Q: What consular services are currently being offered by the embassy during COVID-19? 

A: The US Embassy consular section has resumed some limited consular services. We are confident the plans we have in place will be sustainable for the safety of our staff and visitors.

All visitors to the embassy must comply with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines. If you arrived in Jamaica within the last 14 days or have been instructed by the Ministry of Health to quarantine, you must complete this requirement before you may visit the embassy. 

American Citizen Services (ACS)

ACS continues to provide emergency assistance to US citizens and is accepting appointments for limited routine services. US citizens who require emergency assistance should contact the embassy at (876) 702-6000. If you have urgent travel and your passport has expired, please call the embassy during business hours or e-mail KingstonACS@state.gov.

Routine passport and notarial appointments can be scheduled on our website. We recommend US citizens register for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at www.step.state.gov to receive timely updates about local conditions and provide us with your contact information in case of emergency. 

Immigrant Visa Unit (IV)

A limited number of mission critical interview appointments for spouses and children of US citizens are being offered at this time. We have also opened a small number of K-1 (fiancé) appointments each week, consistent with our current COVID-19 posture and Department of State guidelines.

K-1 appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis and may be scheduled online. Should no appointments be available, please continue to check for future available appointments.

For previously scheduled IV appointments that have been cancelled, and the visa class is not impacted by Presidential Proclamation 10014, we are in the process of rescheduling those appointments. 

Non-Immigrant Visa Unit (NIV)

The US Embassy is now processing interview waiver renewals for individuals who were previously issued a full-validity B1/B2 visa, which is either still valid or expired less than 24 months ago. Individuals age 80 or over, or younger than 14 years, may also qualify for a waiver of interview.

Eligibility for an interview waiver will be determined as an applicant goes through the process of scheduling an appointment online. The NIV Unit also continues to process mission critical cases that qualify under the current Presidential Proclamation, as well as to schedule routine appointments for student visas. Those seeking visas for travel for dire family emergencies or demonstrable medical necessity may also seek expedited appointments on our system. As we are unable to offer most routine visa operations at this time, please note that the validity of your payment (MRV fee) is extended until December 31, 2021, to allow applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule a visa appointment. 

Fraud Prevention Unit

Currently, the US Embassy is operating at limited staffing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Fraud Prevention Unit is only providing a limited number of DNA appointments for children of US citizens and mission critical immigrant visa cases.

However, please initiate the process of ordering a DNA kit from an AABB accredited lab and the embassy will contact you when your case is ready for testing.

The US Embassy has established stringent protocols to protect applicants in the waiting area, including limiting the number of applicants in the waiting room for social distancing, requiring the wearing of cloth face coverings, providing hand sanitiser, and having a nurse wearing personal protective equipment. If you have a specific case question, please e-mail kingstondnatesting@state.gov. 

You can find more information about American Citizen Services and consular operations on our website, jm.usembassy.gov/ Keep on top of embassy news on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USEmbassyJamaica/ and by following @USEmbassyJA on Twitter .