Or, you can contact the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism headquarters at The Pavilion, Cricket Square, Elgin Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 67 GT, Grand Cayman, BWI. Ph: (345) 949-0623 / Fax: (345) 949-4053.

The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has five regional offices in the US and Canada, including:

Miami:
Doral Centre, 8300 NW 53rd Street, Suite 103 Miami, Florida 33166
Ph: (305) 599-9033; Fax: (305) 599-3766

New York:
420 Lexington Ave., Suite 2733, New York, NY 10170.
Ph: (212) 682-5582; Fax: (212) 986-5123

Houston:
Two Memorial City Plaza, 820 Gessner, Suite 170, Houston, TX 77024.
Ph: (713) 461-1317; Fax: (713) 461-7409

Chicago:
9525 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 160, Rosemont, IL 60018.
Ph: (847) 678-6446; Fax: (847) 678-6675

Canada:
234 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 306, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 1K5
Tel: (416) 485-1550; Fax: (416) 485-7578
In Canada: 1-800-263-5805

In the UK and Europe:
United Kingdom & Continental European Region:
6 Arlington Street, London, SW1 1RE
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7491-7771 Fax: +44 (0) 20 409-7773
Email: info-uk@caymanislands.ky
Web: www.caymanislands.co.uk

Germany / Austria / Switzerland:
Marketing Services International Gmbh:
Johanna-Melber-Weg 12
60599 Frankfurt, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)69 60 320 94 Fax: +49 (0)69 62 92 64
Email: msi-germany@t-online.de

Cayman Airways:
In the US & Canada: Ph: 1-800-G-CAYMAN
IN U.K. & Europe 0171-491-7771
Web: www.caymanairways.com

Entry Requirements/Customs:
The Cayman Islands continually aims to ensure that visitors to our shores are able to proceed through customs and immigration in an efficient and hassle free manner. Visitors that deplane in Grand Cayman are welcomed by the sweet sound of live music as they proceed into the arrivals lounge. Professional immigration and custom service agents process visitor documentation and get you on your way to enjoy your Vacation. In order to ensure that you have a hassle free experience when passing through our borders, please have the following items prepared and available to the agent, a completed Tourist Identification Card (will be provided by airline staff), proof of identification (please see criteria below), and a completed Customs declaration card. Once you proceed past the immigration area, please take the opportunity to visit our visitor information booth located in the baggage area of the arrivals lounge.

Entry Requirements for the Cayman Islands:
United States, British, Canadian citizens as well as citizens of British Dependent Territories Do Not Require passports, but must present proof of Citizenship and a return or ongoing airline ticket. Note: a Voter's Registration Card or a Social Security Card is not considered valid proof of US citizenship and is therefore not valid Identification for re-entry into the United States. Proof of Citizenship include:
• Passport or Birth certificate with a raised seal &
• Photo Id (i.e. Driver's License)
• Photocopies of Birth Certificates need to have the copy notarized by a Notary Republic.

Commonwealth citizens, and citizens of the following countries must have passports but do not require Visas to enter the Cayman Islands: Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, CostaRica, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, Irish Republic, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Portugal, San Merino, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Venezuela

All other countries not noted above should contact the nearest British Consulate or High Commission Office to inquire about entry requirements or receive applications for Visas. Entry is granted for up to six months. Resident aliens of the US who show a valid US Alien Registration Card (green card) may be permitted to enter and remain in the Cayman Islands for up to 30 days.

For Specific Questions regarding entry into the Cayman Islands contact the Cayman Islands Department of Immigration: (345) 949-8052

Upon arrival please keep the pink Immigration slip given to you! This is our equivalent of a tourist identification card. Visitors should keep it with their travel documents and present it when departing. Anyone who wishes to extend their stay after arrival must visit the Department of Immigration and obtain an extension and may be asked to show proof of financial resources to permit an extension.

Departure Tax:
There is a CI $20.00 or US$25.00 departure tax for the Cayman Islands that is included in the price of your airline ticket.

Currency:
The Cayman Islands has its own currency, first issued in 1972, whose basic unit is the dollar, issued in notes with denominations of CI$100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 and coins valued at 25 cents, 10, 5 and 1 cent. The CI dollar has a fixed exchange rate with the US dollar of CI$1.00 equals US$1.25. Or, the US dollar equals CI $.80.

There is no need for visitors to exchange their US dollars into local currency. The US dollar is accepted throughout the islands at a rate of CI 80 cents. However, this can be confusing to visitors: for example, a US$20 note becomes CI$16. Banks do NOT give a better rate of exchange! Major credit cards (with the exception of the Discover Card) and travellers checks are widely accepted. Canadian dollars and pounds sterling can be exchanged for CI dollars at local banks.

In addition Automatic Teller Machines accepting VISA and MasterCard with Cirrus affiliation are located at Cayman National Bank and other banks and at Owen Roberts International Airport.

Time:
Eastern Standard time zone. There is no daylight saving time in the Cayman Islands

Language:
English

Health:
The Government of the Cayman Islands has recently completed the expansion of its main hospital into a large Health Services Complex located in George Town, Grand Cayman. It boasts modern equipment and facilities, in addition to an increased number of highly trained personnel. A 24 hour hyperbaric decompression chamber is available for divers and an air ambulance service for other emergencies. The telephone number is (345) 949-8600. There is also a private hospital currently under construction and a number of other private facilities that offer a variety of professional medical services.

In Cayman Brac, there is the government hospital, Faith Hospital. The number is (345) 948-2243/2245. There is a small clinic in Little Cayman that can be reached at (345) 948-1051.

Electricity:
Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd., known locally as "CUC", commenced operations as the only public electric utility in Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman Islands, in May 1966. CUC currently has an installed capacity of 115 megawatts (MW), and its employees are committed to providing a safe and reliable electricity supply to more than 19,000 customers. Electricity in the Cayman Islands is equivalent to standards used in North America. IE: 60 cycle and 110 voltage. For more information on Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd visit: www.cuc-cayman.com.

Climate:
The Atlantic Hurricane season starts June 1st and ends officially on November 30th. The Cayman Islands is located in the far Western Caribbean, 480 miles south of Miami, 150 miles south of Cuba, 180 miles Northwest of Jamaica and more than 1,000 miles West of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands.

The Caribbean is a large region and most storms have shown a tendency to veer to the Northwest (towards the US Mainland) long before reaching the far Western Caribbean area. Consequently, the Cayman Islands has generally been spared the full wrath of devastating hurricanes. The last occurred in 1932, and the most recent brushes which caused some property damage, were Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which passed 30 miles south of Grand Cayman, and Hurricane Mitch in 1998 passing about 200 miles to the south.

Will it rain while I am there?
The year divides into two seasons, the summer or "rainy" season, generally from mid-May through October, moving into the winter or "dry" season, from November to April.March and April are our driest months and May and October are traditionally the highest rainfall months.

This of course, does not mean that it rains constantly during either of those months, but reflects the trend within our region. Being in a tropical zone, it is not unusual to have brief afternoon showers during the summer, and, at certain times, brief morning sprinkles too.Similar to most West Indian Islands, rainfall tends to be higher in the western sections.

What about the heat?
The average temperature in the winter is 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 85 degrees in the summer. Winter or summer, the temperature generally stays within the range of 70 - 90 degrees. The months with the least humidity and lowest temperatures are December through April, February occasionally recording night-time temperatures in the mid 60's, and March probably being the most "temperate" month of the year. We should also point out that most properties offer air-conditioned rooms, and the seasonal trade winds in our region help to make our islands even more enjoyable.