Conch Republic Passports

For official US Government information on the "Conch Republic" passport, please see

Do not fall for the con artist who offers to sell you a "Conch Republic" passport, telling you that it is a valid travel document. These so-called passports are worthless and are sold in the Florida Keys only as tourist souvenirs. They are not legal travel documents.

"Conch Republic" passports are sold in Key West for the sum of $109. If you have paid any more than $109 for a "Conch Republic" passport, you are the victim of fraud. If you paid money believing that you were to receive a valid travel document in return, then you are a victim of fraud. The "Conch Republic" passport does not give you any rights to enter the United States. The US Embassy in New Delhi, India, states that "Conch Republic" passports are sold for $900 over the Internet. That is a profit to the fraud artist of  $791 of your hard-earned money for a worthless piece of paper.

Background

The Florida Keys are a string of islands stretching from the southeast Florida mainland in a westerly direction into the Caribbean Sea. The islands are all accessible by road, as there is an Overseas Highway from island to island. About midway through the chain is Marathon Island. The farthest western island is called Key West. All islands as a group are called "The Florida Keys".

The Florida Keys are popular vacation and tourist destinations. Key West, especially, has a reputation as a great place for artists, boaters and others who enjoy a relaxed, ocean-centered way of living. For a long time the local residents have referred to themselves as "Conches", due to the many conch shells that can be found on the island. This is a local nickname for Key West, just as "Big Apple" is a nickname for New York, or "The Windy City" for Chicago.

The Blockade

Some years back, in order to control drug and other contraband smuggling from the western Keys, US Customs set up a checkpoint along the Overseas Highway. Traffic backed up for miles. Since the Overseas Highway is the only way for residents and tourists to get in and out of the Florida Keys by car, the residents were furious. Tourism, the economic lifeblood of the area, suffered.

The civic leaders of Key West staged an unusual protest. They announced that they were seceding from the United States and forming an independent Conch Republic. A flag was designed and they began selling "Conch Republic" passports to tourist visitors and Florida Keys residents.

Of course, the "secession" was not at all legal. It was just a publicity stunt to call attention to the difficulties posed by the US Customs checkpoint. It worked. US Customs took down the checkpoint and traffic flowed freely through the Overseas Highway.

The Scam

We have learned, thanks to many web visitors, that "Conch Republic" passports are being offered by scam artists who tell their buyers these are legitimate travel documents, and the holder of  a "Conch Republic" passport can enter the United States legally. These scam artists pocket a large fee for providing this "passport", then disappear with the money. A "Google" search turned up several pages with stories of people from countries such as India asking if they could really get a "Conch Republic" passport and, therefore, legally enter the United States. The answer is No. Remember, the Florida Keys are all part of the State of Florida and, therefore, part of the United States. You have to have a US passport or, if not a US citizen, a proper passport of your own country and valid visa to enter the United States.

Please note that the scam artists are not the people who manufacture and sell the "Conch Republic" passport tourist souvenirs in Key West. The scam artists are those who re-sell the passports at a profit, falsely representing them as valid travel documents.

Protect Yourself

Do not fall prey to such a scam artist. Do not give such a person any money. Tell your friends and family. If you want to purchase a souvenir of the Florida Keys in the form of a "Conch Republic" passport, then do so, but remember that it is not a valid travel document. Do not pay any more than $109 for this souvenir. You will not be able to enter the "Conch Republic" nor the United States on this so-called passport.

More Information

The "Conch Republic" has a website where they publicize their Conch Republic passports. Have a look at that page, particularly the third "FAQ" where they state that they do not represent their passports as official travel documents. Note, also, that the address for corresponding with the "Conch Republic" is an address in Florida. "FL" is the United States Postal Service abbreviation for Florida. You cannot enter Key West (The "Conch Republic") without entering the United States.

09/26/2005