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Medical Status
Legal with permit
Personal Use
Decriminalised up to 2oz
Max Quantity
Enough for your stay
Apply Before
2 weeks ahead
Permit Issued By
Ministry of Health
Leaving Jamaica
Cannot take it out

Travelling With Your Prescription

What the rules say

Jamaica treats prescribed cannabis as a controlled medicine. If you want to bring yours into the country, you must apply to the Standards and Regulations Division of the Ministry of Health and Wellness for a permit. The permit lets you bring in enough medicine for your trip, not a larger supply.

When you arrive, you must tell customs about your medicine and show your permit and your doctor's letter. For the trip home, the rules of the United Kingdom apply instead. You can read those on our taking medical cannabis abroad guide.

How to Apply for Your Permit

What you need to send

Send all of the following to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Missing items will hold up your permit.

  1. A written request for the permit. For a child, or a person who needs support, a parent, guardian or carer can ask for them.
  2. Your travel plans. Include your dates of travel, the airline, and your flight numbers.
  3. Your address in Jamaica. Give the address where you will stay during your visit.
  4. A letter from your doctor. It should give your medical history and the medicines you take.
  5. A current, valid prescription. Make sure it is in date and signed.
  6. Photos of your medicine labels. Take clear photos that show all sides of the labels on your cannabis medicine.
  7. A list of your medicines and your contact details. List each controlled medicine and how much of each you will carry. Add your contact details so the Ministry can reach you.
Apply early If you send your documents within two weeks of travel, your permit can be ready about three working days before you go. If you send them earlier than two weeks, it can be ready up to two weeks before. Either way, do not leave it to the last day.

Packing & At the Airport

How to carry your medicine

Keep your medicine and your papers together and easy to reach. Carry them in your hand luggage with your passport, not in the hold.

  • Keep every medicine in its original pharmacy container with the label. Do not move it into another bottle or bag.
  • Keep your medicine in your hand luggage, not in the checked hold.
  • Carry your permit, prescription, and doctor's letter together where you can reach them quickly.
  • Tell customs about your medicine when you arrive. Write it on your customs form. Do not wait to be asked.
  • Keep digital copies of all your papers on your phone as a backup.
Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica - Standards and Regulations Division

Send your permit request to the Standards and Regulations Division. Contact details for officers can change, so confirm the current email address on the Ministry's official contact page before you apply: moh.gov.jm/contact-us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, but only if you apply for a permit from the Ministry of Health and Wellness before you travel. The permit covers enough medicine for your stay. A UK prescription on its own does not let you bring cannabis into Jamaica.
If you apply within two weeks of travel, the permit can be ready about three working days before you go. If you apply earlier than two weeks, it can be ready up to two weeks before. Send your documents as early as you can.
Holding a small amount for personal use, up to two ounces, is decriminalised in Jamaica, which means it is not an arrestable offence. It is still not the same as your prescribed medicine. Most importantly, you cannot take any cannabis out of Jamaica, including anything bought there.
You can bring back your own UK-prescribed cannabis, up to a three-month supply, with your prescriber's letter and the original packaging. You cannot bring back any cannabis bought or obtained in Jamaica. Taking cannabis out of Jamaica is a criminal offence there.
Declare your medicine on your customs form when you arrive. Keep your permit, prescription, and doctor's letter in your hand luggage where you can reach them. Keep all medicine in its original pharmacy container. Being open is the easiest way through.
Need more travel information?

Go back to the full PatientsCann UK Travel Guide for other countries, or find legal support if you have had a problem at the border.

Travel Guide Legal Support GOV.UK Guidance

Sources

References follow the Harvard style. Always check the original source, as rules and contact details can change.

  1. Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica (no date) Contact us. Available at: moh.gov.jm/contact-us (Accessed: 28 June 2026).
  2. High Commission of Jamaica, Brussels (no date) Importation of prescription drugs to Jamaica. Available at: jamaica-brussels.be (Accessed: 28 June 2026).
  3. GOV.UK (no date) Take medicine in or out of the UK. Available at: gov.uk/take-medicine-in-or-out-uk (Accessed: 28 June 2026).
  4. Home Office (2020) Travelling with medicine containing a controlled drug. Available at: gov.uk/guidance/controlled-drugs-personal-licences (Accessed: 28 June 2026).
  5. PatientsCann UK (no date) Travel abroad with your cannabis prescription. Available at: patientscann.org.uk/travel (Accessed: 28 June 2026).
Disclaimer: This guide is provided by PatientsCann UK® for general information only and is not legal or medical advice. Rules can change. Always confirm the current process with the Jamaican Ministry of Health and Wellness, and read the GOV.UK advice, before you travel. PatientsCann UK accepts no liability for any legal issues arising from travel with cannabis-based medicines. Last reviewed: June 2026.