Jamaica Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in jamaica, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Trade Barriers
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To protect local producers and generate revenues, significant import duties are applied to certain agricultural products (such as chicken and vegetables) and consumer goods. Items such as beverages and tobacco, motor vehicles, and some agricultural products carry an additional stamp duty (ASD) and a special consumption tax (SCT). Most imported items, in commercial quantity, are also subject to a 21.5 percent General Consumption Tax (GCT).

There is a Standards Compliance Fee (SCF) of 0.3 percent, collected by Jamaica Customs on behalf of the Jamaica Bureau of Standards. The Bureau verifies product requirements, including labeling standards. There is also an Environmental Levy of 0.5 percent on the cost, insurance, freight (CIF) value on imports to Jamaica.

Strict regulations govern the importation of drugs and pharmaceuticals for safety, efficacy, and quality. The Food and Drug Act requires all drugs distributed or sold in Jamaica to be assessed and registered. Clinical tests of drugs and their side effects are reviewed with special attention paid to stability under the high temperatures and humidity typical of the tropics. Generally, a drug will not be admitted for use in Jamaica until it has been safely used in the country of origin for a period of more than a year.

For more information and help with trade barriers, please contact the Office of Trade Agreements Negotiations and Compliance (TANC) at the Report a Foreign Trade Barrier webpage.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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