Jamaica Passports

For Jamaicans who wish to travel abroad, a passport is mandatory. For residents in Jamaica, only Passport Offices are able to accept passport applications. These offices are located in Kingston and Montego Bay. Jamaicans who are out of the country can apply for a passport renewal or application at the Jamaican embassy in their respective areas.

Types Available

There are three types of passports issued by the government.

Ordinary – Ordinary passports are issued to Jamaican citizens for normal travel abroad, like vacations or personal business trips. An ordinary passport is valid for ten years for adults and five years for minors (minors are classified as those 17 years old and under).

Official – Official passports are issued to federal employees traveling abroad for official government business.

Diplomatic – Diplomatic passports are issued to Jamaican diplomats and individuals who are on any government-sanctioned diplomatic work.

Requirements

All first-time applicants must fill out a Jamaican Passport Application Form which can be obtained online or in any of the Passport Offices.

Two identical non-digitized color passport-sized photographs must be submitted, as well as a certified copy of the applicant’s birth certificate or any proof of Jamaican Citizenship. For those who were born abroad, any one of the following must be submitted in addition to a birth certificate: Certificate of Naturalization, Letter of Certificate of Citizenship, and Certificate of Registration.

In addition, a proof of identification is needed as well. This can be a Jamaican driver’s license, national voter’s identification card, or an old passport.

For minors, an additional letter of guardianship is needed, as well as the parent’s/guardian’s identification card.

Additional Information

For those who are applying via a Jamaican embassy, the Certification section and one of the passport photographs must be certified by a Notary Public. For mailed applications, photocopies of the documents, even if notarized, will not be accepted. They have to be original documents and they will be returned once the passport processing period has ended.

Also, the Consulate General of Jamaica only accepts Money Orders and cash. Checks and credit cards are not accepted. It usually takes four to six weeks for passports to be processed in this way.