Road Town. Tortola - As we approach the hurricane season, the Governor's Office on behalf of the Consular Directorate of the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) wishes to remind British nationals to ensure that their travel documents are in order.

Copies should be made of key documents, including passports, birth certificates, work permits and drivers' licenses, and stored in a safe place, separate from the originals. The original documents should be kept with you in waterproof bags or containers during any emergency situation, particularly in the event of an approaching hurricane or tropical storm.

For those people who may wish to travel to the United States (US) either before, or immediately after a hurricane, it is essential that your documents are in order. It is extremely unlikely that anyone without appropriate documentation will be allowed to enter the US in any circumstances.

 Those who do plan to travel to the US should also be aware that the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) only operates for commercial flights and they should therefore also obtain a US visa if travelling on charter or private flights. Those nationals looking to travel under the VWP should also apply online for Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).

British passport holders should note that the British High Commission in Barbados no longer processes passport renewals. All British passports must be sent to the UK Passport Service Centre in Washington DC. This is the new passport production centre for the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the region.

Governor's Office, PO Box 702, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Telephone: (1) 284 494 2370/2345. Fax: (1) 284 494 5790. Email: Govoffice.Tortola@fco.gov.uk

The mailing address is: The UK Passport Service Centre for the Americas and Caribbean, British Embassy, 19 Observatory Circle, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA. Further details, including forms and fees, can be found on the British Embassy’s website at http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports.

To avoid being without travel documents during Hurricane Season only, applicants will not need to send their current passports with the renewal application. They will however need to provide a photocopy. The old passport must only be used for emergency travel.

British passport holders should note that they are able to renew their passports at a Passport Office in the UK providing the holder is in the UK at the time. Details of this service can be found at . This is because the passport issuing system will electronically cancel the old passport when the new one is being processed and applicants risk travelling on an invalid travel document. When the new passport is received, applicants should call into the Governor's Office to complete the cancellation process.www.passport.gov.uk/passport_index.asp.

This change does not affect applications for British Overseas Territories Citizen passports, which will continue to be processed by the Civil Registry and Passport Office as before.British nationals travelling and living abroad are encouraged to register with the FCO using a new improved online registration service called LOCATE https://www.locate.fco.gov.uk/locateportal/

The Governor's Office would like to remind all other foreign nationals in the British Virgin Islands that the advice above also applies to them. If you have not already done so, you should consider registering with your nearest Consular mission. Further details can be found on your own government web pages.