Current Travel Requirements for Travel to Jamaica

Effective March 4, 2021, all travellers to Jamaica, 12 years of age and over, regardless of nationality, will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result to check in for a flight to Jamaica. The date of sample collection must be within 10 days of the travel date.

There is a change that, effective March 10, 2021, all travellers to Jamaica 12 years of age and over, regardless of nationality, will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result to check in for a flight to Jamaica. The date of sample collection must be within 3 days of the travel date.

Note that the date of the sample collection is the relevant date and not the date of notification of the result.

The test must be an authorized test. An authorized test is one which is authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or meets the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and must be performed by a College of American Pathologists (CAP) accredited, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) registered or ISO 15189 certified laboratory.

Accredited Test types are:

1. A Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Test (RT-PCR);
2. A Nucleic Acid Amplification test (NAA);
3. A RNA or molecular test; or
4. An Antigen test.

It is important to note:

1. Only results from oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal samples will be accepted for PCR tests;
2. Only results from nasopharyngeal samples will be accepted for Antigen tests;
3. Antibody tests will NOT be accepted; and
4. Results from home-based test kits will NOT be accepted.

Ideally, the test result sheet must display the following:

1. Name of the individual (must be the same on application and lab test result);
2. Date of birth of individual tested (must be the same on application and lab test result);
3. Name of testing laboratory;
4. Indication of laboratory credentials (CLIA, ISO 15189);
5. Date of sample collection;
6. Type of test;
7. Type of sample; and
8. Test result.

Some Special Considerations for Tourists After Arrival in Jamaica

1. The traveller is not permitted to leave their intended abode except to visit:
   (a ) any place certified by the Tourism Product Development Company to be COVID-19 resilient; or(b) one of the places listed in Appendix to Form C in the first Schedule of the Disaster Risk Management (Enforcement Measures) Order (No. 3) Order, 2021.
2. Where a traveller leaves their intended abode to visit any of the places in paragraph 2, they should do so in transportation licensed under the Tourist Board Act.

Some Special Considerations for Business Travellers After Arrival in Jamaica

1. Where a traveller is not ordinarily resident in Jamaica and seeks to visit Jamaica for business purposes (“Business Traveller”) may be issued a quarantine order in the form set out in the Disaster Risk Management (Enforcement Measures) Order (No. 3) Order, 2021.
2. Where a Business Traveller is required to remain in quarantine, they shall be released from quarantine if the person provides a negative COVID-19 test (as described above).

Other Considerations for Travel to Jamaica

1. The wearing of masks in public spaces remains mandatory. The mask shall be fitted to the person’s face and cover that persons’ nose and mouth.
2. Persons shall maintain social distancing of at least 182.99 cm or 6 feet
3. An Island wide curfew is in effect.
4. Gathering Limits

*These travel requirements are updated as at March 11 2021 and based on the Disaster Risk Management (Enforcement Measures) Order (No. 3) Order, 2021 particular attention should be paid to section 3 to 7 which deals with different categories of travelers https://www.visitjamaica.com/travelauthorization/test-req/

If you have any questions, please contact Joanna Marzouca (joanna.marzouca@mfg.com.jm) or Gina Phillipps Black (gina.black@mfg.com.jm)