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Export from the United States Virgin Islands
A short guide for companies selling from the United States Virgin Islands: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.
1. What the United States Virgin Islands sells, and who buys it
Goods exports
US$3.99 billion
Merchandise exports were US$3,986,777,595 in 2023; petroleum products, shipped while the Saint Croix refinery stayed closed, were 84 percent of them.
Source: VIBER, 2023 USVI economy review, trade and economy (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
Visitor spendingEstimate
US$1.83 billion
Visitor spending was US$1,828.5 million in 2024, the Bureau's estimate; this is tourism receipts, not a services total.
Source: VIBER, annual tourism indicator, 2024 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2024
Top goods exports
2023
- 1. Petroleum productsUS$3.35 billion
- 2. RumUS$102.9 million
- Only two lines are ranked because the Bureau's tables name petroleum products and rum; petroleum was 84 percent of 2023 exports and has no Harmonized System code. Source (opens in a new tab)
- The petroleum value is the Bureau's text figure of US$3.35 billion; its table prints US$3.3 billion for 2023 and US$2.5 billion for 2022, so the change is approximate. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Petroleum is re-exported fuel, not made by an operating refinery, so it is not a product a small company can make. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Petroleum products, re-exported while the Saint Croix refinery stays closed (since 2015, the Bureau says), were 84 percent of 2023 exports; all other exports were 16 percent. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: VIBER, 2023 USVI economy review, trade and economy (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
Where the goods go
2023, share of goods exports
- United States15%
- The Bureau's table names one destination, the United States; the other US$3,386,899,595 went to foreign countries it does not name, so only one share is shown. Source (opens in a new tab)
- The share uses the Bureau's 2023 export total of US$3,986,777,595, the same table. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Foreign exports are almost all petroleum: the Bureau's Table 2 puts 2023 petroleum to foreign destinations at US$3.3 billion of US$3.39 billion; most rum goes to the United States. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: VIBER, 2023 USVI economy review, trade and economy (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
- Fewer than 10 product lines are meaningful because the Bureau names only two; the page should not pad the list. Source (opens in a new tab)
2. What to look into next
Our reading
Extractive lines (petroleum products) make up about 84% of the United States Virgin Islands’s goods exports, so the totals mostly describe that trade. For another product, look at demand for your own line, market by market.
Sources: VIBER, 2023 USVI economy review, trade and economy (opens in a new tab); VIBER, 2023 USVI economy review, trade and economy (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Based on: Top goods exports and goods exports
Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.
3. Trade agreements
What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.
Duty-free entry of Virgin Islands articles into the United States, 48 U.S.C. 1394
Goods made in the Virgin Islands may enter the United States free of duty within a foreign-material limit set by federal law.
Rules-based preference: the limit applied at entry is set in the tariff schedule's General Note 3(a)(iv), not read here, so confirm it before you price.
Source: United States Code, 48 U.S.C. 1394, current to October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 15, 2026
4. Steps to export
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Exporting from the United States Virgin Islands
- Get a Virgin Islands business license; it needs a trade name certificate, a tax clearance letter, a police check and zoning, fire and health reviews.Department of Licensing and Consumer AffairsOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Virgin Islands DLCA, steps for obtaining a license (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- For goods shipped to the mainland, confirm with a customs broker that they meet the foreign-material limit for duty-free entry before you quote prices.U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: United States Code, 48 U.S.C. 1394, current to October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 15, 2026
- For goods shipped to foreign countries, file Electronic Export Information in the Automated Export System.U.S. Census BureauOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Census Bureau, Automated Export System filing page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Ask the Authority about State Trade Expansion Program help with trade missions, trade shows and market trips.Virgin Islands Economic Development AuthorityOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: USVIEDA, export and expand page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more export step
- For fruit, vegetables and animals, check the Department of Agriculture's Medfly quarantine and animal import pages before you ship.Virgin Islands Department of AgricultureOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Virgin Islands Agriculture, Medfly quarantine page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
5. Organizations that help exporters
Start with BIR and VIBER. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Export development and market information
- Research markets
Territorial statistics office
VIBER
Bureau of Economic Research
Publishes trade, price, tourism and employment tables for the territory.
Visit VIBER (opens in a new tab)Source: VIBER, home page, economic reports (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Get advice
Small business advising center
VI SBDC
Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center
Gives no-cost advising on export strategy, market research, compliance planning and financing.
Visit VI SBDC (opens in a new tab)Source: VI SBDC, international trade page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 9, 2025
Show 1 more organization
- Research markets
National statistics agency
Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau
Runs the Automated Export System and publishes trade statistics, including shipments from the Virgin Islands.
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Territorial tax authority
BIR
Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue
Administers and enforces the territory's tax laws, including income, gross receipts and excise taxes.
Visit BIR (opens in a new tab)Source: Virgin Islands OMB, revenue estimating conference, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 21, 2025
- Meet requirements
Port and airport authority
VIPA
Virgin Islands Port Authority
Operates the territory's seaports and airports used for cargo and passenger traffic.
Visit VIPA (opens in a new tab)Source: Virgin Islands Port Authority, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Standards and sector requirements
Planning and permitting department
DPNR
Department of Planning and Natural Resources
Handles zoning review, building and coastal zone permits and environmental protection permits.
Visit DPNR (opens in a new tab)Source: Virgin Islands DPNR, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Meet requirements
Agriculture department
VIDA
Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture
Posts the Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine for Saint Croix and animal import rules for growers and shippers.
Visit VIDA (opens in a new tab)Source: Virgin Islands Agriculture, Medfly quarantine page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more organization
- Meet requirements
National standards agency
NIST
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Hosts the United States technical barriers to trade enquiry point for questions on foreign product standards.
Visit NIST (opens in a new tab)Source: NIST, United States technical barriers enquiry point (opens in a new tab) · as of March 2, 2026
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
St. Thomas-St. John Chamber
St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce
Offers networking, workshops, events and advocacy for businesses on Saint Thomas and Saint John.
Visit St. Thomas-St. John Chamber (opens in a new tab)Source: VI SBDC, manufacturing and onshoring hub page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 9, 2025
6. Worth knowing
Petroleum exports
Petroleum products, re-exported fuel, were US$3.35 billion, 84 percent of 2023 exports; the refinery closed in 2015, and the Governor sought a reopening review in September 2026.
What to do: Do not treat the petroleum line as a product a small company can make.
Sources: VIBER, 2023 USVI economy review, trade and economy (opens in a new tab); Government of the Virgin Islands, federal coordination address, September 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Customs border
The territory lies outside the customs territory of the United States, and federal law treats its shipments to the mainland as imports with a duty-free exception.
What to do: Confirm duty-free eligibility before you quote a mainland buyer.
Sources: United States Code, 48 U.S.C. 1394, current to October 2026 (opens in a new tab); Census Bureau, trade with Puerto Rico and possessions, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
7. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
- Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
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Promote:United States Virgin Islands is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 1, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.