Start by separating a police record from a court record
Jamaica does not operate one open public website where anyone can type a person’s name and retrieve that person’s complete criminal history. A Jamaican Police Record / Police Certificate is primarily an applicant-specific service operated by the Jamaica Constabulary Force Criminal Records Office. Court information follows a different path through the Parish Courts, Supreme Court, Gun Court and Court of Appeal. Knowing which record you actually need is the fastest way to avoid going to the wrong agency.
Jamaica keeps different criminal-record information in different places
The phrase “criminal record” can refer to a Police Certificate, a criminal court file, a conviction, a published judgment, a correctional record or an appeal. These records do not all come from the same government office.
Police Record / Police Certificate
Applicant-specific certificate produced by the Criminal Records Office after identity, fingerprint and record checks.
Local criminal proceedings
Parish Courts handle large numbers of criminal matters and are often the first court connected to an ordinary local prosecution.
Serious criminal cases
Criminal Division, Home Circuits, circuit sittings and related serious criminal proceedings.
Firearm-related proceedings
Certain gun-related criminal proceedings are dealt with through the Gun Court structure.
Criminal appeals
Published criminal appeal judgments can be searched separately through the Court of Appeal.
Custody / supervision
The Department of Correctional Services manages correctional institutions, probation, parole and related services.
Can you search someone else’s criminal record online in Jamaica?
Jamaica does not provide an unrestricted public database equivalent to a U.S. statewide criminal-history name-search system where an ordinary visitor can retrieve another person’s complete Police Record.
The JCF Police Certificate process is built around the applicant’s identity and fingerprints. The person applies for their own certificate and presents identification and supporting documents.
Publicly accessible court information is more fragmented. Depending on the case, useful official sources may include:
- Parish Court public notices
- Supreme Court Criminal Division court lists
- Gun Court listings
- Supreme Court published judgments
- Court of Appeal criminal judgments
- court registry enquiries where access is legally available
How to obtain a Jamaican Police Record
The Jamaica Constabulary Force Criminal Records Office produces Police Records, commonly referred to as Police Certificates. The JCF says these records are frequently requested for employment, overseas travel and other official purposes.
The process is now substantially digital. Applicants pay the required service fee, complete the PCAMS online application, select an appointment, then attend the selected location for identity verification, fingerprinting and further processing.
Open the official PCAMS portal JCF Police Record guidanceThe appointment stage is now online through PCAMS
The Criminal Records Office has moved away from manual appointment booking. Applicants are expected to use the Police Certificate Application Management System.
Create a PCAMS account
Register with an active email address. PCAMS sends a verification code before the user completes their profile.
Complete your personal profile
Provide your name, date of birth, telephone number, nationality, parish and the other information requested by the system.
Upload the payment receipt and documents
The JCF digital process requires the applicant to provide proof of payment, identification and the requested photograph/document images.
Select an available location, date and time
PCAMS allows applicants to choose an available fingerprinting appointment rather than relying on a manually assigned visit.
Print your application
Follow the confirmation instructions. JCF guidance tells applicants to bring the printed PCAMS form and the original supporting material on the appointment day.
Attend the selected location
CRO staff verify the submitted documents before the applicant proceeds to fingerprinting and the record-search stage.
Current Jamaica Police Record service levels and fees
Current JCF/PCAMS guidance lists the following service options.
| Service | Fee | Published processing target | Important note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | JMD $3,000 | 21 working days | Standard Police Certificate service. |
| Express | JMD $6,000 | 5 working days | Higher-cost expedited service. |
| Next Day | JMD $8,000 | Next-day target where available | Current PCAMS information associates this with Kingston availability. Confirm availability before paying. |
Documents to prepare before the fingerprint appointment
The exact screen instructions in PCAMS should be followed, but current JCF guidance identifies the following core items for local applicants:
- printed PCAMS application form
- Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN)
- payment receipt in the applicant’s name
- passport-sized photograph
- valid government-issued identification
- passport when the Police Record is required for overseas/travel use
Accepted identification
Current JCF guidance lists a valid:
- passport
- national identification card
- driver’s licence
Current PCAMS instructions describe one passport-sized photograph for the local digital application. Follow the live PCAMS checklist shown for your appointment because requirements can be adjusted as the CRO digital process evolves.
Where Police Record fingerprinting is available
The JCF Criminal Records Office operates in Kingston and has expanded Police Certificate processing to regional locations.
Criminal Records Office
56 Duke StreetDowntown Kingston
Phone: 876-922-0125 / 876-922-3221
May Pen service location
Shopping Mall Trading Tower, Shop 241 Windsor Avenue, May Pen
Phone: 876-224-1014 / 876-986-1491
Always use the location selected in PCAMS. Do not assume that an applicant can attend a different fingerprinting site without changing the appointment.
Police Record collection has its own deadlines
After processing, follow the collection instructions tied to the selected location. The JCF’s digital-service notice explains that completed certificates are collected through the applicable service locations.
Can someone else collect the certificate?
JCF guidance allows collection by another person when the applicant supplies a letter of authorization. The person collecting the document must also have valid identification.
How to obtain a Jamaican Police Record while living overseas
Jamaicans and other qualifying applicants outside Jamaica do not have to travel to the island merely to begin the Police Certificate process.
The Criminal Records Office maintains a dedicated foreign-applicant procedure.
Open overseas applicant instructionsHave fingerprints taken abroad
Use a police station or reputable fingerprinting agency in the country where you live. The fingerprint document must satisfy the CRO’s signing and authentication requirements.
Arrange payment
Applicants with a Jamaican TRN can follow the TAJ route. Foreign residents without a TRN should use the payment method published on the CRO foreign-national page.
Register through the foreign-applicant process
Complete the preliminary foreign-national submission. Current CRO guidance says approval may take approximately 1–4 business days before access to complete the PCAMS application is issued.
Finish the PCAMS application
Use the link provided by the Criminal Records Office and download/print the completed form.
Prepare the supporting documents
Overseas guidance calls for passport-sized photographs and a certified copy of the passport biodata page in addition to the fingerprint documentation and application.
Track a Police Certificate application online
The JCF Criminal Records Office provides a Police Certificate Tracker.
The tracker accepts either the application’s entry number or the application reference together with the applicant’s date of birth.
Track a Police CertificateFor a criminal case, identify which Jamaican court handled it
A Police Record is not a replacement for a court file. If the goal is to find charges, proceedings, a judgment or a conviction record tied to a particular case, first identify the responsible court.
Many ordinary criminal matters
Parish Courts form a major part of Jamaica’s trial-court system and adjudicate a large volume of criminal matters.
Serious indictable matters
The Supreme Court Criminal Division and circuit sittings handle serious criminal proceedings.
Appealed criminal cases
Criminal appeal judgments can be searched through the Court of Appeal’s public judgment database.
Searching Parish Court criminal records
Jamaica’s Parish Courts are often the relevant starting point for a local criminal proceeding. The official Parish Court website organizes court information by parish, including:
- Kingston and St. Andrew
- St. Catherine
- Clarendon
- Manchester
- St. Elizabeth
- Westmoreland
- Hanover
- St. James
- Trelawny
- St. Ann
- St. Mary
- Portland
- St. Thomas
What to do if you know the parish
Supreme Court Criminal Division records and listings
The Supreme Court of Judicature of Jamaica publishes Criminal Division and Gun Court lists, including weekly sittings.
Those lists can contain information such as court numbers, case references, defendant names, counsel and the scheduled matter.
View Criminal & Gun Court listsPublic Building East
King StreetKingston, Jamaica
Switchboard: 876-633-7201 / 876-922-8300
Administrative hours:
Monday–Thursday: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Gun Court information is more restricted than an ordinary open court search
Jamaica’s Supreme Court publishes Gun Court listings together with Criminal Division lists, but access to actual proceedings and records can be more restricted.
The Supreme Court explains that although many court matters are open to the public, certain proceedings are heard in camera. Its published guidance identifies sensitive proceedings, including some sexual matters and gun offences, as examples where ordinary public courtroom access may be restricted.
Who can request copies from a Jamaican court file?
The Supreme Court’s public FAQ states that a person who is a party to an action before the Court and wants copies of documents on that file may make a written request to the court office and pay the applicable copying charges.
Jamaica’s Constitution also protects the right of an accused person who has been tried for a criminal offence, or a person authorized by that accused, to obtain the record of the proceedings after judgment subject to the applicable legal requirements and prescribed fee.
Court lists are useful for current and recent proceedings
A court list is not a criminal-history report, but it can help confirm that a named proceeding is scheduled or being handled by a particular court.
The Supreme Court regularly posts its Criminal and Gun Court Division listings online. The Parish Court website also publishes public notices for some courts and divisions.
Criminal & Gun Court lists
Useful for current weekly sittings in serious criminal matters.
View court listsPublic notices
Useful for selected future dates, adjournments and other court-specific notices.
View Parish Court noticesPublished judgments can reveal much more than a basic court listing
The Supreme Court maintains an online judgment database that can be searched by title, presiding judge, delivery date, neutral citation, case number and year.
Search Supreme Court judgmentsA published judgment can contain detailed procedural history, allegations, evidence, legal issues and the court’s reasoning. It should therefore be read carefully and in context rather than reduced to a person’s name appearing in a search result.
Search criminal appeals separately
Jamaica’s Court of Appeal maintains a dedicated online list of published criminal judgments.
The database can be searched by year and includes citation/appeal numbers, case titles and judgment delivery dates.
Search criminal appeal judgmentsRegistry contact
Public Building WestKing Street
Kingston, Jamaica
Telephone: 876-665-3530
The Access to Information Act is not a shortcut to every court or police record
Jamaica’s Access to Information Act gives members of the public a general right to obtain official government documents unless an exemption applies.
Requests can generally be made to the appropriate public authority by letter, form, email, fax, telephone or in person. Applicants should clearly identify the requested document and state that access is being sought under the ATI Act.
Jamaica Access to Information UnitATI response period
Official ATI guidance says a public authority should generally respond within 30 days by granting, denying or deferring the request. An additional 30-day extension can be used where permitted, with reasons given to the applicant.
Jamaica correctional and inmate information follows a separate path
The Department of Correctional Services manages adult correctional centres, juvenile centres, probation, aftercare, parole and other correctional services.
As of October 2026, the Department’s official public e-services emphasize visitor applications, facility information and correctional contacts rather than an open public nationwide inmate-name search comparable to some U.S. offender locators.
Department of Correctional ServicesKingston 4
Telephone: 876-967-2429
Hours:
Monday–Thursday: 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Eligible Jamaican convictions may be expunged
Jamaica’s expungement system is governed by the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act.
Expungement removes an eligible conviction from the person’s criminal/police record after the required rehabilitation period and approval process.
Ministry of Justice expungement guidance Download expungement formsBasic eligibility
Current Ministry of Justice guidance identifies two core conditions:
- the offence must be legally eligible for expungement
- the sentence must fall within the statutory range
- the applicable rehabilitation period must have expired
- the applicant must satisfy the conviction-history requirements
The Ministry explains that qualifying offences generally involve a non-custodial sentence or imprisonment not exceeding five years, subject to statutory exclusions.
Current rehabilitation periods for adults
| Sentence | Rehabilitation period |
|---|---|
| No imprisonment | 3 years |
| Imprisonment not exceeding 6 months | 5 years |
| More than 6 months but not exceeding 36 months | 7 years |
| More than 36 months but not exceeding 5 years | 10 years |
Applicants under 18 at the time covered by the rules
| Sentence | Rehabilitation period |
|---|---|
| No imprisonment | 18 months |
| Imprisonment not exceeding 6 months | 30 months |
| More than 6 months but not exceeding 36 months | 42 months |
| More than 36 months but not exceeding 5 years | 5 years |
What you need for a Jamaican expungement application
Updated Ministry of Justice guidance requires the application to be completed in duplicate and supported by identification, fingerprints and recommendations.
- two completed and signed application forms
- fingerprint impressions
- Tax Office receipt showing the expungement payment
- two letters of recommendation
- certified/notarized birth certificate or qualifying government photo ID
- name-change evidence where applicable
- relevant court or supporting documents where useful
Referees
Referees cannot be family members. Current Ministry guidance gives examples such as:
- Minister of Religion
- Justice of the Peace
- Principal or Teacher
- Attorney-at-Law
- Medical Practitioner
- senior Police Officer
Current expungement application payment
The Ministry’s updated 2026 application guidelines state that the Tax Office receipt must show payment of JMD $3,000 and identify the payment as “Expungement”.
Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs
Customer Service Desk61 Constant Spring Road
Kingston 10
Telephone: 876-906-4923
Toll Free: 888-JUSTICE (587-8423)
WhatsApp text: 876-851-3287
How long can expungement take?
The Ministry currently advises that the process may take at least one year, because a police report must be obtained and the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Board must review the application.
Criminal Records Office location in Kingston
For a Kingston Police Record appointment, use the location specified by PCAMS and the JCF. Current Criminal Records Office contact information identifies 56 Duke Street, Downtown Kingston.
Practical Jamaica criminal-record tips that prevent wasted trips
Know whether you need police or court records
A Police Certificate and a court case file answer different questions.
Pay before starting PCAMS
The CRO workflow begins with the applicable payment because the receipt information is used during the online application.
Keep the receipt
JCF says Police Certificate receipts are non-refundable and TAJ does not reprint them.
Check the appointment email
Your fingerprint location and instructions matter more than a generic office address.
Use a passport for overseas use
A valid passport is specifically required when the Police Record is intended for overseas/travel purposes.
Track with the application reference
Save the PCAMS reference from the confirmation email so you can use the online tracker.
For another person’s case, start with the court
Do not try to order that person’s Police Certificate. Search the relevant public court resources instead.
Search appeal judgments separately
A trial-level matter can generate a separate Court of Appeal judgment years later.
ATI is not a court-record loophole
The ATI Act generally covers only administrative documents held by a court registry, not substantive court files.
Common questions about Jamaican criminal and Police Records
1. Is there a public Jamaican criminal-record search by name?
Jamaica does not provide one unrestricted public nationwide database where an ordinary user can type another person’s name and retrieve that person’s complete criminal history. Public information is instead spread across court lists, published judgments, court registries and other official sources.
2. How do I obtain my own Jamaican Police Record?
Pay the applicable service fee, create an account in the JCF Police Certificate Application Management System, complete the online application, select an appointment and attend the assigned location for document verification and fingerprinting.
3. How much does a Jamaican Police Record cost?
Current JCF guidance lists Regular Service at JMD $3,000 and Express Service at JMD $6,000. PCAMS also displays a JMD $8,000 next-day option associated with Kingston availability. Verify the live service options before paying.
4. How long does the Police Record take?
The published target is 21 working days for Regular Service and five working days for Express Service. Cases requiring additional verification can take longer.
5. Can I apply for a Jamaican Police Record while overseas?
Yes. The JCF Criminal Records Office provides a foreign-applicant procedure involving overseas fingerprints, passport documentation, payment and completion of the PCAMS application.
6. Can someone else collect my Jamaican Police Record?
JCF guidance allows another person to collect the certificate when the applicant provides an authorization letter. The person collecting it must present valid identification.
7. How long will JCF hold my Police Certificate for pickup?
The Criminal Records Office announced that Police Certificates designated for collection must be picked up within three months from the selected pickup location.
8. Where can I search Jamaican criminal court judgments?
The Supreme Court publishes searchable judgments and Criminal/Gun Court lists. The Court of Appeal separately publishes criminal appeal judgments. Parish Courts also maintain their own official court pages and public notices.
9. Can I use Jamaica’s Access to Information Act to obtain any court file?
No. The ATI Act applies to court-registry documents only when they concern administrative matters. Substantive court-file access is controlled by court rules and other legal provisions.
10. Can a Jamaican criminal conviction be expunged?
Some convictions are eligible after the applicable rehabilitation period under the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act. Eligibility depends on the offence, sentence and later conviction history, and some offences are excluded entirely.
Official Jamaican sources for verifying record information
- Jamaica Constabulary Force — Police Record FAQ
- JCF Criminal Records Office — PCAMS
- Police Certificate Application Management System
- Criminal Records Office — Police Certificate Standard Operating Procedure
- Criminal Records Office — Overseas / Foreign Applicant Instructions
- JCF Police Certificate Tracker
- Judiciary of Jamaica — Parish Courts
- Supreme Court — Criminal Division & Gun Court Lists
- Supreme Court — Judgments
- Court of Appeal — Criminal Judgments
- Jamaica Access to Information Unit
- Department of Correctional Services
- Ministry of Justice — Expungement of Criminal Records
- Ministry of Justice — Forms and Expungement Documents
- Laws of Jamaica — Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act