Information - About Turks and Caicos

• Accommodations
• Airports
• Canadian/American Embassies
• Churches
• Climate
• Currency
• Customs Formalities
• Departure Tax
• Entry Requirements
• Electricity
• Excursions
• Medical Insurance
• Medical Services
• Pets
• Phone Directory
• Radio and Television
• Restaurants
• Time Zone
• Telecommunications/Internet
• Transportation

About Turks & Caicos

Accommodations

Find out information about where to stay in Providenciales.

Airports

Direct flights currently arrive from Miami, New York, Charlotte, Boston, Atlanta, Toronto and London.  If you want to travel between the Turks and Caicos Islands , both SkyKing and Air Turks & Caicos have daily scheduled flights that can be reserved on a day’s notice.

Canadian/American Embassies in Turks and Caicos

There are no designated Canadian and American Embassy/Consulate offices in the Turks & Caicos – should you require their assistance, you will need to contact the Jamaican Consulate of Canada which governs Monteg Bay, Jamaica, Turks & Bahamas for Canadian traveling abroad and the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, Bahamas for American traveling abroad.

Consulate of Canada Turks & Caicos

Address: 29 Gloucester Street, Montego Bay, Jamaica  
Tel.: (876) 952 – 6198
Fax: (876) 952 – 3953
E-Mail: cancon@cwjamaica.com

The U.S. Embassy to the Turks and Caicos is the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, Bahamas.
Tel.:  Monday-Friday at telephone (242) 322-1181
After-Hours: (242) 328 – 2206
Fax: (242) 356 – 7174
Website: http://nassau.usembassy.gov
Office Hours: 1p.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10a.m. to 12pm/noon Friday (except for U.S. and Bahamian holidays).

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Churches

Churches are the center of community life and there are many faiths represented in the islands, including: Adventist, Anglican, Bhah’i, Baptist, Catholic, Church of God of Prophecy, Episcopal, Faith Tabernacle Church of God, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Methodist and Pentecostal. 

Climate

The average year-around temperature is 83°F (28°C).  Casual resort and leisure wear is accepted attire for daytime; light sweaters or jackets may be necessary on some breezy evenings.  Its wise to wear protective clothing and a sunhat  use waterproof sunscreen when out in the tropical sun.

Currency

The United States dollar.  The Treasury also issues a Turks & Caicos crown and quarter. Travellers cheques in U.S. dollars are widely accepted and other currency can be changed at local banks. American Express, VISA and MasterCard are welcomed at many locations.

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Customs formalities

Visitors may bring in duty free for their own use—one carton of cigarettes or cigars, one bottle of liquor or wine and some perfume.  The importation of all firearms, including those charged with compressed air, without prior approval in writing from the Commissioner of Police, is strictly forbidden.  Spear guns, Hawaiian slings, controlled drugs and pornography are also illegal.

Returning residents may bring in $400 worth of merchandise per person duty free.  A duty of 10% to 30% is charged on most imported goods.

Departure Tax

US $35, for all persons two years or older, payable in cash or traveller’s cheques. It is typically built into the cost of your ticket.

Entry requirements

Passport.  A valid onward or return ticket is also required.  Check your airline for luggage restrictions.

Electricity

120/240 volts, 60Hz, suitable for all U.S. and Canadian appliances.

Excursions

Find out information about excursions in Providenciales.

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Medical Insurance

The U.S. Department of State and the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade strongly urges its citizens to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.

Supplemental Health Insurance

Do not rely on your provincial health plan to cover costs if you get sick or are injured while abroad. At best, your health plan will cover only a portion of the bill. It is your responsibility to obtain and understand the terms of your supplementary travel insurance policy.

Some credit card companies offer their holders health and travel insurance. Do not assume that coverage is automatically included or that the card alone provides adequate coverage. Some companies charge an additional premium for travel coverage. Others require that you pay for your travel arrangements using that card. Verify the conditions, limitations and requirements before departure.

Be sure to ask whether your policy:

• Has an in-house, worldwide emergency hotline you can call if you are in trouble. Find out whether it operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week; if the operators are multilingual; and whether nurses or physicians are on staff.
• Pays foreign hospital and related medical costs and, if so, whether it pays up front or expects you to pay and be reimbursed later.
• Provides for medical evacuation to Canada, the United States or the nearest location with appropriate medical care.
• Pays for a medical escort (doctor or nurse) to accompany you during evacuation. This service can cost as much as $100,000 U.S. if it is not included in your plan.

Medical Services

There are no endemic tropical diseases in TCI. In addition to the government clinic on Providenciales and a small hospital on Grand Turk, the islands have several private general practitioners.  Other services available include: emergency room, dental, chiropractic, physiotherapy, optometry, pharmacy, X-ray, ultrasound and a recompression chamber.  In a medical emergency, patients are flown to full-service hospitals in Miami or Nassau via air ambulance.

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Pets

There is no quarantine period for incoming pets.  You will need to present a signed veterinary certificate, dated within on month of travel, stating that the animal is in good health, free of contagious or infectious disease and vaccinated against rabies and distemper to the Public Health Inspector, who will examine your pet upon arrival.

Phone Directory

Add Area Code “649” before dialing

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Radio and Television

Providenciales' most popular local music stations are 92.5, 90.5 and 88.7 FM, but if you scan you will find some French-speaking and local Christina talk radio.  Cable and satellite TV is standard in hotel rooms, but if you want a taste of local life, only WIV, channel 4, will give it to you.

Restaurants

Find out information about restaurants in Providenciales.

Time Zone

Eastern Standard Time/Daylight Savings Time observed

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Telecommunications/Internet

Cable and Wireless Ltd. operates state-of-the-art domestic and international telecommunications services on a totally digital network.  Worldwide direct dialing, telex, facsimile, toll free 1-800, cellular and internet services, including public kiosks, are available.  Digicel also operates a GSM mobile network.

North American visitors who bring TDMA or GSM handsets and have an overseas roaming agreement with AT&T or Cingular can use their cell phones in the Islands, with calls billed to their home account.

Most hotels have computer services, but if yours doesn’t, TCI online in Ports of Call or The Computer Guy’s Internet Café on Leeward Highway are your best options.

Transportation

A valid driver’s license from home is suitable when renting vehicles.  A government tax of US$15 is levied on all rental contracts (insurance is extra).  Driving is on the left-hand side of the road, with traffic flow controlled by round-abouts at major junctions.  Please don’t drink and drive!  Taxis are abundant throughout the islands and there is regular shuttle bus service between popular visitor areas.  Motorcycle and mountain bike rentals are also available.

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