The Castle - Port Antonio

Entry Requirements to Jamaica include:

• Passport or other valid travel documents
• Proof of ones ability to support oneself
• Return ticket or ticket to a future destination

Visas for entry into Jamaica are issued by a Jamaican Embassy, High Commission, Consulate General or Consulate. In any country where none of these exists, the Government of Jamaica may authorize a Mission or Consular post in a Commonwealth country or the British Consulate in a non-Commonwealth country to issue visas on its behalf (please contact the nearest Jamaican mission for information on this).

Commonwealth nationals are not required to have visas, excepting visitors from the Cayman Islands, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Foreign nationals entering the country to conduct short-term business such as consultations or meetings are admissible as ‘visitors’ in accordance with the entry requirements applicable to the visitors from their respective countries. Each visit should not exceed thirty (30) days and the cumulative number of days within a calendar year should not exceed one hundred and eighty (180) days. The usual conditions remain in place with respect to persons who seek to be admitted on the basis of employment, study etc.

For more information on visa requirements visit the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency.

Customs

Controlled substance, firearms, ammunition and explosives are not allowed entry into the island unless a permit was issued. Plants, fruits, vegetable, meat or live animals including pets are also prohibited. For more information visit the Jamaica Customs Departments

Climate

The average temperature in Jamaica is 27.1 °C (81 °F).
The average temperature range is 2.5 °C.
The highest monthly average high temperature is 31 °C (88 °F) in June, July, August, September, October & November.
The lowest monthly average low temperature is 22 °C (72 °F) in January & February.
Jamaica’s climate receives an average of 811 mm (31.9 in) of rainfall per year, or 68 mm (2.7 in) per month.
On average there are 63 days per year with more than 0.1 mm (0.004 in) of rainfall (precipitation) or 5 days with a quantity of rain, sleet, snow etc. per month.
The driest weather is in March when an average of 10 mm (0.4 in) of rainfall (precipitation) occurs across 3 days.
The wettest weather is in October when an average of 168 mm (6.6 in) of rainfall (precipitation) occurs across 10 days.
The average annual relative humidity is 74.8% and average monthly relative humidity ranges from 70% in August to 78% in October.
Average sunlight hours in Jamaica range between 7.4 hours per day in September and 8.9 hours per day in April.
There are an average of 3002 hours of sunlight per year with an average of 8.2 hours of sunlight per day.
The official hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with August and September being the peak months.

Healthcare and safety

Jamaica has a total of 28 public Hospitals, health care in Jamaica is free to all citizens and legal residents at government hospitals and clinics. Hospitals are located in all major towns and can handle most routine procedures. Jamaica is on track with its water supply (93%) and sanitation coverage (80%). However, water and sanitation needs are still not fully covered in rural areas (currently at 42%, compared to 87% in urban areas).

Money and currency

The official currency of Jamaica is the Jamaican dollar, however the US dollar is also widely accepted. Credit and Debit cards are widely accepted and there is a proliferation of automated teller machines that dispense cash. A 17.5% General Consumption Tax is levied on most good and services excepting those that are very basic. Tipping is expected especially in service areas but many businesses such as restaurants adds a 10% service charge to your bill.

Time

Jamaica standard time is GMT-5 but does not observe daylight savings time. Business hours are usually 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday (banks Generally close by 2pm – 3pm Monday to Thursday).

Communications

Post Offices offer a full range of postal services including the acceptance and delivery of mail and the sale of postage stamps. Our opening hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Phone calls are easy to make and rates are competitive. The 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed-lines in use has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity exceeded 110 per 100 persons in 2009. The country code is .jm and there is an estimated 1.581 million internet users.(2009)
Postal service, telephone calls from/to Jamaica, Internet connection.

Miscellaneous

Electricity in Jamaica is 110 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. Jamaica was officially converted to the metric system in the mid 90s, however the conversion is still ongoing. And while distances on official signage are posted in kilometers asking for directions you might very well get distance in miles.

Emergency Numbers

Ambulance – 110
Fire – 110
Police – 119
Air / Sea Rescue – 119
Hurricane Updates – 116
Directory Assistance – 114