Personal and household effects are those items of furniture and household equipment which you may need to re-establish a home in Jamaica. A specified amount of such items, whether new or used, can be imported free of Customs Duty by a Returning Resident. A specified amount of such items, whether new or used, can be imported free of Customs Duty by a Returning Resident.

You may, of course, import more than the specified amount of an item but excess quantities are liable to Customs Duty.

If the value of items imported in excess of your duty-free allowance exceeds US$1,000 (as of June 1996) and they are for Customs purposes considered as Commercial Goods, you will require the services of a Licensed Customs Broker to clear these items. They will be dealt with as a Customs Entry separate and apart from your personal and household effects and tools of the trade.

In relation to electrical and electronic equipment for use in Jamaica, please take account of such matters as the specification of the public electricity supply system, the television transmission system, etc.

If you are in any doubt as to the compatibility of an item, you should consult with the supplier or relevant expert.

You should be aware, for instance, that Jamaica utilises the NTSC standard for television transmission, and that the public electricity system supplies 110 volts at 50 cycles.

When you have selected or acquired the items that you intend to bring with you, you will, in all likelihood, require the services of a professional shipper or freight forwarder to pack and arrange for their transport. Such items are then classified as Unaccompanied Baggage.

Note that your shipper may have an arrangement with a Licensed Customs Broker in Jamaica, or can recommend one, who can, for a fee, arrange the clearance and delivery of your goods in Jamaica. You may inquire with the Customs Brokers Association for further information about Licensed Customs Brokers:

Customs Brokers Association of Jamaica
5 Balmoral Avenue
Kingston 10
(876) 929-0744-6

Note that under the current procedures, if you wish to bring into the country at the time you enter any small portable household or other items as accompanied baggage, such items will be detained at the port of entry by Customs until you have visited the Department of Customs and Excise to officially confirm your eligibility for Returning Residents status.