Capital: Cockburn Town
Time zone: GMT – 5 (GMT -4 from first Sunday in April to Saturday before the last Sunday in October)
Telephone services: Country Code: 1649
Outgoing Code: 01
Emergency telephone numbers: All services – 911
Tourist information: Turks and Caicos Tourist Information Office, International House, 47 Chase Side, Enfield, EN2 6NB Tel: (020) 8364 45188 Fax: (020) 8367 9949.
Passport information: Valid passport required by all except nationals of Canada and the USA if holding proof of identity. Return Ticket required. Requirements may be subject to short term change. Contact embassy before departure.
Visa information: Visa required by all except: Nationals of Great Britain, Australia, Canada, USA, EU countries, Japan. Nationals of commonwealth countries. Nationals of Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Quatar, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Korea, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, Yemen and Zaire. Transit visas are not required except for nationals of communist countries.
Health information: Polio, Typhoid: Vaccination recommended.
Food & drink: Water is untreated and not safe to drink. Drinking water should be filtered and boiled and visitors should avoid eating food purchased from local street vendors. Avoid dairy products as they are not pasteurised. Fruit and vegetables should be peeled before consumption.
Currency: US Dollar (US$) = 100 cents.
All major credit cards are accepted. Travellers cheques are widely accepted, preferably in US dollars.
ATM availability: Unavailable.
Cost of living: Extremely expensive. Hotels range from standard to 2 luxury and 2 deluxe, with private beaches and moorings.
Languages: English
Weather: Tropical climate with cool winds. Nights are cool with rain in the winter.
Electricity: 110 volts AC
Post: 5 days
Transport: ROAD: Less than a quarter of the roads are tarred. TAXI: Available at the airport but may be scarce meaning they may have to be shared. CAR HIRE: Limited selection available from local firms. DOCUMENTATION: A local licence is obtainable on presentation of a national or IDP licence.
Special information: The islands consist of 30 in total, forming the southern eastern Bahamas chain. Access is primarily by boat, although the larger islands have airports. Turks and Caicos are a British Dependant Territory.