Facts about Jersey

​​​Jersey at a glance

Where Jersey is

Jersey sits in the Bay of St Malo, 14 miles (22 kilometres) from the French coast and 85 miles (137 kilometres) south of the English coast. Jersey is the biggest of the Channel Islands.

Jersey is only 5 miles (8 kilometres) long and 9 miles (14.5 kilometres) wide.

Jersey has 12 parishes.

Languages

English is the main language spoken in Jersey. Other languages include Portuguese, Polish and Jèrriais (the Jersey language).

Climate

Jersey’s southerly location and sheltered position in the Bay of St Malo mean that we have a generally temperate climate that is often warmer, with more sunshine hours, than you might experience in the other British Isles. Jersey Met produce a ​Jersey weather​ forecast for the local area.

Is Jersey tax free?

Jersey is not tax-free.

The public revenues of the Island are raised by:

• incom​e tax
  
• by duties paid on certain goods ​​including impôts and 5% GST (Goods and ​Services Tax​)​
• other taxes and revenues
  

However, value added tax (VAT) is not charged in Jersey or the other Channel Islands.

Government

Jersey is self-governing and has it own financial and legal systems and its own courts of law. The States Assembly is made up of 49 elected members.

Jersey is a British Crown Dependency, and is defended and internationally represented by the UK government. The Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey is the personal representative of His Majesty the King on the Island.

Jersey’s government also issues its own internationally-recognised driving licences and is responsible for its own vehicle registration. Jersey has its own unique number plate sequence and number plates all start with the letter J.

The Island also has its own postal and telecommunications services.

Is Jersey part of Great Britain, the United Kingdom or the British Isles?

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are part of the British Islands which is defined as the:

• United Kingdom
• Channel Islands
  
• Isle of Man

England, Scotland and Wales make up Great Britain, while the United Kingdom includes Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Jersey is a British Crown Dependency.

The British Isles is a geogr​aphic term ​for the islands around Great Britain. This includes the island of Ireland and surrounding island groups including Isles of Scilly, Isle of Man, Hebrides, Shetlands and Orkneys. It does not include the Channel Islands.

Find a summary of the origins of our constitutional position on Jersey history.

Does Jersey have the same legal system as the UK?

Jersey has a Royal Court, which is equal to the UK's Crown Court for criminal matters, and the UK's High Court for civil matters.

It also runs an administrative jurisdiction similar to that in the Divisional Court and receives statutory appeals from executive committees of the States.

It exercises a supervisory and an appellate jurisdiction over the Island’s lower criminal and civil courts.

Jersey in figures

Statistics Jersey is the central statistical office for Jersey. We publish official statistics on Statistics and performance.