In a significant move, Jamaica has lifted the visa requirement for Dominican Republic residents traveling to the island for tourism or business purposes for periods up to 180 days.
The announcement was made by Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, during a press conference at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) in New Kingston on Monday, 3 March 2025. Bartlett described the measure as a historic milestone in tourist cooperation between Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
The visa free travel is effective as of 4 March 2025.
Dominican Republic-based airline, Arajet offers non-stop flights from Santo Domingo (SDQ) to Kingston (KIN). Arajet also offers flights from Punta Cana (PUJ) to Kingston.
For Jamaica, the decision is also a step forward to benefiting from the millions of tourists that are visiting nearby Dominican Republic, a percentage of which could take advantage of low fares to add a stopover in Jamaica to their Caribbean stay. Bartlett spoke of multi-destination tourism, which has been a target for Jamaica over the last five years.
He described this as a historic development in Caribbean tourism cooperation between Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
“This represents more than just an administrative change. It symbolizes our commitment to fostering stronger regional bonds and creating new opportunities for tourism growth across our beautiful Caribbean region. By removing the visa restriction, we open doors to unprecedented multi-destination possibilities between Jamaica, the Dominican Republic [and] the region on a larger scale with Europe, Asia and Africa,” the Minister said.
Angie Martínez, the Dominican Republic’s Ambassador to Jamaica, expressed her gratitude for this historic decision. “This is an honor and a pivotal moment. Not only as ambassador but also as a Dominican, I am deeply moved by the significance of this achievement,” she said.
The new policy signals enhanced cooperation between the two nations and opens up exciting prospects for increased tourist exchanges and regional integration.
“We think that this is the way forward. At the heart of multi-destination is visa facilitation, and what visa facilitation does is to create an enablement across borders that is seamless,” Bartlett stated.
He noted that Jamaica already has several Dominican Republic entrepreneurs investing in the tourism and motor vehicle industries, among other engagements, adding that this will increase consequent on the removal of the visa requirement.
Bartlett pointed out that ‘this visa waiver is just the beginning”, adding that “we envisage a Caribbean where visitors can freely travel between our islands, where our shared heritage becomes our collective strength and where regional tourism cooperation drives economic growth for all our people”.
He noted that Jamaica already has several Dominican Republic entrepreneurs investing in the tourism and motor vehicle industries, among other engagements, adding that this will increase consequent on the removal of the visa requirement.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator Aubyn Hill, applauded the move, highlighting the economic growth that could result from the partnership between the countries.
He noted that Jamaica already has several Dominican Republic entrepreneurs investing in the tourism and motor vehicle industries, among other engagements, adding that this will increase consequent on the removal of the visa requirement.
“Jamaica is positioning itself as a leader in logistics, financial services, ICT (information and communications technology), BPO (business process outsourcing) investment and, of course, in tourism. With these streamlined protocols, we’re increasing our export and travel, strengthening the very foundation of our economies. This, to me, whatever is going to happen in the Caribbean, is wonderful,” Senator Hill said.
Read more:
El Dia
Jamaica Information Service
11 March 2025