frequently asked question

Proof of citizenship: Original birth certificate or adoption certificate.
For applicants born outside of Jamaica, a certificate of registration, naturalization or letter of certification or citizenship should be submitted.
Proof of identity: Driver’s licence, voter’s ID or work/student ID subject to approval by the Passport Officer and two photographs, one of which should be certified by the Certifying Official who signed the application form..

Original birth certificate or other proof of Jamaican Citizenship, expired passport, two photographs (one of which should be certified by the Certifying Official who signed the application form).

The CARICOM Passport is an official travel document that can be used for travel within and outside the Caribbean. It will now become the standard issue for the Jamaican passport.

The Jamaican passport is valid for ten years for an adult and five years for children 17 years and under.

Report it immediately to the nearest police station or to the Passport Office.

The introduction of the document will facilitate smoother processing of CARICOM nationals transiting the region. It is intended to foster a greater sense of community within the region and would be a tangible demonstration of one’s membership in the Caribbean family.

There are a number of persons including Justices of the Peace, School Principal, Bank Manager, Dentist, and Attorney-at-Law. See section 4.1 for a complete list.

It is needed to prove the identity of the applicant beyond a reasonable doubt.

Persons with a valid passport, who wish to have a CARICOM Passport, may do so. This will be treated as a renewal of your document, which means that the passport being renewed will be cancelled and returned where there is a valid visa. If you do not wish to change a valid passport you may continue to use it until it expires. Holders of the blue hand-written passports are being encouraged to apply for a CARICOM Passport, even if their current document is still valid.

No. Applications should be submitted through the nearest Jamaican Mission to the applicant.

Contact the customer service section of the Passport Office for further information. The telephone nos. are as follows: 754-5249, 754-5092, 754-4675, 906-4402, 906-1497, 906-4329 or visit the office in person if it is convenient to you.

The process, requirement and cost for obtaining the CARICOM passport will remain the same as was previously required.

No, it is only a requirement for persons who are unable to write.

Original divorce decree or marriage certificate along with the birth certificate, expired passport, two photographs, one of which should be certified by the certifying official who signed the application form.

Kingston – seven (7) working days
Montego Bay – fourteen (14) working days
Overseas applications (submitted through the Jamaican Missions) – twenty (20) working days
Express Services Available from our Kingston Offices Next Day and Three working days

Original marriage certificate, birth certificate, expired passport and two photographs. Married men need not present marriage certificates.

No. However, all children over the age of three years must make an appearance at the Immigration Office. If you reside in the rural areas, you may visit the nearest Divisional Office of the Jamaica Constabulary Force with the child, where the Immigration Officer examines the applications, then encloses the documents in a sealed envelope. You should not open the envelope. Thereafter, the application should be submitted to the Passport Office, 25 Constant Spring Road for processing. If you reside in the Corporate Area you should visit the Passport Office.

Yes, the Passport Office accepts the old as well as the new birth certificates.

Contact the Customer Service Section of the Passport Office for further information at the following telephone numbers: 754-5249/754-5092/754-4675/906-1497 or the nearest Jamaican Mission if overseas.

Police report, Birth Certificate, Supplementary ID, Two photographs, one of which should be certied by the Certifying Official who signed the application form and the original marriage certicate where applicable.

Attorney, Grandparents **(only) (not persons authorized by parents) **once authorized in writing by the parent.

No. 8 Waterloo, local outpost offices, Embassies and consulates.

No, only originals are to be submitted.

Laminated documents are not acceptable.

There is no waiting period for applicants to submit an application.

Only Non-commonwealth nationals are required to do so.

Only if you are applying for Registration (Adult) and Naturalization.

Close relatives, ie, parents, grandparents, brothers or sisters are NOT allowed to certify.

Persons who claim to have been born in Jamaica but whose birth was never recorded can apply for a document to identify them as a citizen of Jamaica. This process is referred to as Citizenship in case of Doubt. Registrar Generals Department also does late registration.

Yes, Jamaica recognizes dual citizenship.

QUALIFICATION:
The applicant should have been granted an original Certificate of Jamaican Citizenship.

PROCEDURE:
1. A letter applying for a Certified Copy should be addressed to:-
The Chief Executive Officer Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency 25c Constant Spring Road Kingston 10
The letter should state the Name, Address and File Reference Certificate number of the applicant. The applicant is required to state what has happened to the original Certificate of Citizenship and why the certified copy is required.
2. The letter should be accompanied by the following documents:- (i.) Recent Police Report on the status of Original Certificate;
(ii.) A Certified Passport sized photograph of applicant;
(iii.) Parent’s photo I.D. if applicant is a minor; (iv.) The appropriate fee (See fee structure below)
3. Compliant applications are processed within 5 working days
4. COST Applications submitted locally will attract a non-refundable fee of JMD$5000.00. Payment for local applications will only be accepted in Jamaican dollars.
Fees for the various foreign currencies are accepted but are only applicable to applications submitted through the Jamaican High Commission Consulates/Embassies.
The required costs are quoted as follows: USD$100.00; CAD$110.00; GBP£60.00; EUR€74.00

The processing time for citizenship is dependent on the category of the application:

Applications for Citizenship by Descent are processed within 25 working days

Applications for Citizenship by Virtue of Marriage are prepared for submission to the Minister for approval within 24 months

Naturalization will be processed and prepared for submission to the Minister for approval within 24 months

Registration (Commonwealth citizens) will be processed and prepared for submission to the Minister for approval within 24 months

Registration (Minors) will be processed and prepared for submission to the Minister for approval within months24

Applications are accepted at 8 Waterloo Rd, all outpost Offices (see locations), Embassies and Missions.

Yes.  Kingston 15 days, outpost 25 days, overseas: London Embassy only.

An extension of stay is granted when non-Commonwealth and Commonwealth nationals enter the island and seek to alter their status for the purpose of work, study etc.

The process takes three (3) working days for applications submitted at PICA's Kingston office at 25 Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10 and seven (7) working days for applications submitted at our office at Overton Plaza, 49 Union Street in Montego Bay.

No, however, nationals of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Cayman Islands, Nigeria and the British Virgin Islands will need a visa.

Yes, however, some nationals from non-Commonwealth countries are permitted to enter Jamaica for varying periods without a visa.

Visitor, Work Permit, Student, Marriage Exemption, Dependent, Permanent Residence and Unconditional Landing.

All documents must be original. Married females must present marriage certificates, Adoption Certificates & Deed Polls where applicable. Submit also birth certificate and passport. Applications based on Descent – birth certificate, passport, Father/Mother’s birth certificate & identification (passport or driver’s licence). UL applicants who received Naturalization/Citizenship – Naturalization/Citizenship Certificate, passport & birth certificate (child & parent). Applicants with Caribbean Community (free movement of skilled persons) certificate – passport; Certificate of Recognition of Caribbean Community Skills (issued by Min. of Labour); birth and/or marriage certificate of dependent. All applicants must complete an extension of stay form obtainable at PICA offices in Kingston and Montego Bay.

An ePassport is an Electronic Machine Readable Passport (a physical book) which has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip which contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of the passport holder.

Standards for the ePassport have been established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and are followed by all countries implementing ePassports.

Yes. The portal allows for renewal of an adult machine-readable passport which has expired or has one (1) year validity remaining.

The ePassport will have the international biometric symbol printed at the bottom of the front cover, which signifies that the Jamaica passport contains an electronic chip.

The ePassport Symbol¹ 

No. The ePassport is designed to be read-only after a successful read of the machine-readable zone (MRZ) by an ePassport-enabled reader.

1. The general design remains the same
2. The ePassport symbol appears on the front cover
3. An electronic microprocessor chip which contains biometric information is embedded in the passport

No.

All Jamaican nationals qualify for an ePassport (as per the Jamaica Constitution)

No. All ePassports follow the common ICAO standard. However, countries implement ePassport programs according to their specific policies and may implement different options specified in the standard. This results in differences among country implementations of ePassports even though they all conform to the ICAO specification.

When you apply for a passport or renew your passport, you will be issued an ePassport.

All passports printed after March 31, 2023, will be ePassports.
 

Yes. The ePassport provides the border control officer with a new tool to help validate the holder’s identity. The new features and secure microcontroller chips incorporated into the passport have significantly increased the difficulty of forgery.

No. All passports remain valid until the date of expiry.

Digital and physical security features are found throughout the ePassport system. Security systems are in place from the production of the book to the policies and procedures that are in place at border crossings.

This is so because your application was received and your new passport was printed on or before March 31, 2023.

As with traditional passports, it is of utmost importance to protect your identity documents. Currently, if someone loses a passport, the loss must be reported to the appropriate authorities. The same applies if you lose an ePassport. At border control, it is easier to determine whether any lost or stolen ePassports are being used.

The requirements remain the same for first-time or renewals. See below:

First Time Minor Passport

1. The parent/ legal guardian is required to obtain and complete an application form on behalf of a minor (below age 18). He/she will submit the application form along with the following required documents:
   1. The minor’s Birth Certificate/Adoption Certificate or Jamaican Citizenship Certificate
   2. Two (2) identical photographs (NB: one photograph must be certified by the same certifying official who certified the application)
   3. A valid Government-issued photo identification or passport for the parent/legal guardian (Example: driver's licence, voter identification).
   4. Proof of name change if the name has been changed (Marriage certificate, Divorce decree, Deed poll or Court Order)
2. The parent/legal guardian submitting the application is required to complete sections C and E of the application form. Section G is to be certified in the name of the parent/guardian who is applying.

First Time Adult Passport

1. 1. You are required to obtain and complete an application form. Along with your application form, you will be required to submit the following documents:
      1. Birth Certificate/Adoption Certificate or Jamaican Citizenship Certificate
      2. Two (2) identical photographs (NB: only one photograph must be certified and this should be done by the same certifying official who certified your application)
      3. A valid Government-issued photo identification (Example: driver’s license, voter identification).
      4. Proof of name change if the name has been changed (Marriage Certificate, Deed poll, Divorce Decree, Court Order)
   2. First-time applicants will not be able to apply for their passports using our online service.

In the past, it was possible to replace the photograph glued in the passport book and/or alter the data printed on the bio-data page of the passport. With an electronic passport, advanced techniques are used to print the data page, and to encode the necessary information on the chip. So, for someone wanting to change the data, it would be difficult to do so without detection.

If someone were able to introduce alternative or fraudulent data on a substitute chip (as some hackers have claimed), the fake ePassport would be easily detected at border control. Any change to the data invalidates the ePassport due to the digital and physical security mechanisms in place to protect the identity of the holder and the information contained in the passport.

Yes

No. The ePassport shows your photograph and biographical information, such as your name to prove your identity. Unless the person is your identical twin then the information is useless to a fraudster as an ePassport copy is not useful. Please note that the passport information on the microchip cannot be changed without being detected.

No. The validity remains the same. The validity for passports issued to adults (18 years and older) is 10 years and the validity for passports issued to children (17 years and younger) is 5 years.

If someone can use a copy of the data on another chip or device with a different data page or photograph, the border inspection equipment would highlight this discrepancy and alert the officer. Additionally, the traditional visual checks are still done by the border officers along with electronic verification.

Yes. Care must be taken to ensure that the passport is not bent, perforated and exposed to extreme temperatures or excess moisture.

Yes. Some security features will be updated, the perforated passport number will now be reflected on the back cover page and information regarding the microchip will be included. NB. The general design looks the same.

The ePassport was launched on April 3, 2023.

Not at this time.

Once the new ePassports have been implemented, the issuance of the other format (MRP) will discontinue.

My current passport is still valid; can I change it to the new ePassport?