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Jamaica
French citizens must have a passport valid for 6 months after the return date. To be prepared for any eventuality, make sure your passport has the required or sufficient number of blank pages (usually 3, including 2 on facing pages).
If your trip involves a layover in the United States:
DOCUMENTS. To enter without a visa, any French, Belgian, or Swiss traveler (including children of any age) traveling by air or sea to the United States (or transiting through the United States) for a tourist trip not exceeding 90 days must be in possession of an individual passport bearing the “microchip” symbol on the cover. Effective January 15, 2017, the requirement for an exit permit has been reinstated for French minors traveling without at least one of their parents.
ESTA. All travelers from France, Belgium, or Switzerland traveling to the United States (or transiting through the United States) by air or sea for tourism purposes must be in possession of an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). The ESTA form must be printed, showing the message “Authorization Granted,” and presented at check-in. This document, which is simply an authorization to board, does not guarantee admission to the United States. Once granted, this authorization is valid for one or more entries for a period of two years (or until the applicant’s passport expires).
The online forms are available at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/ (the application must be submitted no later than 72 hours before departure). There is a fee for ESTA authorization: 40 U.S. dollars, payable by credit card at the time of application.
RESTRICTIONS ON THE VISA EXEMPTION. Please note that travelers who have visited Iran (as well as Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, or North Korea) since March 1, 2011, or in Cuba since January 12, 2021, must apply for a visa in person at a U.S. consulate if they wish to travel to or transit through the United States, even if they are citizens of a country participating in the Visa Waiver Program. This measure also applies to dual nationals whose other nationality is Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian, Libyan, Somali, Yemeni, Sudanese, North Korean, or Cuban.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES. New security measures have gone into effect at airports: electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) must be charged and in working order for all flights to or through the United States and London. Security screeners must be able to turn them on. As a precaution, keep your charger handy. If your device is dead or defective, it will be confiscated. Since this measure may be extended to other airports, we recommend that you charge your electronic devices before your flight, regardless of your destination.
VISA:
French citizens do not need a visa for a tourist visit of less than one month. For other nationalities, please contact your embassy for information on the necessary procedures.
Attention! Effective September 1, 2023, you must complete the online immigration form available at https://enterjamaica.com/ before boarding.
RECOMMENDED VACCINES: We strongly recommend that travelers to Central America, South America (except Uruguay and Chile), and the Caribbean to get vaccinated against yellow fever—even though it is not mandatory upon entry for those arriving directly from Europe or the United States—is less about the risk of contracting the disease than it is about the varying administrative risks involved in traveling from one country in the region to another. Furthermore, the possibility that the International Health Regulations may change (with a recommendation becoming a requirement) between the time a trip is booked and the actual departure, as well as the recent (July 2016) extension of the vaccine’s validity to a lifetime, reinforces our recommendations. These recommendations will (or will not) be confirmed by the physician at the International Vaccination Center, depending on the risk and applicable legislation.
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, hepatitis A and B, and measles (for children).