A Cabinet Order gazetted on October 29, 2026 now exempts children under 11 years old born in the Virgin Islands from needing a visa to enter or stay in the territory, provided their parents are ordinarily resident there.
The exemption covers only those young people who do not hold a certificate issued under section 16 or section 18 of the Immigration and Passport Act. It does not grant belonger status, citizenship or a residence certificate; it removes solely the visa requirement for this defined group.
Cabinet invoked section 37(4) of the Immigration and Passport Act to issue the order. That section permits the government to exempt any person or class of persons from travel document requirements, either on a permanent basis or for a set period.
The measure targets families with locally born children who have not yet obtained the relevant residence or belonger-status certificates. It aims to reduce administrative hurdles while leaving other immigration controls intact.
Cabinet has previously relied on the same legal authority to exempt cruise passengers remaining in the territory for 24 hours or less and nationals of particular countries from visa requirements.
Parents seeking to establish whether their child qualifies should verify the child's place of birth, confirm the parents' ordinary residence status and check whether the child holds a section 16 or section 18 certificate before any travel or immigration proceedings.
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