01Free
The 30-second card
Visa · United States passport
No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗SIM and eSIM
Digicel and Flow are the mobile networks; local data plans are commonly called 'service'.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Apps locals use
Uber: ride-hailing in parts of the island, including Kingston.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 3 of 5: Cash and cards are both in use, so carrying some of each works well.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in Jamaica
Jamaican Dollar · $ · JMD
Check the exchange rate before paying in US dollars; some sellers inflate prices heavily.
Withdraw each day's cash in Jamaican dollars from a cash machine instead of carrying lots of foreign money.
Keep cash for fuel, as most petrol stations do not accept cards.
Expect a surcharge of around 4% on Visa or MasterCard payments.
Collect Jamaican Dollar in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Wed, 10 Feb 2027 · Ash Wednesday
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday
Sun, 23 May 2027 · Labour Day
Sun, 1 Aug 2027 · Emancipation Day
Fri, 6 Aug 2027 · Independence Day
Sat, 16 Oct 2027 · National Heroes Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Jamaica say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise increased caution
Calm
Caution ●
Serious
Don’t go
Level 2 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 22 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 22 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 6 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 6 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Scams to know
Dating-app lure
Take care meeting app contacts; keep room number and personal details private.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Routine shots, hepatitis A and B; typhoid for rural or long stays; yellow fever card if from a risk country.
Vaccinations
Routine vaccines, plus hepatitis A and hepatitis B for unvaccinated travellers; typhoid for rural areas or long stays; a yellow fever certificate only when arriving from a risk country.
Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
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The travel layer
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What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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05Free
Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $22.7 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $8,003Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | aluminum oxide, refined petroleum, natural gas, liquor, processed fruits and nuts (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 2.8 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 28.8 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 76.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Protestant 64.8% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 12.0%, Pentecostal 11.0%, Other Church of God 9.2%, New Testament Church of God 7.2%, Baptist 6.7%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.5%, Anglican 2.8%, United Church 2.1%, Methodist 1.6%, Revived 1.4%, Brethren 0.9%, and Moravian 0.7%), Roman Catholic 2.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1.9%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.5%, none 21.3%, unspecified 2.3% (2011 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2011 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 10,991 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; temperate interiorSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plainSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realmSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +1Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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