Did You Know About Jamaica’s New Online C5 Customs Form?

Question from Traveler at the Airport:

"Hi Wellesley, we are at the airport now. Just found out we need to now fill in the C5 Jamaica customs form online. Didn't know about it as it came online in September 2023 just after we last came. Has any of your subscribers been surprised by this, too? Thankfully, we could do it quickly online. Also, we nearly ended up paying an agency £223 to submit the forms online. We checked online to see if we needed to pay, and then when we found we didn't, we came out of it and found the government PICA site where we did the forms. I'm sure some people get caught out."

Answer by Wellesley:

Hi there, and wow, that’s quite the experience! Yes, the C5 Jamaica Customs Form did become mandatory for online submission in September 2023, and you’re not alone—many visitors, especially repeat travelers, have been caught off guard by this change.

The good news is that it can be completed quickly online through the official Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) website or the PICA (Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency) website. It’s entirely free to complete, and you only need to submit it before arrival or while waiting at the airport.

Unfortunately, there have been reports of third-party agencies charging exorbitant fees to complete what is essentially a free form. The official JCA and PICA websites do not charge for the submission, but some unofficial sites are designed to look legitimate and can charge hundreds of dollars under the guise of “processing fees.”

I appreciate you sharing your experience—it’s a timely reminder for other travelers to always verify the official government website before entering payment information for anything related to customs or immigration. Here’s the link to the official C5 form submission site: Jamaica Customs Online C5 Form