Passport and Corporate Services Office (P&CSO) officials urge all residents to ensure that personal documents are kept updated and secured during the hurricane season – and beyond. The season lasts from 1 June to 30 November.

Passports and other vital official documents (such as birth and marriage certificates, naturalization and registration certificates, Caymanian status and permanent residence certificates) should be kept together in waterproof bags or containers. They should be securely stored in a place that is easily accessible in an emergency.

Planning ahead and being prepared helps to reduce stress and anxiety when an emergency threatens.

As part of hurricane season readiness, it is essential that:

*             Passports and other travel documents are valid.

*             Holders of Cayman Islands (CI) passports submit only copies of those passports with applications for a United Kingdom (UK) passport.  Actual passports should not be sent.

*          Holders of UK passports which will expire within six months not send them away for renewal, unless the holder has a second passport that may be used in an emergency.

*             Residents make copies of key documents, including passports, birth and marriage certificates, naturalization and registration certificates.

*             The original documents and copies should be stored separately, in secure locations.

*             Original documents should be kept at-hand, and secured in waterproof bags or containers since emergency situations (particularly approaching hurricanes or tropical storms) may require travel or evacuation,

Also, persons travelling to the United States, either before or immediately after a storm, must ensure that their travel documents are in order. This is essential because:

*             Only holders of CI or UK passports with US visitor’s visas may travel to the US on commercial, charter or air ambulance flights.

*             Holders of CI passports without US visitor’s visas must first obtain US visa waivers from the P&CSO to travel to the US on commercial or air ambulance flights. Visa waivers can only be placed in machine-readable CI passports.

*             Holders of CI passports should ensure that the passports are valid for at least six months after the intended date of departure from the US.

*             Holders of UK passports without US visitor’s visas, but with an approval from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), may only travel to the US on commercial flights.

Residents who might travel to other countries during a hurricane threat should make appropriate plans beforehand. They should know, and comply with, the travel requirements of respective destinations.

Residents should also remember that travel documents cannot be issued when weather conditions require the closure of government offices, including the Passport and Corporate Services Office.