About Us

What the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs does

The Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs is responsible for ensuring effective and democratic governance for a well-informed populace. As such, the Portfolio and its agencies:

• Take care of the operation and accommodation of the Legislative Assembly;
• Provide policy advice to the Cabinet on immigration, public safety and law enforcement matters; and
• Contribute to the safety and well-being of the community through effective immigration controls, detention and rehabilitation of prisoners, policing, fire services, and disaster preparations.

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• Emergency Communications and Electronic Monitoring - 911

  The 911 Emergency Communications Centre's mission is to:

  • Provide 24-hour response to all emergencies in the Cayman Islands;
  • Offer a speedy reaction while maintaining high standards and professional service;
  • Co-ordinate emergency response by prioritising and timely dispatch of appropriate units;
  • Provide appropriate life-saving, pre-arrival instructions to callers to lessen the impact of an emergency; and
  • Maintain officer safety vigilantly

  The 911 Centre also coordinates the electronic monitoring provisions of the Alternative Sentencing Law. In this role 911 carries out the wishes of the Court in sentencing offenders with an electronic curfew, and provides options for the pre-release of prisoners and those out on bail at the desire of law enforcement authorities.

  Telephone: 949-9008, Fax: 949-4386

• Hazard Management Cayman Islands

  Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) has overall responsibility for the national hazard management programme, including preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery. The agency deals with all hazards (man-made and natural) and is permanently staffed and ready to go operational at all times. HMCI is responsible for the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) which is located at the Fire Station in George Town, Grand Cayman. The NEOC is activated to direct and coordinate the response to national threats. HMCI also oversees and maintains the National Hazard Management Plans for threats such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

  Website: www.caymanprepared.ky, Telephone: 945-4624, Fax: 946-5020

• The Legislative Department

  The Legislative Department provides overall management of the Legislative Assembly. The Clerk of the Legislative Assembly is responsible for the custody of the votes, records, Bills and other documents laid before the House as well as the production of official reports of all speeches made in the House or in Committee.

  The Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands is a unicameral legislature comprising 18 Members, 15 of whom are the elected representatives for the Islands` six districts, four each from George Town and West Bay, three from Bodden Town, two from Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, and one each from North Side and East End.

  There are three Official Members who are appointed by the Governor -- the Deputy Governor, the Attorney-General and the Financial Secretary.

  The Speaker of the House is the elected representative for the district of North Side.

  The Governor may at any time, by Proclamation, prorogue or dissolve the Assembly. The Governor shall dissolve the Assembly at the expiration of four years from the date when the Assembly first meets after any general election unless it has been dissolved sooner.

  There shall be a general election at such time (within two months after every dissolution of the Assembly) as the Governor shall, by Proclamation appoint.

  The first meeting of every session of the House shall, by Proclamation, be held on such day as the Governor shall appoint. A session usually consists of four meetings. A Meeting comprises several sittings.

  Website: www.legislativeassembly.ky, Telephone: 949-4236, Fax: 949-9514

• Cayman Islands Department of Immigration

  The Department of Immigration was founded in 1971, manages a number of key functions in order to safeguard the socio-economic prosperity of the Cayman Islands. The department:

  • Manages the flow of immigrants into the islands and carries out administrative processing of applications for persons seeking permanent residence, Caymanian status, the right to work in Cayman, or asylum;
  • Enforces work permit policies and facilitates the process of issuing work permits to foreign workers;
  • Carries out security checks for the processing and issuing of visas and permits for persons who want to work, study or live in the islands;
  • Maintains two overseas visa offices located in Jamaica and Honduras where visa applications are processed for persons seeking to enter the Cayman Islands from those jurisdictions. Immigration also handles the processing of visas for certain nationals transiting through the Cayman Islands; and
  • Investigates and prosecutes breaches of the Immigration Law - including violations of work permit rules, illegal entry into the Cayman Islands and marriages of convenience among other breaches.

• The Passport & Corporate Services Office

  This office is part of the Department of Immigration and provides the following services:

  • Provision of passports, visa waivers and other travel documents:
    • Issues British Overseas Territories citizen passports, USA visa waivers and other travel documents; and
    • Provides Cayman Islands residents with advice regarding nationality and travel plans.
  • Special Marriage Licenses:
    • Special Marriage Licenses are issued to couples who are not residents of the Cayman Islands who choose the Cayman Islands as their wedding destination.
  • Legalisation of documents:
    • As of 18 August 2008 the Passport & Corporate Services Office is responsible for the legalisation of documents by affixing of apostille or authentication.

  Website: www.immigration.gov.ky, Telephone: 949-8344, Fax: 949-8486
  Passport Office contacts: Telephone: 945-6764, Fax: 945-4355

• Her Majesty`s Cayman Islands Prison Service

  Her Majesty`s Cayman Islands Prison Service (HMCIPS) maintains secure custody of those committed by the Courts; maintains good order in prison establishments; provides support to prisoners; cares for prisoners with humanity; and provides opportunities for prisoners to address their offending behaviour. The aim is to:

  • Deliver offender management services, programmes and activities which address the causes of offending and re-offending;
  • Work in partnership with other organisations in the public, private, and voluntary sectors, to achieve key offender outcomes; and

  Offender management requires a number of agencies to work in partnership to achieve specific key prisoner outcomes in order to reduce re-offending. These outcomes are:

  • Sustained or improved physical and mental health
  • Reduced or stabilised substance misuse
  • improved literacy skills
  • Increased employability prospects
  • Maintained or improved relationships with famility, peers, and community
  • Ability to access community resources and support
  • Ability to access appropriate accommodation
  • Ability to live independently
  • Improvements in the attitudes and behaviours which leads to offending
  • Greater acceptance of responsibility and understanding of the impact of their offending on victims

• Royal Cayman Islands Police Service

  The purpose of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) is to:

  • Uphold the law fairly and firmly
  • Prevent and detect crime
  • Pursue and bring to justice those who break the law
  • Keep the peace, and
  • Protect, help and reassure the community with integrity, sound judgment and common sense.

  The RCIPS serves all three of the Cayman Islands. The management team is headed by the Commissioner of Police and supported by one Deputy Commissioner. The team is further strengthened by four superintendents, a staff officer, business manager, public relations officer and a human resources manager.

  The RCIPS works closely with other regional police forces and uses an information management system to log crimes and intelligence in conjunction with six other overseas jurisdictions, namely: Miami, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, Montserrat and Trinidad.

  Headquarters Telephone: 949-4222, Fax: 946-2418

• The Elections Office

  The Elections Office is responsible for the general direction and supervision over the administrative conduct of elections and to enforce on the part of all elections officers, fairness, impartiality and compliance with the Election Law. The Supervisor of Elections issues the necessary instructions to election officers to ensure the effective execution of the Elections Law. He also executes and performs all other powers and duties that are conferred and imposed on him by the Election Law. The Election Office's website contains all their published reports including the revised list of electors (21 July 2008) which became official on 1 October 2008, thereby replacing the official list published on 1 July 2008.

  Website: www.electionsoffice.ky, Telephone: 949-8047, Fax: 949-0631, E-mail: electionsoffice@candw.ky

• Department of Community Rehabilitation

  The Department of Community Rehabilitation (formerly known as the Department of Probation and Aftercare), plays a significant role in the supervision and rehabilitation of adult offenders in the community.

  DCR assist the Courts and the Parole Board by providing pre-sentencing and pre-release reports, which assist with the decision making on case disposal. DCR also provides community-based supervision to adult offenders (17 and older) who are on Court orders or Parole Licences .In addition to the supervision of offenders, specific rehabilitative and preventative services are provided through individual sessions and groups such as Domestic Violence specific for the perpetrator, Anger Management, Time to Change, Stress Management, and Aftercare Support.

  DCR services are available in both Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. In our efforts to best meet the needs of our clientele, a collaborative approach is made to work with various agencies throughout our islands.

  DCR is located at 19 Cayman Centre (Across from the APO). Tel: (345) 949-1693 | Fax: (345) 949-2838

• Governing Legislation and Regulations

  • The Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009
  • The Public Management & Finance Law (2005 Revision)
  • The Public Service Management Law ,2005 & Regulations, 2006
  • Public Service Pensions Law (2004 Revision)
  • The Cadet Corps Law,2003
  • Fire Brigade Law (2006 Revision)
  • Police Law (2006 Revision)
  • The British Nationality Law,1981
  • The Prisons Law (14 of 1975)
  • The Immigration Law (2007 Revision)
  • The Marriage Law (2007 Revision)
  • The Civil Aviation Act, 1949 (amended at numerous times)
  • The Air Transport Regulations,1981
  • The Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) (Order 2007)
  • The Civil Aviation Authority Law (2005 Revision)
  • The Colonial Service Regulations (1998 Revision)
  • Coat of Arms Flag and National Song Law (2005 Revision)

Last Updated: 2010-11-08