VERIFY viewer Ana asked if Puerto Ricans are required to show passports to travel in the U.S. Here’s what we found.
A Puerto Rican family traveling to the island from their home in California was denied travel by Spirit Airlines in April because they didn’t have a passport.
Their story was told on May 18 by CBS reporter David Begnaud, who talked about the dilemma in a TikTok video that has since gone viral. According to Begnaud, Marivi Roman Torres and her family were stopped at a Spirit Airlines counter at Los Angeles International Airport and denied boarding because they didn’t have a passport for their toddler.
There have been other incidents of confusion. Another video from Begnaud shows a worker at a car rental company telling a Puerto Rican customer that he needs a passport to rent a car in Louisiana. Google searches show that people are also wondering whether U.S. citizens need a passport to travel to Puerto Rico. VERIFY viewer Ana asked us if that was true.
THE QUESTION
Do Puerto Ricans need a passport to travel to the U.S.?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, Puerto Ricans don’t need a passport to travel to the U.S.
WHAT WE FOUND
Since 1898, Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory, and for the last 100 years, its residents have been non-voting U.S. citizens of the territory.
When Puerto Ricans fly to the mainland, Customs and Border Control – which