Import and Export Licensing

The Ministry’s Agency, the Trade Board Limited, is a regulatory agency of the Government of Jamaica operating in accordance with the Trade Act. The Trade Board has the responsibility for:

• Issuing import and export licences for specific items that may impact negatively on the environmental, social and economic conditions of the country, in keeping with the international obligations under the WTO Agreement for import licensing.
• Issuing certificates of origin for Jamaican products exported under the various preferential trade agreements
• Monitoring import and export of specified commodities as required by the Ministry.
• Establishing and operating a Certifying Authority for issuing Digital Certificates and regulating Certification Service Providers – Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Programme.
• Being the catalyst to facilitate commerce through interfaces with a wide range of organizations including Embassies, Ministries and Agencies of Government and private sector organizations.

The Import Monitoring Unit of the Commerce Division of the Ministry deals with policy developments connected with World Trade Organisation (WTO) trade-related measures, such safeguards, anti-dumping, subsidies, CARICOM trade and so on.