Websites charging fees to complete online immigration form
Published:Wednesday | September 6, 2023 | 11:24 AM
Concern has emerged around websites that are charging persons between US$35 and US$55 to complete the Immigration/Customs (C5) Form.
Since September 1, travellers to Jamaica have been mandated to fill out the immigration form online.
The C5 form is an entry requirement for persons travelling to the island, whether they are residents in Jamaica or visiting.
An Internet search by The Gleaner revealed the presence of several websites charging a fee to fill out the immigration form.
One such is the Spanish-based company Online Travel Evisa Society Limited.
On its website, the company purports that the Jamaican Government was involved, noting that the money it was collecting included “Government fees for assessing an application.”
But, members of the public have raised questions given that the Jamaica Government, through the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), has no charge in place on its official enterjamaica.com website.
Among them is Jordaine McKenzie, a Jamaican in the United States, who told The Gleaner that she became concerned while assisting her father who was travelling to Jamaica.
“I found out because my dad who is travelling on Friday asked me to fill out the form. When I went on it asked me about accompanied luggage, passport number, email address, pretty much everything that is on the form,” said McKenzie.
“The frightening thing about it is that it has the Jamaican flag at the top,” she lamented.
Contacted by The Gleaner, head of PICA Andrew Wynter said the agency is aware of the company.
He declined to comment further, stating that PICA would release a statement to the public.
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