This page was last updated on 20 September, 2021.
At a Glance
Travel Restrictions
Entry For Vaccinated Travelers: Partially Allowed
Vaccination Requirements: Some fully-vaccinated residents (not tourists) will not be required to take and upload the COVID-19 test to the TCI Assured portal. All persons, including fully-vaccinated persons, must still obtain the TCI Assured travel authorization.
To benefit from this exemption on testing, a resident must:
Have taken the COVID-19 vaccine in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Have taken both required doses of the vaccine.
Have taken the second dose at least two weeks prior to travel.
Be on the Government’s register of COVID-19 vaccinated persons.
This is applicable to residents only. Tourists and visitors must submit a negative COVID-19 test regardless of their vaccination status.
If a resident does not meet all 4 points above, they are not eligible to be exempted from obtaining a COVID-19 test prior to entry.
Tourist Entry: Allowed
Testing: Negative PCR test is required for all countries.
Quarantine Required: No
Quarantine Details: No quarantine required
Local Restrictions
Lockdown in Effect: Partial
Events: Allowed
Transport: Operational
Shopping: Open
Restaurants and Bars: Open with restrictions
Detailed Travel Advisory
Published 16.09.2021
1. Passengers and airline crew must obtain a travel authorization at http://turksandcaicostourism.com at least 24 hours before departure.
– This does not apply to:
– airline crew who stay for a maximum of 24 hours;
– merchant seamen.
2. Passengers and airline crew must have a negative COVID-19 test taken at most 3 days before departure. Tests accepted are: antigen, NAAT, PCR, RNA and RT-PCR. The test result must specify that it is based on nasopharyngeal and/or oropharyngeal swab.
– This does not apply to:
– residents of Turks and Caicos Isl. with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 15 days (day of vaccination + 14 days) before arrival;
– airline crew staying for less than 24 hours;
– merchant seamen;
– passengers younger than 10 years.
3. Passengers and airline crew must have a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 15 days (day of vaccination + 14 days) before arrival. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (SK Bioscience), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covishield, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax) or Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty). A combination of vaccines is accepted.
– This does not apply to:
– residents of Turks and Caicos Isl.;
– airline crew staying for less than 24 hours;
– merchant seamen;
– passengers younger than 16 years.
4. Passengers must have insurance to cover COVID-19 expenses.
5. Passengers are subject to medical screening and quarantine.
Detailed Tourist Information
TCI Assured is an online portal where all international travelers (both visitors and residents) will be required to obtain certification before traveling to the Turks and Caicos.
TCI Assured is also the name for the mandatory quality assurance scheme for hotels, villas, restaurants, and transportation vehicles. All businesses must be TCI Assured and display the certification sticker.
The TCI Assured pre-authorization portal will require travelers to submit the following information:
-All visitors 16 years of age and over must be fully-vaccinated (see below for details). This is in addition to all other requirements
-A negative COVID-19 test result (see below for acceptable test types). The test must be taken within 3 days prior to travel to the TCI. Children under the age of 10 are excluded from this requirement.
-Insurance which covers COVID-19 medical costs and full hospitalization, doctors’ visits, prescriptions and air ambulance. Visitors are fully responsible for the cost of quarantine in the event they test positive during their stay.
-A completed online health screening questionnaire.
If you are a resident of the Turks and Caicos, see the updated entry requirements at the bottom of this.
Once uploaded, the documents will be verified and certification issued.
For details on normal visa and passport requirements, see Passports and Visas (https://www.visittci.com/travel-info/passports-and-visas)
What does fully-vaccinated mean?
Fully-vaccinated means 14 days after receiving the second dose of an approved vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Comirnaty, Spikevax, Vaxzevria or Johnson and Johnson/Janssen). In the case of the Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccine, this is 14 days after receipt of the single dose.
You must have received your second dose (or single dose in the case of Johnson and Johnson) at least 14 days prior to arrival or entry will be denied.
Proof of Vaccination
Proof of vaccination is either a digital or paper record uploaded to the TCI Assured Portal. Acceptable forms are:
-E-certificate/digital certificate (such as those from CVS, Walgreens, or the NHS).
-Certification issued by a doctor or government entity.
-Vaccination cards/certificates accepted by national authorities.
-A letter signed by a medical professional (physician or registered nurse) on official letterhead with contact details. Doctor’s registration or license numer should be included with details of the first and second dose (date, country and vaccine you received).
-Authorized government entity record or printed record from an electronic vaccination database.
Exemptions to Mandatory Vaccination
The following persons are excempt from requiring a vaccine:
-Visitors under the age 16 (visitors age 10-15 must still provide a negative COVID-19 test, along with all other travelers).
-Visitors who are not able to take a COVID-19 vaccine due to medical reasons. However, written and signed proof from a medical professional clearly stating that they are medically exempted from taking the vaccine must be submitted to the online TCI Assured Portal. The reason must be clearly stated and will be reviewed by the Turks and Caicos Ministry of Health. If an exemption is granted to the individual, note that these persons will still be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test.
-Crew members of a cargo/commercial aircraft or cargo ship arriving for work and expected to remain for less than 24 hours.
-Crew members of air ambulances, which includes any medical personnel on board.
-Persons offering to provide emergency aid in times of crisis.
-Persons who have written permission from the Chief Medical Officer.
-Persons who are in-transit at the airport, or for purposes of connecting flights.
Please note that there are no exemptions to the vaccination requirement for religious reasons.
Details on the COVID-19 Test Required for Entry
You need a COVID-19 test to enter the Turks and Caicos. You must take the test no more than 3 days prior to arrival in the islands. Acceptable test types are:
-Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction tests (RT-PCR).
-Nucleic Acid Amplification tests (NAA).
-RNA or molecular tests.
-Antigen tests completed via nasopharyngeal swab.
The laboratory which processes your test must be accredited. The certificate from the laboratory which conducted the test should include the following:
-Name (must be same on the TCI Assured application and test result)
-Date of birth (must be same on the TCI Assured application and test result)
-Laboratory name and contact details
-Indication of laboratory credentials (CLIA, ISO 15189)
-Date and time of sample collection
-Type of test
-Type of sample
-Test result
Notes:
-For PCR tests: Only results from oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal samples are -accepted.
-For Antigen tests: Only results from nasopharyngeal samples are accepted.
-Self-administered home tests are not accepted.
-Antibody tests are not accepted.
Details on the Required Travel Insurance
Important: The names of these companies are provided for your convenience and are not endorsed or approved by Visit Turks and Caicos Islands or the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. If you have any questions about the validity of a service/insurance offering for entry into the Turks and Caicos, you are advised to contact the TCI Assured team at [email protected]
You must have travel insurance which covers COVID-19 medical costs and full hospitalization, doctors’ visits, prescriptions, and air ambulance. The following are TCI Assured suggested insurance providers:
Travelex
Seven Corners
TripMate
Aura
HTH World Wide
Allianz Global Assistance
Generali Insurance
Global Rescue
HDI Global
Travel Guard
Travel Insured International
Trawick
Arch RoamRight
Apex Travel Limited
Lockdown Details
The Turks and Caicos is open for tourism. There are a few COVID-19 public safety restrictions in place:
Masks are required in all public places until 31 October 2021. This applies to all persons over the age of 2 years. Persons not wearing a mask in a public place are subject to a $550 fine.
There is an 1 AM – 5 AM curfew on all islands until 31 October 2021.
Businesses must close at 12 AM (midnight) on all islands until 31 October 2021.
There are no restrictions on inter-island travel.
Restaurants and bars are open (restricted to 50% normal capacity).
Persons must be fully-vaccinated in order to enter a bar or club. Persons must provide Government-issued ID (which must include a photo, name, date of birth, and holographic mark) along with presenting proof of vaccination (such as their vaccination card). There is no exception to this rule and persons must have this information ready to present to a police officer on spot check to avoid a fine and prosecution. This information will be logged by owners of establishments and provided to the Government on a weekly basis.
Sources
https://www.visittci.com/travel-info/turks-and-caicos-travel-bans
Data Source: covidcontrols.co
