Question About Travel to Puerto Rico

[mike101 8]

I need to travel to Puerto Rico on a business trip in July and will also be bringing my Fiancee to the USA in June on a K1 Visa if everything gets approved. My question is will she be ok to travel with my to Puerto Rico or could she possibly face problems trying to re-enter the USA? We plan on getting married in August and this trip will happen before her status is adjusted.

I've never been to Puerto Rico before and dont know if we will need to pass through Customs and Immigration upon return.

Thank you,

[Tom_Jim 40]

She would be able to travel to Puerto Rico. DHS has required that people travelling to PR by air and sea present passports and valid forms of entry visas.

[Otto 83]

** Moving thread from Removing Conditions to Working & Traveling During US Immigration.

[dakay ♥ 10]

5.12)...Is it okay for us to go to the US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico on our honeymoon without Advance Parole? A...Maybe not a wise thing to do. Even though these islands are US territories or possessions, you may have to deal with Immigration and Customs to get back to the United States. You might have trouble getting back home if you encounter an insane USCIS (INS) inspector, plus, there are too many opportunities to "technically" leave US jurisdiction (by visiting the adjacent islands, for example). Best to take the honeymoon somewhere in the 50 States, where there is plenty to see and do. A..Let me make it as clear as it was explained to me and which the regulation bears out: So long as the K-1'er does not depart ("depart" is also defined in the reg.) the US after making a legal entry s/he can travel to any other location which includes the USVI, PR, Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska. The inspector I spoke to gave clear examples. (My alien fiancée) can enter the US and we can fly directly from the mainland to the USVI. We can go wherever we want on the islands so long as we don't "touch" ground or water not under US jurisdiction. When we leave she shows her K-1 and I-94 to immigration (which shows she legally entered the US) and off we fly directly to the mainland. However, if while we are there (USVI) we decided to take a trip to the British islands then she would be denied re-entry. I know I used "directly" in this example but we could fly "outbound" mainland-PR-USVI and "inbound" USVI-PR-mainland without fear because in this case she never "departs" the US. Inspectors (both mainland and USVI) told me that this is not an unusual occurrence. They see K-1'ers all the time.

source: Entering the US on K1 Visa

[Ken y Leidys 20]

source: Entering the US on K1 Visa

My wife and I were pondering the same exact island. Her Advance Parole papers should arrive soon, but I haven't bought any airline tickets yet. Miami is insanely expensive, so is Hawaii. San Francisco is cold, so Puerto Rico seems like a great alternative. Keep us posted, Mike on what you and your Fiancee plan on doing.

-Ken