Two & a Half Months to get passports, UK strike affecting OTs

By Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

#TurksandCaicos, April 26, 2023 – Summer travel could really go south for some travellers if they delay renewing or applying for passports from the United Kingdom.  Turks and Caicos’ Ministry of Home Affairs is advising citizens to check their passports for expiry dates as the UK Passport Office strike is impacting the processing of the travel document for British Overseas Territories Citizens.

In a notice issued on Friday, the Department of Citizenship and Naturalization said the strike is causing delays.

“Given the current delays, all citizens of the Turks and Caicos Islands is reminded of the importance of checking the validity of their passports whether there are immediate plans to travel, or not and before purchasing airline tickets. The Passport Office further recommends that you should apply for a new passport ten (10) weeks before you are due to travel to avoid any delays in receiving your new passport.”

The Department recommends applying for your renewed passport at two and a half months before you are due to travel; which means even if you apply now, the document may not be returned to the islands until July.

It was hoped the strike would not impact overseas territories.  The previous Governor was of the view that it should not.  Now comes the grim report which also advises that emergency cases are restricted to medical, government business or compassionate travel due to an urgency related to a loved one.  The Passport Office strike runs April 3 through to May 5.

Specifically it said: “…TCI emergency passports which will be accepted on the basis of the following conditions: Request from InterHealth Canada regarding an EMERGENCY transfer of a patient to another country outside the Turks and Caicos Islands;  Urgent business travel by Government Officials and Parliamentarians and Any other travel that may be considered on compassionate grounds.”