Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, is confident that the recently introduced C5 Electronic Entry Portal, formally the (Immigration/Customs Declaration Form), will afford arriving airline passengers greater ease through Customs.
“The idea is to make it easier for Jamaicans coming home, which is a service to our population and in addition, makes for an easier process for the visitors we are getting primarily through the tourism sector, which moves millions of passengers through the airports,” the Minister said, during a tour of the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Tuesday, September 5.
Minister Chang was accompanied by Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security and Mr. Andrew Wynter, Chief Executive Officer of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), as well as the Commissioner of Customs, Mrs. Velma Ricketts Walker.
The tour was organised for the Minister to observe first-hand incoming travellers utilising the electronic Immigration Customs Declaration Form. Travellers to the island are mandated to fill out the immigration form online. It replaces the paper document that is issued to travellers on the various airlines destined for Jamaica.
Minister Chang stated that the new system is a crucial element in the national security apparatus of Jamaica, as it not only helps with revenue generation but also plays a vital role in helping to eliminate threats from criminal activity which use the airport to traffic illicit goods.
Furthermore, he noted that the government is looking to maximize Jamaica’s strategic geographic location for transshipment purposes.
“Jamaica is by any measure the ideal location for transshipment and therefore we have to monitor our borders effectively and this new system here is an example of that. So we have to introduce modern technologies to improve our efficiency and quality of service,” stated Minister Chang.
The Minister is reminding the public that the Online Declaration Form is completely free to be accessed by travellers through the airports. He added that e-gates will also be added in the future to further ease congestion in the arrival hall at the Kingston-based international airport.
He said: “We are in a much better position with the online portal now up and running to better secure Jamaica”.
The rollout of the new system is being done by the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) in partnership with Jamaica Customs.
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