HOME > St Croix MAIN PAGE > St Croix GENERAL INFO
St Croix , USVI - General Information
Main Page
Maps
Features
Accommodations
See & Do
Shopping
Wine & Dine
Travel Info
FAQs

Specials
Cruises
Villas

New Providence        
Grand Bahama          
Abaco                       
Out Islands              
St Thomas               
St Croix              
St John               

Caribbean Islands: Travel and Destination Guides
Subscribe here
for the latest
Caribbean vacation specials!!Caribbean Islands: Travel and Destination Guides

 

St Croix , USVI | General Information

General Info, Travel Info, & FAQs are provided to assist with your vacation.



 
  ATMs
Not all ATMs in the Caribbean operate like those in your home country. Some may only accept a four digit PIN number, so if yours is longer you may want to change it before your trip. Ensure you keep your travel money in your primary chequing account as some ATMs default to this account and will not allow you to choose another. Withdrawal fees are generally much higher outside your home country.

The main banks are Banco Popular (tel 340/693-2777), Bank of St Croix (tel 773-8500), FirstBank Virgin Islands (tel 775-7777), Scotiabank (tel 340/774-0037) and Virgin Islands Community Bank (tel 773-0440).

Banco Popular, FirstBank and Scotiabank have ATMs at their branches. FirstBank also has an ATM at the airport. Bank of St Croix has an ATM at its branch in Christiansted.

Banco Popular ATMs accept American Express, MasterCard, Visa and cards on the ATH, Plus and Honor networks. Scotiabank ATMs accept MasterCard, Visa and cards on the Cirrus/Maestro and Electron/Plus networks. They dispense US dollars.

BANKING AND BUSINESS HOURS
Smaller branches generally close earlier and some may close for lunch.

Banks
Bank of St Croix: Mon-Thurs 9am-2:30pm, Fri 9am-3:30pm

Banco Popular: Mon-Thurs 8:30am-2:30pm, Fri 8:30am-4pm, Sat 9am-1pm (Fort Mylner and Sunny Isle branches only)

FirstBank: Mon-Fri 8:30/9am-3/4pm (some stay open until 5pm on Fri), Sat 9am-2pm (Port of Sale and Estate Charlotte Amalie branches only), Sat 9am-4pm (Sunny Isle Shopping Center only)

Scotiabank: Mon-Thurs 9am-4pm, Fri 9am-4:30pm, Sat 9am-12 noon (Havensight branch only), Sat 9am-1pm (Tutu Park branch only)

Post Office
Post offices are generally open Mon-Fri 8:30am-4pm with some opening as early as 7:30am and some closing as late as 5:30pm. A few also open Sat 7:30am-12 noon.

CHURCHES/RELIGIONS
Predominantly Protestant, including Anglican, Baptist, Episcopalian, Jehovah's Witness, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, Pentecostal, Seventh-day Adventist and Wesleyan, as well as Roman Catholic. Christian Science, Judaism, Mormon and non-denominational also represented.

CURRENCY AND CREDIT CARDS
The local currency is the US dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. Paper money runs in denominations of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills, and coins in 1¢, 5¢, 10¢ and 25¢ pieces. Major credit cards and traveller's cheques are widely accepted.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
American Express: lost or stolen card, 336/393-1111 (call collect); lost or stolen cheques or cheque cards, 800/221-7282
Discover Card: 801/902-3100
MasterCard: 800/307-7309
Visa: 410/902-8022 (call collect)
Western Union:
- Christiansted: K-Mart, 719-9190 (Sunny Isles Shopping Centre); Pueblo Supermarket, 77-1272 (Villa La Reine Shopping Centre), 773-0118 (Golden Rock)
- Frederiksted: K-Mart, 692-5848

DEPARTURE TAX
There is no departure tax.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Entry requirements for the US Virgin Islands are the same as those for the mainland United States.

Canadians require a passport if they are arriving by air. US citizens do not require a passport, but they must provide proof of citizenship, such as an original birth certificate with raised seal and official photo identification, such as a driver's license.

Citizens of the UK require a machine-readable passport (MRP) valid for six months past their expected stay. UK citizens without MRPs require a non-immigrant visa in addition to their passport. Note: MRPs issued between October 26, 2005 and October 25, 2006 must have a digital photograph on the data page and those issued on or after October 26, 2006 must have an integrated chip with information from the data page (e-passport). The "Travel advice by country" section (for the United States) of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk) lists questions and answers to help you determine whether or not you are eligible to enter the US without a visa.

Non-citizen residents of Canada and nationals of other countries may require a non-immigrant visa. Note: A visa does not guarantee entry into the US. It allows you to travel to a US port of entry, such as an airport, and request permission of the Department of Homeland Security immigration inspector to enter the country. For more information consult your nearest United States consulate/embassy, call the US Immigration Department at 800/375-5283, 340/774-1390 (St Thomas), 340/778-1419 (St Croix) or visit the US State Department's website (www.travel.state.gov/visa).

Note:
As of January 23, 2007, all persons travelling by air to the Caribbean, Mexico and Bermuda will require a valid passport, Air NEXUS card or US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document to enter and/or re-enter the United States in accordance with the US Government's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. For more information visit the US Government's Bureau of Consular Affairs website at www.travel.state.gov.

Some countries require single/lone parents or other adults travelling alone with children to provide documents showing evidence of parental/custodial and/or access rights, and/or documents authorizing consent from the parents, legal guardian, and/or the court for the children to travel. Parents of adopted children, particularly those of a different nationality, should carry the proper documents.

NEAREST FOREIGN REPRESENTATION
British Embassy: 202/588-6500 (Washington, DC)
Consulate General of Canada: 305/579-1600 (Florida), 866/600-0184 (toll free to Ottawa)

EXCHANGE RATES
As of January 16, 2007US$
British pound sterling1.96451
Canadian dollar0.85556
European Union euro1.29437
Japanese yen0.008301
Swiss franc0.80189

HEALTH STANDARDS
The quality of medical care is on par with the mainland US. The Governor Juan E Luis Hospital and Medical Centre (tel 778-6311) is located in Christiansted. A number of private clinics and practitioners are also available, with a higher concentration on St Thomas, where there is also a hyperbaric chamber.

Your home medical program may not provide payment for medical services outside your home country. Obtaining adequate medical/travel insurance, including air ambulance coverage, and consulting a physician or travel medicine specialist six to eight weeks prior to your trip to determine health risks and necessary vaccinations is recommended.

There are numerous pharmacies. Most are open seven days a week.

Emergency phone numbers:
Ambulance, fire, police, 911
Air Ambulance, 772-1629
Hyperbaric chamber, 776-8311 ext 2226
US Coast Guard Air/Marine Search and Rescue, 773-9449

ILLEGAL ITEMS
There are severe penalties for possession, use or trafficking in illegal drugs. Prescription drugs should be clearly labeled in their original containers. There are strict regulations for exporting or temporarily importing firearms and certain foods and plant and animal specimens.

Prohibited items include Cuban cigars, lottery tickets, narcotics and dangerous drugs, obscene articles and publications, seditious and treasonable materials, hazardous articles (such as fireworks, dangerous toys, toxic or poisonous substances), products made by prison convicts or forced labour, switchblade knives and fully automatic weapons and semi-automatic assault-type weapons.

For more information call the Customs Attaché or Commercial Officer at your nearest US consulate/embassy or call US Customs at 340/773-1490 (St Croix).

LANGUAGE
English is the official language. Spanish and Creole are also spoken.

POSTAGE
The US Postal Service (tel 800/275-8777) provides mail service, and postal rates are the same as on the US mainland. Blue mailboxes are located throughout the islands. Courier service is also available.

Postal outlets are located in Christiansted downtown on Market Sq (tel 773-3586), at Estate Richmond (tel 773-1505), Gallows Bay (tel 773-4538) and Sunny Isle (tel 778-6805); as well as in Frederiksted (tel 772-0040), Kingshill (tel 778-0199) and at the airport (tel 778-8825).

Post offices are generally open Mon-Fri 8:30am-4pm with some opening as early as 7:30am and some closing as late as 5:30pm. A few also open Sat 7:30am-12 noon.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Jan 1 New Year's Day
Jan 6 Three Kings Day
Jan 16 Martin Luther King Jr Day
Feb (third Monday) President's Day
Mar 31 Transfer Day
Mar/April (varies) Maundy (or Holy) Thursday
Mar/April (varies) Good Friday
Mar/April (varies) Easter Monday
May (last Monday) Memorial Day
July 3 Emancipation Day
July 4 Independence Day
July (fourth Monday) Hurricane Supplication Day
Sept (first Monday) Labour Day
Oct (second Monday) Columbus Day
Oct (third Monday) Thanksgiving Day
Nov 1 David Hamilton Jackson Day/Liberty Day
Dec 25 Christmas Day
Dec 26 Boxing Day/Kwanza

SHOPPING HOURS
Shops are generally open Mon-Sun 9am-5pm; however, on Sun some may only open half day or not at all. When cruise ships are in port many shops extend their hours. Conversely, when there are no cruise ships in port, some shops may reduce their hours.

TAXES
Hotels add an 8% resort tax to bills. There is no sales tax.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The phone system in the USVI is modern and cellular and Internet services are available.

The country code is 340. Local phone numbers have seven digits. Most US and Canadian toll-free 800 numbers do work from the USVI. For directory assistance dial 913. For calls to the US and Canada dial 1 + area code + local number. For calls to other countries dial 011 + country code + area code + local number.

Innovative Telephone Company (tel 779-9999) provides communication services for the islands. Public pay phones are located around the islands. Prepaid phone cards are available at vendors throughout the islands.

For more information see the section in FAQs: Can I use my calling card from here?

Cingular Wireless (tel 777-7777), Innovative Wireless (tel 777-8899) and Sprint (tel 800/SPRINT1) provide cellular roaming services. Check with your service provider to see if they have a roaming agreement with one of these companies.

TEMPERATURES
Temperatures vary between 77°F and 83°F.

TIME ZONE
The islands are on Atlantic Standard Time year round, which is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). During the summer the time is the same as on the east coast of North America and during the winter, the time is one hour ahead.

Disclaimer: Information is provided as a service to visitors and is updated regularly. All information should be verified prior to travel.



     
  Accommodations - hotels, marinas, rentals, more
New Providence hotels  
Grand Bahama hotels  
Abaco hotels    
Out Islands hotels  
 

 
 
   
 
COPYRIGHT © 2012 SITE MAP | TERMS & CONDITIONS | ABOUT CARIBBEAN.COM | ADD A LISTING | PRIVACY