TCI News
TCI: Police request for fingerprints not lawful and the UK knows it
#Providenciales, March 8, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – It is not legal to demand or expect fingerprints as a form of identification in the Turks and Caicos Islands, yet, fingerprints are now being required in the application process for Police Records or Character Certificates at the Records Office of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.
A few residents have expressed concern to Magnetic Media about the new measure, due to take effect on Monday March 11, which seems to have caught even elected officials off guard.
There is increasingly, the challenge of forged documents within the Turks and Caicos, and this ‘fingerprint requirement’ may be yet another effort to outwit the devious and illegal practice of creating fake police records, however, it is not lawful and the Police Commissioner, James Smith appears to have authorized a serious measure in breach of the law.
It is so serious in fact, that when the Governor’s Office notified the general public in March 2018 of the need of biometrics (including fingerprints) in order to apply for British Passports, there were clear explanations and procedures also outlined in order to assure applicants that their rights to privacy and protection were being respected.
The notice from H.E. said: The service does not store biometrics on the equipment, but sends the information directly, within seconds of enrolment, to the UK via a secure link. Once received safely in the UK, all details are immediately deleted from the equipment in the Governor’s Office…. If an application for British nationality is successful, and upon completion of the Citizenship Ceremony, biometrics will be deleted from the United Kingdom’s biometric database.”
The United Kingdom, in the notice dated March 7, 2018 is careful not to overstep human rights while ensuring its country and citizens are protected. There seems to be a different standard in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Public Notice, shared with Magnetic Media yesterday in part says, “Starting on Monday March 11, 2019 all persons applying for a Police Record can have their fingerprints taken at the Stanley Williams Barracks on Old Airport Road, Providenciales… After completing the fingerprint process, applicants will then apply for the police record by visiting the Police Records Office at Police Headquarters.”
Sure, it was last year, an illegal drivers’ license ring was busted up and in recent years, there have been several arrests and resignations at the Ministry of Border Control and Immigration related to ‘home-spun’ work permits. On February 25, government was due to begin electronic birth certificates brought on largely because of the prevalence of forgeries.
Still, residents say the measure makes an already tedious process even more exhaustive and add to that, it is not legal.
Police Records or Character Certificates are powerful documents, used to secure jobs and for travel into countries like the United States.
Magnetic Media reached out to several attorneys on the issue. It was confirmed to us that fingerprints are not legal. One attorney says he has written to the Police Commissioner.
Our request to Police for explanation of the sudden and unlawful requirement remained unanswered up to news publication time.
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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 20 February 2026 — The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), in collaboration with key
government agencies, coordinated a multi-agency enforcement exercise on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at Block and Parcel 60609/33 in the Five Cays area.
The exercise was led by the Crown Land Unit, pursuant to its statutory mandate under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land. The ISU coordinated the operation, with support provided by the Planning Department and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, while the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force ensured security throughout the activity.
The enforcement action followed a series of inspections conducted by the Crown Land Unit throughout Five Cays, which identified several illegally constructed buildings made of concrete and timber on sections of the subject parcel. In keeping with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance, occupied structures were served Letters of Illegal Occupation, delivered by hand to occupants and
posted on structures where individuals were absent. Incomplete and unoccupied structures were served Notices of Unauthorized Occupation pursuant to section 22 of the Ordinance. A total of ten (10) Letters of Illegal Occupation and three (3) Notices of Unauthorized Occupation were issued during the exercise.
The Informal Settlements Unit reiterates that these coordinated enforcement exercises form part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to uphold the law, protect Crown land, and manage informal settlements in a structured and lawful manner. Members of the public are reminded that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown land is unlawful and subject to enforcement action.
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
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