The Ministry of Border Control and Employment informed RTC News that as of Thursday April 14, 2016, passport applications for the Turks and Caicos Islands passports, has been transferred to the United Kingdom through electronic means.
The implications of this is that persons who qualify and submit applications in accordance with published guidance will experience shorter processing times and by extension a swifter return of their printed Turks and Caicos Islands passport according to the Minister, the Hon.Donhue Gardiner.
The decision to transfer the printing of passports followed recommendations made by UK Parliamentary Committees and the National Audit Office in 2007, that production of British passports be repatriated to Her Majesty’s passport Office (then the Identity and Passport Service) in the UK.
A Working Group, consisting of senior officials from each of the UK Overseas Territories was set up back in 2011 to identify potential issues and to ensure that the revised processes were workable and sustainable.
The transferring of passport applications from the Turks and Caicos Islands commenced in July 2015 and the Ministry in a release to RTC says and I quote: “we are pleased that less than a year later, a time related element of the process has been introduced which will result in faster turn-around times. In addition to this, British Overseas Territory Citizens of Turks and Caicos Islands are now bearing new style passports containing more sophisticated security features which meets international quality and security standards.” End quote.
Our newsroom was informed that the final phase of this project is on course and passports can now be returned to the Turks & Caicos within 10 days of processing.
