The official language is English, the unofficial language is Patois. German is only very rarely understood, even in the tourist areas.
Idioms
Goodbye = Goodbye Eight = Eight Eighty = Eighty Exit = Exit Beer = Beer Please = Please Thank You = Thank you Tuesday = Tuesday Doctor = Doctor Thursday = Thursday Three = Three Thirty = Thirty Entrance = Entrance One Hundred = One Hundred One = One One Thousand = One Thousand Friday = Friday Five = Five Fifty = Fifty Danger = Danger Closed = Closed Hello = Hello Today = Today Hotel = Hotel I feel ill = I feel ill I don’t understand this = I don’t understand Ja = Yes My name is … = My name is … I am doing very well. = I’m very well. Wednesday = Wednesday Montag = Monday Morgen = Tomorrow No = No Neun = Nine Neunzig = Ninety Open = Open Restaurant = Restaurant Saturday = Saturday Six = Six Sechzig = Sixty Sieben = Seven Siebzig = Seventy Sonntag = Sunday Menü = Menu Do you speak German/English ? = Do you speak German/English? Toilets = Toilets Four = Four Forty = Forty Wine = Wine How are you? = How are you? How much is it? = How much does it cost? Where is …? = Where is …? Ten = Ten Twenty = Twenty Two = Two Sunday = Sunday menu = Menu Do you speak German/English? = Do you speak German/English? Toilets = Toilets Four = Four Forty = Forty Wine = Wine How are you? = How are you? How much is it? = How much does it cost? Where is …? = Where is …? Ten = Ten Twenty = Twenty Two = Two Sunday = Sunday menu = Menu Do you speak German/English? = Do you speak German/English? Toilets = Toilets Four = Four Forty = Forty Wine = Wine How are you? = How are you? How much is it? = How much does it cost? Where is …? = Where is …? Ten = Ten Twenty = Twenty Two = Two
The following items may be brought into Jamaica duty-free (persons aged 18 and over) if they are listed on the customs form handed out on the plane: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 230 g of tobacco; 1 liter spirits; 1 liter of wine; 170 ml perfume and 340 ml eau de toilette. Personal effects valued at up to US$500.
Import Restrictions
Foreign rum and matches only with an import license, meat, fruits, vegetables, ground foods, medicines, chemicals, herbal teas, walkie-talkies, coconut products, oilseeds, food oils, detergents, large amounts of alcohol and sugar. More information is available from Countryaah.com.
Prohibited Imports
Drugs, goatskin products (including but not limited to drums, handbags), coffee, offensive or obscene material (including prints, paintings, photographs, film, lithographs, engravings, books, maps or writings). Contact Jamaica Customs for more information.
Contact addresses
Embassy of Jamaica
(with visa issue)
(also responsible for Austria)
Avenue de France 23
Geneva
Switzerland
+41 (22) 908 07 60 and +41 (22) 731 57 80. Embassy of Jamaica
Honorary consulates in Bremen, Hamburg, Kleinmachnow and Munich.
Business people wear suits and ties or suits. Appointments should be made in advance, business cards are common. Trade samples require an import license issued by Trade Administration: Trade Administrator, c/o Trade Board, 107 Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10. Tel: 969 08 83. (Internet: www.tradeboard.gov.jm). Samples without commercial Value may be imported without a license. However, it may still be necessary to visit the trade administration to obtain a document confirming that the samples are duty-free. Business hours: Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm.
GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G and 4G. Network operators are Digicel and Flow. Roaming contracts exist. However, it may be cheaper to rent a mobile phone locally, for example from Flow, and to purchase a prepaid SIM card.
Internet
Hotels, city libraries, shopping malls, restaurants, cafes and bars mostly offer free WiFi. A few internet cafes can be found mainly in and around Kingston.
Post office
Post to Europe takes up to four days. Post offices open Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm.
