yanks is DO NOT TRY TO SCREW THEM OVER! They will win.)

[boatman61]

Don't think you will have any problems at all..
I've flown to the BVI's via the States from the UK then sailed to Europe.. the next year I flew into the USA to collect a boat in Florida.. all with the same ESTA.
Just don't try sailing back into US waters from another country with an ESTA.. as MarkJ says.. it wont work..

[MarkJ]

As a general thing for traveling the 5 year multiple entry B1B2 visa is a wonderful thing.
It means you can fly to the USA on a 1 way ticket then ticket there for onward travel.
Its highly respected in Third World countries.
You don't have to do the constant applications each time you go to the US.

It's handy if your plans change or you need flexibility.
I always get one with my new passport.
Its the antz pantz for a traveler. ☺️

[H2Oaddict]

Thanks for the quick replies.

The various pieces of information I've seen on the net seems to be intended to stop people staying 89 days in the US on an ESTA, then making a short trip out of the US (i.e. to Caribbean), then re-setting the 90 days ESTA period when they return to the US. They have done this by including the Caribbean within the Visa Waiver Program 'Zone', which means time spent at any Caribbean island counts towards your 90 ESTA limit.

By the sounds of it we should be OK as long as we have proof of leaving the US into the Caribbean on a commercial plane or Ferry from USVI to BVI. If we were then wanting to enter a US territory within the Caribbean on our own boat we would need a B1/B2 visa.

Cheers!

[Paul L]

The adjacent islands pretty much cover all the Eastern Carib.

. Contiguous territories are simply any country sharing a common boundary with the United States. Therefore, Canada and Mexico are the contiguous territories to the United States contemplated in the automatic visa revalidation regulation. Adjacent islands, however, are defined by statute and regulation. The Adjacent Islands are Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Marie-Galantine, Martinique, Miquelon, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Christopher, Saint Eustatius, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and other British, French and Netherlands territory or possessions bordering on the Caribbean Sea.