Guidance

Turks and Caicos Islands: Knowledge Base profile

Published 9 April 2024

About: Turks and Caicos Islands

This document contains useful information about Turks and Caicos Islands which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0
• published for Home Office staff on 3 April 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Turks and Caicos Islands: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Turks and Caicos Islands: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British overseas territory.

Dual nationality is recognised in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

‘Belonger status’ is a legal term normally associated with British overseas territories. It refers to people who have close ties to a specific territory, normally by birth or ancestry. The requirements for ‘belonger status’ vary from territory to territory.

If the customer has belonger status in a territory, it’s the same as having indefinite leave to remain or indefinite leave to enter (being settled).

Belonger status can be obtained if a person:

• has lived in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 15 years or more
• is married to a citizen with belonger status, and has lived in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 5 years or more

A person with belonger status will be issued with a certificate showing their status or a letter confirming an earlier certificate by the Turks and Caicos Islands immigration office.

A citizen of the Turks and Caicos Islands can gain belonger status, meaning they do not have to get their passports stamped on entry to the Islands.

Turks and Caicos Islands: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Legitimacy

Turks and Caicos Islands recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered as:

• legitimate:
  • if parents are married
  • from the time of marriage, if the child was born to unmarried parents and they get married
• illegitimate if the child is born to unmarried parents and they do not marry

Parental responsibility

Both parents hold parental responsibility in Turks and Caicos Islands for the child if married at time of birth.

If parents are not married parental responsibility is granted to the mother only, unless there are known:

• facts of inappropriate behaviour
• mental or social issues

Any court orders provided by a foreign court are not enforceable or legally recognised.

Turks and Caicos Islands: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Adoption is legal in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Turks and Caicos Islands: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Transgender citizens are recognised in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Turks and Caicos Islands: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Same sex relationships are allowed in the Turks and Caicos Islands. There is no provision for marriage or civil partnerships between same sex couples.

Turks and Caicos Islands: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Birth certificates

Birth certificates are issued following the registration of all births in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The birth records are all held on a central record and only one type of birth certificate is issued.

Marriage certificates

Marriage certificates are issued following all marriages in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The marriage records are all held in a central registry and there are 2 types of marriage certificate in circulation. These include:

• an old style certificate, handwritten with a wax seal in the bottom right corner
• a new style certificate

Naturalisation and registration certificates

A change was made to the naturalisation and registration certificates issued to the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2012.

Prior to 2012, these naturalisation and registration certificates did not have a subsection to state how the citizen became a British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC). These details were added to the certificates from 2012 onwards.