Expert: Roberto Gomes - 2/23/2009

Question
We have a family friend staying with us who is from Jamaica he arrived on a direct fight from montego bay to gatwick in November and is due to return home on the 4th march on a flight out of heathrow airport stopping in Miami for 3 hours before catching a connecting flight to montego bay we have recently been told about this esta system however the us embassy website states that Jamaicans are not elidable please advise what we need and how we go about getting it for our freind to have a trouble free flight home

Answer
Dear Martin,

The ESTA system is only applied to nationalities that are covered under the US Visa Waiver Program, i.e. citizens that does not need a visa to enter or transit the US, which is not the case of Jamaica.

So your friend will need to obtain a normal or a transit visa, or will have to change his/her flight.

Best Regards,
R. Gomes