TCI News
Protocols for Returning Residents During Re-Opening of Turks and Caicos Islands Borders
Residents Must Complete TCI Assured Travel Authorization to be Granted Entry
#GRAND TURK, Turks and Caicos Islands (July 14, 2020) – The Government of the Turks & Caicos Islands is preparing for the re-opening of the Turks and Caicos Islands, which will begin on July 22nd and allow for the resumption of international commercial flights to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Recently announced regulations state that residents who wish to return to the Turks and Caicos Islands beginning July 22nd will be required to obtain travel authorization by applying through the TCI Assured portal on the Tourist Board’s website – www.turksandcaicostourism.com.
All returning residents will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from an accredited laboratory to the portal to receive the travel authorization certificate. The test must have been taken no more than five days prior to travel to the Turks and Caicos Islands. An original copy of the test result must also be presented upon arrival. Select individuals are exempt from the testing requirement which includes children under the age of ten.
Every resident who is not a beneficiary under the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) will be required to also provide evidence of a health insurance policy that includes insurance coverage for COVID-19 medical costs; and full hospitalization, doctors’ visits, prescriptions and air ambulance.
Additionally, each applicant must complete a health screening questionnaire, travel authorization form and certify that they have read the privacy policy document. Upon arrival at the port of entry, residents will be subject to screening and temperature checks which may result in further clinical examination.
Persons suspected of having been exposed to, or having symptoms of, or tested positive for COVID-19, shall be placed under quarantine in a specified place for a period of fourteen days or such longer period until that person is found to have a negative PCR COVID-19 result or unless approved for medical repatriation, and shall be monitored by a health officer for COVID-19 during such period.
Where a parent or responsible adult having charge of a child under the age of ten years is required to be placed under quarantine, the child shall also be required to be placed under quarantine together with the parent or responsible adult.
A resident who is made subject to quarantine or hospitalization shall bear the costs of all treatment received and the costs for accommodation and board. Once on island, returning residents are encouraged to continue practicing social distancing measures, regularly wash hands or use hand sanitizers, and wearing masks or face coverings in public.
Failure to comply with the stated requirements to produce a TCI Assured Travel Authorization will result in a fine.
It is recommended that all residents interested in returning to the Turks and Caicos Islands review the Public and Environmental Health (COVID-19) (Arriving Passengers Health Clearance) Regulations 2020 by visiting https://www.gov.tc/moh/coronavirus/regulations.
The TCI Assured Travel Authorization Portal will be accessible by visiting https://travelauthorisation.turksandcaicostourism.com.
All COVID-19 inquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Health. For questions or concerns, please visit the Ministry of Health website, www.gov.tc/moh/coronavirus; email: COVID19@gov.tc; or call the hotline numbers, (649) 232-9444 and (649) 333-0911.
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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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 11 February 2026: The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) coordinated a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 29 January 2026, led by the Planning Department, with support from the Crown Land
Unit, the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, and security provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The operation, carried out at three different locations in Providenciales, formed part of ongoing government efforts to address unauthorised development and illegal occupation of land in accordance with governing legislation.
The operation commenced in Blue Hills, where five Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on unauthorised structures identified on Block and Parcel 60502/48.
Enforcement activity then moved to a second location off the Leeward Highway near Caicos Lodge, where six Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on additional unauthorised structures on Block and Parcel 60802/66.
The final phase of the operation took place in The Bight, where three unauthorised structures were removed, with all debris cleared from the site in keeping with established safety and environmental protocols.
The Informal Settlements Unit remains committed to working alongside its partner agencies to support lawful development, protect public and private land, and ensure that planning regulations are enforced in a coordinated and transparent manner across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Similar joint operations will continue as part of the Government’s wider strategy to address unauthorised development and informal settlement activity.
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