TURKS and CAICOS ISLANDSSome of the Frequently Asked Questions....
TURKS and CAICOS ISLANDS
TCI stands for the Turks and Caicos Islands in the
British West Indies.
 |
The Turks and Caicos Islands are situated approximately halfway between
Miami and San Juan (Puerto Rico), about 575 miles south-east of Florida. Geologically they form part of the Bahamas chain of islands, and lie just north of Hispaniola. |
Wrong! Although at times in history they were administered by Britain as either a colony of the Bahamas or Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands have been a country in their own right since the Federation of the West Indies ended in 1961, and remain to this day a British Dependent Territory.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a parliamentary democracy implementing the traditional Westminster model. A Legislative Assembly of 13 Members elected by universal adult suffrage sits in Grand Turk, the capital. They are joined by three appointed Members. A majority of the Legislative Assembly elects from amongst their number the Chief Minister, who then appoints four Cabinet Ministers with assigned portfolio responsibilities.
Executive Council, which is responsible for the day-to-day business of Goverment,
consists of the Chief Minister and the four Cabinet Ministers, as well as the Chief
Secretary (head of the Civil Service), the Attorney-General and the Permanent Secretary -
Finance. It is presided over by
Her Majesty the Queen's Representative, His Excellency the Governor.
 |
The United Kingdom remains responsible
for the offshore financial industry, law and order, defence and foreign affairs. |
The Islands have a well-developed judicial system based on the Common Law, Equity and the practice in England, adminstered by a Magistrate and by the resident Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Appeals lie upward to a panel of three judges sitting as the Court of Appeal, and thence to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England (effectively the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords).
The TCI have been developing steadily as a business and financial centre for almost 20 years. We have prepared a list of the Milestones in development of the jurisdiction.
American Airlines has at least one, and usually two, flights daily non-stop from Miami, Florida using Boeing 757 and 727 aircraft. The trip is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, landing at the Providenciales International Airport. There are onward connections for the short hop to Grand Turk and the family islands.
Providenciales is the centre for tourism and the financial industry, whilst Government is principally based in Grand Turk.
The TCI are gaining rapidly in popularity, and visitor arrivals are expected to top 100,000 in 1996.
The Trust Company is regrettably not able to entertain questions of a general nature
regarding TCI, other than from existing Clients.
Questions regarding Financial, Legal, Accounting and Information Technology services,
should be directed to the principal office of the Trust
Company (contact Christine O'Reilly
or Christopher Coriat).
For information on the licensing and regulation of financial services,
visit
the Financial
Services Commission on the World Wide Web, or contact
For information on development opportunities, contact:
For visitor information, contact:
Although CORIATS are one of the first, more TCI web sites are being added regularly;
please visit our TCI Links Page for details.