Do you need a passport for a US Virgin Islands yacht charter?

No, you do not need a passport for a US Virgin Islands yacht charter if you are a U.S. citizen. The USVI is a U.S. territory, so flying into St. Thomas and sailing St. John or St. Croix counts as domestic travel: a REAL ID-compliant license, the one with the star in the corner, gets you aboard. Bring the passport anyway. Most St. Thomas itineraries hop across the Drake Channel to the British Virgin Islands, and the BVI is a foreign country: every guest needs a valid passport plus proof of onward travel to clear in by private vessel. Non-U.S. citizens need a passport plus whatever U.S. visa or ESTA the mainland requires, and the visa route adds a compliant 2×2-inch photo on a plain white background: VisaReadyNow’s US Virgin Islands photo guide breaks down that spec. The Vital Charters US Virgin Islands page maps which itineraries stay domestic, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection publishes the official rule.