Visa Free Countries for Jamaicans (2024)

I’m the proud owner of a Jamaican passport, but there’s no denying that this makes travel a bit difficult sometimes. Over the past decade, I’ve watched Jamaicans grow more curious about the world around them and I love to see it!  Jamaica has three international airports with daily flights to the USA, Canada and UK, but flights to other parts of the world, even within the Caribbean, are much more difficult and expensive to obtain. Another serious limitation is that Jamaicans often need visas which can prove expensive and unattainable. However, times are changing and the world is becoming more accessible to Jamaicans as our income and interests grow. Don’t qualify for a visa to the “Big Three” yet? No problem! Here are the places you can travel to instead.

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What’s Inside

1. History of the Passport
2. Jamaica’s Passport Strength
3. Visa Free Countries for Jamaicans
4. Direct Flights from Jamaica
5. Why the USA/Canadian Visa Is Useful

History of the Passport

Do you ever wonder why we depend on a little book to take us everywhere? A passport is a government-issued travel document which certifies a person’s identity for international travel. In medieval Europe, such documents were issued by local authorities to foreign travelers like a visa– not how passports are issued today. The concept of needing a passport for international travel began during World War One for security and to control the emigration of people with useful skills. Passports became standard procedure after the war, but remain a controversial topic and are regarded by many as a silent tool of discrimination. It’s hard to deny this claim given that as of 2024, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain tie for world’s strongest passport with visa-free access to 194 countries, while countries like Syria and Afghanistan have visa-free access to less than 30 countries.

For these reasons, passports are ranked by a mobility score, that is, the number of countries which grant that passport holder visa-free, visa-on-arrival, eTA, or eVisa access. Holders of “good” or “strong” passports enjoy visa free access to more countries than those with “bad” or “weak” passports.

Jamaica’s Passport Strength

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Every Jamaican has heard stories of or know fellow Jamaicans denied visas and entry overseas, so you may wonder then, how strong is the Jamaican passport? Using the Henley Passport Index as of 2024, the Jamaican passport clocks in at # 61 on the list of world’s strongest passports. This grants us visa-free, visa-on-arrival and eTA access to 91 countries. That being said, the Jamaican passport ranks pretty low compared to our Caribbean neighbours of Barbados, the Bahamas, St. Kitts & Nevis and even Trinidad & Tobago, which enjoy visa-free, visa-on-arrival and eTA access to 165, 158, 157 and 151 destinations respectively.

Visa Free Countries for Holders of Jamaican Passports

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These are the 91 countries which grant visa-free, visa-on-arrival and eTA entry for holders of Jamaican passports, arranged by continent and region. This list was accurate at the time of publishing, but as you can imagine is subject to change. You’ll notice that Jamaicans have greatest visa free access to Africa, South America and the Caribbean. We have least visa-free access to Europe.

• Caribbean: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago
• Central America: Belize, Nicaragua, Panama
• North America: Mexico
• South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
• Africa: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
• Europe: Serbia
• Middle East: Iran, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey
• Asia: Armenia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand (as of June 1, 2024), Timor-Leste, Uzbekistan
• Oceania: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Direct Flights from Jamaica

Stock Photo. The Bahamas

Now that you know which countries are welcoming of Jamaicans in that no visa is required, or at least the process to get one is extremely simple, next you’ll have to figure out how to get there. We have three international airports in Jamaica but most daily flights are to the “Big Three”: the USA, UK and Canada. However, here are a few other direct flights for your convenience.

• Arajet Airlines: Santo Domingo (SDQ) – super affordable (for now!)
• Caribbean Airlines (from Kingston): the Bahamas (NAS), Barbados (BGI), Cuba (SCU), Trinidad & Tobago (POS)
• Copa Airlines: Panama City (PTY)

If I left out any other direct flights from Jamaica to a visa-free country, let me know in the comments. What I’d add though is that Panama via Copa Airlines serves as the gateway to at least 17 countries in Central and South America. You can even explore two countries for the price of (almost) one with a layover in Panama for up to 72 hours! How cool is that? Transiting through Panama to Peru was a breeze for me in 2022, and I hope to use Copa Airlines’ multi-city deal to explore Panama the next time I transit through the country. Also, Caribbean Airlines has connecting flights to many eastern Caribbean countries, often transiting through Port-of-Spain in Trinidad.

Why the USA/Canadian Visa Is Useful for a Jamaican

That being said, it doesn’t hurt for Jamaican passport holders to get a North American or British visa if possible. The best ways to ensure you qualify and don’t waste all that money is to: 1) make sure you have lasting ties to your home country e.g. a permanent job, registered business, education, skill and/or family, as well as 2) travel history. The cheapest plane tickets from Jamaica right now are to the USA based on the sheer number of people traveling between both countries on a daily basis. Most Jamaicans have relatives and friends in the USA so we potentially get to save on accommodation, plus it’s cheaper to shop in the USA, all of which make excellent reasons why the American visa is highly coveted by Jamaicans. However, an even better reason why an America, Canadian or British visa is great to acquire if you can is:

Greater access to more countries!

Yes, you read that right. There are several countries which waive visas for Jamaicans if you already have an American, Canadian or British visa! These include countries like Aruba, Bermuda, Bonaire, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala, but of course, more countries will feel inclined to grant you visa access if they see one of these three countries in your travel history. So, work on establishing those lasting ties to Jamaica and improving your travel history then apply for one of the “Big Three.”

Wrap Up

I hope this helps my fellow Jamaicans with interest in exploring internationally. I plan to explore as many countries which welcome Jamaicans with open arms as I can. Jamaicans, did you realize we had visa free access to this many countries? And for non-Jamaicans reading this, how does your passport compare to ours? Sound off in the comments section below.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

• Peru Itinerary & Costs
• Why Jamaicans Should Explore The Caribbean
• How To Save Money For Travel
• How To Travel With Only A Carry-On

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