The U.S. Department of State has revised its guidance for Jamaica, lowering the country’s travel advisory to Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution in an update dated January 17, 2026. The notice says the overall advisory level was decreased, while the underlying risk indicators, focused on crime, health, and natural disasters, remain in place, with the advisory summary updated.
The State Department’s guidance is designed to frame risk rather than ban travel outright. Under Level 2, officials urge travelers to take added precautions and to read the full advisory, particularly because certain locations are treated differently from the countrywide rating.
In parallel, other governments continue to emphasize caution. Canada’s travel guidance for Jamaica, last updated January 9, 2026, advises Canadians to “exercise a high degree of caution,” particularly noting elevated violent-crime concerns outside tourist areas.
Crime Risks And Areas With Higher Restrictions
In its updated advisory, the State Department says violent crime is a concern throughout Jamaica, and notes that the homicide rate reported by the Government of Jamaica is among the highest in the Western Hemisphere. It adds that tourist areas generally experience lower rates of violent crime than other parts of the country, but warns that armed robberies and sexual assaults are common. The advisory also states that the U.S. Embassy routinely receives reports of sexual assaults, including reports from U.S. citizen tourists at resorts.
The guidance highlights potential limits in the local justice process following serious incidents, including concerns about slow or unsatisfactory responses and the possibility that cases may not be prosecuted through to final outcomes.
Alongside the nationwide Level 2 label, the advisory includes a separate warning structure for specified “high crime areas,” describing them in a Level 4 context (“Do Not Travel”). The listed areas include parts of St. Ann’s Parish, St. Catherine’s Parish, Clarendon Parish (with a highway-pass-through exception), sections of Montego Bay, and multiple neighborhoods in Kingston and St. Andrew, among others.
Health Capacity And Hurricane Recovery Factors
The State Department also stresses that basic and specialized medical care may be limited in many parts of Jamaica, citing slower emergency response times and reduced availability of care. It specifically notes that health care facilities in western Jamaica were badly damaged by Hurricane Melissa, which the advisory says made landfall on October 28, 2025, and caused widespread damage in the west, with some locations still facing infrastructure and service impacts.
Travel planning, the advisory suggests, should account for operational variability: it says major airports have reopened for commercial flights, while some western areas, including Black River and Montego Bay, remain in different stages of recovery, and travelers should confirm services and amenities before arrival.
Health-related practicalities are part of the warning as well. The State Department notes that some private hospitals require payment up front, and that ambulance services may not always be readily available or staffed with EMTs, especially in rural areas. It also advises travelers to bring extra prescription medication and points out that air ambulance transport to the United States can cost 30,000 US dollars at the low end.
What The Guidance Means For Travelers Now
For travelers who still plan to visit, the State Department’s advisory emphasizes behavior and planning choices that reduce exposure to risk. It says U.S. government employees in Jamaica are not allowed to use public buses or drive between cities at night, and it recommends that U.S. citizens follow the same precautions.
The advisory also urges visitors not to physically resist robbery attempts and warns against attempting to bring firearms or ammunition, noting severe penalties that can include long prison sentences, even if items are carried by mistake. It further advises avoiding walking or driving at night, avoiding public buses, steering clear of remote places, and maintaining situational awareness.
Separately, Jamaica’s tourism information channels have stated that some regions were undamaged by Hurricane Melissa while others required repairs, and that travelers may want to verify local conditions and operations by area as recovery continues.
