Top Mistakes Made Filling Out C5 Jamaica Immigration Form (2024)

There is a lot of buzz about the Jamaica Immigration form, the C5 form. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the Jamaica entry form.

There is no cause for alarm, folks. Nothing alarming is going on. Nothing is new. Jamaica is just going digital.

Here we answer every single question that we get asked from the hundreds of people who contact us every year asking us questions about filling out the Jamaica Immigration form, C5.

We are delighted to help but we must confess that we are merely helpful souls who happened to have written what seems to be the definitive article on the topic which we try to keep updated. We are in no way linked to Jamaican immigration or customs service.

That said, read on. Let’s see how we can help.

Is the Jamaica immigration form mandatory?

Yes. The Jamaica immigration form, Form C5, is required of all arriving passengers.

Effective September 1, 2023, the C5 form must be completed online.

Is there a cost or a fee associated with the C5 form?

There is no cost whatsoever to either access the form, complete the form, or submit the form. It is 100% free.

There have been reports of companies online charging a fee for the service. It is a scam. There is no fee associated with the entry form.

How to find C5 form, the Jamaica immigration form online?

Go to the website EnterJamaica.com to access theJamaica C5 form online form. This is the only authorized website to access and complete the Jamaica entry form.

Does the online C5 form replace the printed version of the Jamaica Immigration form?

Yes. The C5 online form replaces the original printed form that is usually given out on the airplane prior to arrival in Jamaica.

This is a new initiative to streamline clearing immigration and customs process.

The good news is that the questions on the online form are basically the same as the physical form so this article is very relevant either way.

The online form does not ask your occupation which the printed version does. The online version asks for your arrival date while the printed one does not.

Can you fill out the Jamaica customs form online?

The customs form and the immigration for are combined on the C5 form. there isn’t a separate form for customs.

When should you fill out the C5 form, Jamaica immigration form

The C5 form must be completed on arrival and can be completed up to 30 days prior to arrival.

Will you still have to fill out the C5 Jamaica immigration form on arrival if you completed it online at EnterJamaica.com?

The idea behind the initiative is to eliminate the paper version of the document. Barring technical difficulties, which of course could arise during implementation, there should be no need to do both.

If you forgot to fill out the Jamaica C5 form online prior to departure will you be denied entry? Can you fill out the C5 form on the airplane?

No worries.

Some airlines have in-flight Wi-Fi that will allow you to fill out the C5 form on the plane.

Also, as part of the initiative, the airport is expected to have Wi-Fi available so that the form can be completed after you land, either before you get to an immigration officer or the kiosks.

If the Wi-Fi fails, still don’t worry. Agents will be there to either help you to complete the form online or have you complete a physical form.

How can you mess up the Jamaica Immigration Form?

The C5 form is not hard to complete; but, you have to pay attention to what you are doing to prevent mistakes.

Mistakes hold up the lines – not a good thing when a few hundred people are trying to get to the beautiful sunshine outside.

Don’t be intimidated by the form. Slow down. Don’t overthink it.

We are going to walk you through the process, step by step.

Before we get started, have you decided where to stay in Jamaica yet?

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Common Questions about EnterJamaica

Is EnterJamaica legit?

Yes, EnterJamaica.com is legit. It is the website where you will complete the Jamaica C5 form online. This is the only official website to complete the Jamaica entry form.

Is EnterJamaica free?

Yes, it is free. There is no requirement for payment of any sort.

How do I use the EnterJamaica.com site?

When you go to the EnterJamaica website, there are no instructions. There is a request for an email address.

Once you provide the email address and hit submit, a code will be emailed to you.

You need to enter this code on the website, then the actual form will appear.

Suppose you make an error on the online C5 form, can you change it?

There is no way to change it online. Don’t worry about it. If it is something significant, you can do a physical form when you arrive.

What proof do you get that you completed the C5 form online?

In the past, we never got a receipt or confirmatory email when we did it online.

We are told that with the new mandate, an email confirmation is sent.

Step-by-Step Guide to Filling Out the Jamaica ImmigrationForm Correctly

The article was originally written to help fill out the physical form.

Since the questions are the same on the online and paper versions of the C5 form, the instructions apply to both scenarios.

• There is only one form to complete. The form is actually the Immigration/Customs C5 Card but everyone calls it the Jamaica Immigration form.

The front of the form is the Jamaica Immigration Form, which is one per person. Each person, including children, will need a properly completed immigration form.

The back of the form is the customs form, which is one per family or household, including children under age 18.

The airlines sometimes get this wrong!

Common mistake alert:Each person fills out the front of the form. Only one adult per family fills out the back of the form. A family is defined as mother, father, and children under age 18 only. So, a 19 year old traveling with his or her parents, would fill out his or her own form, front and back.

Common mistake alert: Make sure you write the date correctly. All dates in Jamaica are written day first, then month, then year. For example, November 23, 2024, is written 23/11/2024. Do not write month, day, then year as they do in the United States.

• You must put a street address for your home address. Don’t put a P.O. Box number.
• You must know the address of where you are staying otherwise you will be held up in immigration.

Make sure every member of your group has this information, especially if you are staying at an unlicensed property such as an Airbnb. If you are staying at a hotel it is a little easier because you could just give the name of the hotel and the town. Usually, that is good enough.

• Technically, tourists need a return ticket and proof of financial ability to take care of themselves in Jamaica. I have never been asked for proof of either. This is not a question on the form.
• Flight Number/Vessel Name is on your boarding pass. Also, the flight attendants always announce that information.
• “Port arriving from”is the airport at which you got on the airplane to get to Jamaica.

Common mistake alert:The “port you are arriving from” is not necessarily the first airport fromwhich you started your trip to Jamaica.

If, for example, you started your trip in Chicago then changed planes in Atlanta and flew to Jamaica, Atlanta would be the port from which you are arriving.

• Question 12A asks about how many pieces of luggage you brought with you on the flight.

Common mistake alert:Be sure to include hand luggage. If you have a backpack, include that in the count too.

Generally, they don’t include a simple ladies’ handbag in the count. If your handbag is as big as a carry-on, they might include it in the count.

The agents generally don’t pay too much attention to this for people who are clearly tourists.

If you have a lot of luggage for your group size and length of stay, they could send you to the line for those with items to declare (as opposed to the lines for Nothing to Declare, which tourists usually use).

• Question 12B refers to items that you may have shipped, usually by a freight forwarder.

This does not refer to luggage that is arriving on another airplane.

• Question 13 can get tricky sometimes.

For tourists, don’t forget the fresh fruit you brought with you as a snack on the airplane that you might have forgotten about.

Do your part to keep Jamaica safe. Do not bring plant or animal material into the island. If they find you with undeclared food items, the items will be confiscated.

If you are bringing in kosher meats, this should have been arranged ahead of time, and a permit or a meat inspection certificate obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture. With notice, the Jamaica Tourist Board can assist with this process.

• The immigration form asks about pharmaceuticals in questions 13b and 13c.

They aren’t asking about medicines for your personal use. Those are fine.

In fact, you should bring some common over-the-counter medicines with you such as Tylenol, Imodium, Benadryl, and Neosporin – the same sort of thing you would have in a medicine kit at home.

Make sure that your medicines are in the original prescription bottles, especially if they are narcotics.

If you are on narcotic pain medicines, make doubly sure that you haveenough for your trip because it is extremely difficult to get narcotic prescriptions filled in Jamaica.

Repeat x 2.

Also, the narcotics must be in the original prescription bottle bearing YOUR name.

• If you answer “Yes” question 12B or to any questions between #13 and 16, you will need to go in the “Items to Declare” line.

The Jamaica Customs Form

The JamaicaCustoms form is the back of the Jamaica Immigration form.

Only one customs form is completed per family or household living together (mother, father, and children under age 18).

Common mistake alert: Children over age 18 are not considered children by immigration officials. They are adults. Children over age 18 must complete their own custom form. Do not include them when you fill out the customs form for your family.

Here is an example.

John and Mary Brown are traveling to Jamaica with their 4 children, ages 14, 17, 19, and 21.

All six would have an immigration form filled out (the front of the form).

Either John or Mary, not both, would fill out the customs form, the back of their immigration form, listing their spouse and 2 children. The 19 and the 21-year-old would fill out their own form, front and back.

• Pay attention to your duty-free limits. The form states a US$500 limit per person over age 18 on personal and household effects that are not for resale or in commercial quantities.

Technically, the US$500 duty-free allowance is for holders of a Jamaican passport but now it seems they are being more lenient. Clearly, it depends on the customs officer whom you encounter.

For tobacco products, all passengers are allowed either 200 sticks of cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 230 grams of tobacco. You are not allowed to have all three limits.

In terms of alcohol, the limit is 1 liter of spirits and 1 liter of wine. It does appear that this can be combined.

For more information, check out the Jamaica customs office’s website. It is not updated very regularly. Fair warning!

• Items to be declared generally relate to items that will be left on the island.

Tourists coming to stay at hotels or villas generally have nothing to declare because they are just coming for vacation.

So,for example, if you will be visiting family and friends on the island and you have gifts for them, customs would expect that you would declare those items.

A tourist getting married in Jamaica or a Jamaican bride bringing her own wedding dress wouldn’t pay duty on the dress.

You do not need to declare your laptop, your iPad, your cell phone, or your camera. In this day and age, they expect people to have these things.

When we travel to Jamaica we have on average, 3 cell phones, 3 iPads, 2 laptops, a Surface, 2 cameras with all sorts of lenses and attachments, a tripod, a nebulizer, a sleep apnea machine plus all sorts of other electronics that Darrell has that always ensures that our carry-on gets hand searched. Darrell, I am outing you! 🙂

• What if you are bringing donations?

It becomes tricky if you are bringing items to donate, say to a school or an orphanage. There is a formal process to go through, which most people don’t do, primarily because it is such a hassle.

If you are a tourist and your donations fit in one suitcase, generally, no one would even notice. If you are a tourist hauling two big suitcases, someone will probably notice you.

If, for example, you are bringing loads of donations for a school, the Ministry of Education and the school would need to be contacted ahead of time so that someone from the school can be waiting for you to accept the items. Sometimes an official letter from the government acknowledging your gift will suffice.

Many years ago. I had a suitcase full of donated stuffed toys that I had washed and were all looking new.

I was so proud of myself and couldn’t wait to see the look on the children’s faces when I gave them out.

I had no official letter. Unfortunately, the customs agent didn’t see my point. He felt that I could really be going to sell them and that I should pay duty.

To this day, I don’t know what I said to him thatchanged his mind. He let me go and told me to get the letter next time.

Theitems won’t be confiscatedbut you could berequired to pay duty based on the value that Customs assignsto them.

If you are definitely belowthe $500 limit and you go easy with the excess luggage, you shouldbe fine.

If you have a lot of items you are donating and you don’t want to be hassled on arrival, then go through the proper channels. Let the organization to which you are donating do the legwork. That is the least they could do.

• A word of warning, Customs has access to the internet too. Undervaluing items is fraud, just like in the US.

If you clearly undervalue items, the Customs agents have the ability to look in their valuation books and or the internet to determine an average price of the item in question todecide the value.

To prevent problems, I usually carry receipts with me to show proof of purchase for things that are clearly not personal and will be left behind.

A few pointers if you have to complete the physical C5 Jamaica immigration form:

• Use black or blue pen only. Bring your own. There are never enough on the airplane. Plus, since COVID, there isn’t much sharing of pens on the airplane.
• Write legibly.
• Answer all the questions.
• Don’t forget to sign and date the form.

Hopefully, this post will help you to fill out your Jamaica Immigration and Customs form, the Jamaica C5 form online or in print, completely and correctly so that you can whiz through and enjoy the sunshine that is waiting outside.

If you would like some help getting through Immigration and customs quickly, use the VIP airport service, Club Mobay

If you like this post, please share it!

Now that you have a head start with filling out your Jamaica immigration form correctly, read our blog post to learn how to get through the airport fast.

Til next time.

Think and dream Jamaica!

Sherry, Darrell, and Darrian

Considering a visit to Jamaica with a group? Contact us today for more information about, Mais Oui Tennis & Spa Villa, our boutique 8-BR ocean view Jamaica villa rental experience in beautiful Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Perfect for multi-generational families and groups, retreats, and intimate destination weddings and vow renewals.

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