What is Duty & Tax Free

What is Duty & Tax Free Shopping?

“Duty & Tax Free” shopping means that no duty on items will be paid to the local government and as such, items which are “Duty Free” must be exported to countries outside the tax territory of Jamaica. Further, purchases made in Jamaica Duty Free stores attract none of the local taxes.

This means that the prices you find in Duty Free stores will be worldwide competitive prices as they are sheltered from the local taxes and duties of the host country. Because our Duty Free system in Jamaica works on an honor system, any purchase made by a visitor in our Duty Free stores will require you to sign a receipt which states that you will be taking this purchase home with you and not leaving it in the country.

Passengers who have purchased Duty Free goods who are travelling to a final destination outside the tax territory of Jamaica may be requested to pay tax on their purchases on arrival at their destination. Each country usually offers an allowance or exemption to returning residents who have purchased items abroad.

For example, the US duty-free exemption, also called the personal exemption, is the total value of merchandise you may bring back to the United States without having to pay duty. You may bring back more than your exemption, but you will have to pay duty on it. In most cases, the personal exemption for the US is $800……

See the link for full details on > US Citizens returning home

See the link for full details on > UK Citizens returning home

Please take the time to research the Duty Free allowance for your country. This information is usually found on the government websites of your country.