Visa Requirements for Jamaican Citizens

Visa requirements for citizens of Jamaica are administrative entry restrictions placed on Jamaican nationals by the authorities of other countries and states around the globe

At present, the Henley Passport Index ranks the Jamaican passport as the 62nd most powerful in the world in terms of travel freedom. This is because Jamaican passport holders may visit over 85 countries visa-free or with a visa on arrival.

Jamaicans are currently permitted visa-free access to up to 50 countries and territories worldwide for varying periods of short-term stay. To gain entry to these destinations without a visa, it is simply necessary to present a valid Jamiacian passport on arrival at a border checkpoint.

Around 40 countries allow travelers from Jamaica to easily obtain an eVisa or online visa waiver through an Electronic Travel Visa Authorization program. These online application protocols expedite entry at border checkpoints by removing the need to wait in long immigration lines to apply for a visa on arrival.

Electronic Travel Visa Authorizations for Jamaicans are issued for short-term stays that vary from 28 days to 120 days depending on the destination. They are most often granted for purposes of tourism, business or trade activities, or transit.

To visit these same destinations for long-term stays or purposes such as to enroll as a student or undertake employment, an embassy visa for nationals of Jamaica is required. Additionally, a visa obtained from an embassy or consulate in Jamaica is required for roughly 140 countries worldwide no matter the expected duration of stay or motive for the visit.

Discover if you need to meet the visa requirements for Jamaican citizens for your destination by browsing the content below.

List of Visa Countries for Jamaican Passport Holders in 2021

Current worldwide visa requirements indicate that there are approximately 195 countries that ask Jamaicans to have an approved visa or travel authorization to cross their borders. This may be either an Electronic Travel Visa Authorization obtained online, a visa on arrival, or a visa from an embassy or consulate.

Electronic Travel Authorization or eVisa applications for Jamaicans are the most convenient method of obtaining permission to visit a country as a foreigner. They allow travelers from Jamaica to apply exclusively online, removing the need to collect a paper document from an embassy or endure long immigration queues to submit a visa on arrival application.

Once approved, an eVisa or electronic visa waiver for citizens of Jamaica is often sent to the traveler by email. They can then print a copy to present at a border checkpoint. In other cases, they are directly electronically linked to the applicant’s Jamaican passport, removing the need for a paper document.

Electronic Travel Authorizations for Jamaican nationals are usually issued for a short-term stay. To visit for long-term stays, it will be necessary to obtain an embassy visa from the nearest diplomatic government office of the destination country.

Find more information about these types of entry permit for Jamaicans below.

Electronic Travel Visa Authorization

Electronic Travel Visa Authorizations for Jamaican citizens greatly expedite the process of obtaining a visa or visa waiver for around 40 destinations across the globe. They remove the need to wait for hours to submit a visa on arrival application at border controls or to visit a diplomatic mission in person to deliver a range of paper supporting documents.

Jamaican citizens can now apply for an eVisa or electronic visa waiver through a simplified application program from the comfort of their own home. They can receive their approved travel permit either sent via email or electronically linked to their Jamaican passport.

An eVisa or Electronic Travel Authorization application from Jamaica can usually be completed in a matter of minutes by supplying basic passport, personal, and travel details. In many cases it is also necessary to answer a few security questions and pay a processing fee before submitting a form. Any supporting documents can be uploaded in digital format.

Online visa waivers and eVisas for Jamaicans are usually processed incredibly quickly, within a few business days. Depending on the country of issue, they may be granted for either a single entry or multiple entries for a stay between 28 to 120 days.

Discover the Electronic Travel Visa Authorization countries for Jamaicans by checking the list below.

Visa On Arrival

At present, roughly 20 countries issue visas on arrival for Jamaican passport holders. This type of travel document is granted to visitors at an immigration checkpoint of the destination.

A visa on arrival for citizens of Jamaica is usually issued for a single entry for tourism or business purposes. It allows a total stay of 8 to 120 days depending on the country of issue.

To apply for a visa on arrival for Jamaicans, individuals are required to wait in a border queue upon landing in the country to be given an application to complete by immigration authorities. This form must be filled in with a variety of passport data, personal information, and travel details.

Border officials will also ask the visitor to supply a range of supporting documents in paper form and to pay a mandatory visa on arrival processing fee. This payment is often requested in local cash currency as card payment facilities may not be available at border checkpoints.

As this application protocol involves long waiting periods before the document can be processed, travelers are advised to apply for an eVisa for Jamaicans for the destination if one is available.

You can find a complete list of the visa on arrival countries for Jamaicans below.

Angola
Bolivia
Comoros
Egypt
Guinea-Bissau
Iran
Macau
Maldives
Mauritania
Mozambique
Nepal
Nicaragua
Palau
Samoa
Senegal
Somalia
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tuvalu

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Embassy Visa Required

A consular or embassy visa is required for Jamaican citizens to visit over 135 destinations worldwide. This is a mandatory requirement regardless of whether the visitor needs a tourist visa, business visa, student visa, work visa, transit visa, or another visa type.

The period of stay permitted and validity of an embassy visa for Jamaicans varies depending on the traveler’s individual requirements. It may also be issued for a single stay or multiple entries depending on the intended purpose of the visit.

The application protocol requires the applicant to first make an appointment at a diplomatic government office of the destination in Jamaica. It will then be necessary to bring a completed embassy visa application to this appointment alongside a variety of varying supporting documents depending on the visa type required.

It may take several weeks for an embassy visa application from Jamaica to be processed and approved. Therefore, travelers should begin the process well in advance of the intended date of arrival in the destination, to allow for sufficient processing time.

Check the list below to discover if you need an embassy visa for Jamaican citizens for your destination.

Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Antarctica
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bonaire
Bosnia and Herzegovina
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Canada
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Christmas Island
Cocos Islands
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Curacao
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Italy
Japan
Jersey
Latvia
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mayotte
Monaco
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Nauru
Netherlands
New Caledonia
Niger
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Republic of Cyprus
Reunion
Romania
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Helena
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
San Marino
Saudi Arabia
Seychelles
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Spain
Sudan
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Republic
Taiwan
Thailand
Tokelau
Tonga
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
United Kingdom
United States
United States Virgin Islands
Vatican City
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna
Yemen

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Visa Not Required

A visa is not required for Jamaican citizens to travel to roughly 50 countries and territories around the world for varying periods of short-term stay. These visa-exempt countries include a number of South and Central American, Southern African, and Southeast Asian nations.

Visa exemption for Jamaicans is granted for a stay from 30 days up to 6 months depending on the destination. It is usually permitted for purposes of either tourism, business, or transit.

To gain entry to a visa-exempt country from Jamaica, it is usually necessary to present a valid Jamaican passport upon arrival. The minimum validity required on the passport varies by country. Therefore, it is important to check this requirement before departure and renew the document in advance if necessary.

Some visa-free countries also request that the Jamaican passport contain 1-2 blank pages. This is often necessary to receive entry/exit stamps from border control authorities.

To visit these same destinations for long-term stays or purposes such as to work or study, it is necessary to apply for a visa from an embassy or consulate of the destination in Jamaica in advance.

Discover a comprehensive list of visa-free countries for Jamaicans below.

Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Botswana
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Gambia
Grenada
Guyana
Haiti
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Israel
Kenya
Kiribati
Lesotho
Malaysia
Mauritius
Namibia
Palestinian Territory
Panama
Peru
Philippines
Russian Federation
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Serbia
South Africa
South Korea
Suriname
Swaziland
Tanzania
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe

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CARICOM Certificate of Skills

While the period of visa exemption for most citizens of Jamaica is limited to a short-term stay, Jamaican holders of a Certificate of Skills can stay indefinitely in any of the following CARICOM (Carribean Community) countries:

Antigua and Barbuda
Barbados
Belize
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago

A CARICOM Certificate of Skills allows the free movement of skilled persons between the countries listed above without the need for a work permit. It is available for the following categories of skilled labor:

University Graduates
Media Workers
Artistes
Musicians
Sportspersons
Managers
Technical and Supervisory Staff
Teachers
Nurses
Higglers
Artisans
Domestic workers
Hospitality workers

To apply for this Skills Certificate as a Jamaican passport holder, it is necessary to download, print, and complete an application form and deliver it to a Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Office. It is also necessary to supply a range of supporting documents.