The British Virgin Islands has announced an update to its travel rules, removing the on-arrival test requirement for fully vaccinated travelers. 

Up until now, travelers had to take both a test before arriving in the BVI and one upon arrival — now that’s been changed, with fully vaccinated travelers exempt from the on-arrival test if they show their negative test result and proof of vaccination. 

Fully vaccinated travelers still need to show proof of a negative PCR result within 72 hours before travel or an antigen test within 48 hours before travel, along with proof of vaccination. 

The protocols for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers are the same; unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers have to seek travel authorization on the BVI Gateway portal, test upon arrival, and quarantine for seven and four days, respectively. 

Clive McCoy, the British Virgin Islands’ Director of Tourism, said the new rules were “another step towards easing the COVID-19 protocols for travelers arriving in the British Virgin Islands. “We are very encouraged with the response from travelers to the phased relaxation of our protocols, as our tourism partners have reported strong bookings for the 2021/2022 tourism season, reminiscent of pre-pandemic numbers. However, we still caution guests and the local population to strictly adhere to all the existing protocols that will ensure our safety, including, social distancing, mask wearing and observing hygiene and sanitization best practices.”

— CJ