Can a born Jamaican with American citizenship book a one way flight to Jamaica [duplicate]

Can a born Jamaican with American citizenship book a one way flight to Jamaica [duplicate] - Top view of crop anonymous person holding toy airplane on colorful world map drawn on chalkboard

A born Jamaican lady, who is also a US citizen was recently prevented from boarding a Southwest flight from the USA to Jamaica because of not having a return ticket to the USA. This lady had traveled from the USA to Jamaica on many occasions on one-way tickets via Southwest and other airlines and it was never an issue. Is Southwest acting on a new policy?



Best Answer

Is Southwest acting on a new policy?

I don't know whether Southwest or Jamaica has changed policy recently, but Southwest should be expected to treat someone who shows (only) a US passport as a US citizen. The Jamaican consulate in New York notes that visitors must "be in possession of a return or round trip ticket to another country to which they are admissible."

Now, a Jamaican immigration officer might recognize this traveler as a Jamaican citizen, but it's not reasonable to expect a relatively low-level employee of an airline to reach the same conclusion unless the traveler shows a Jamaican passport. Countries typically fine airlines when a passenger is refused entry unless the airline can show that the passenger presented adequate documents. The amount of the fine is typically in the range of a few thousand US dollars or equivalent. The lack of a round-trip ticket in this case leaves Southwest at risk of a fine.

The obvious advice for the traveler in question is to get a Jamaican passport. If she did in fact have and show a Jamaican passport in this case, then the advice would be to complain to Southwest and seek compensation.




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Can a US citizen book a one way ticket to Jamaica?

As long as you have a return ticket you will be fine. It could even be with a different airline for that matter.

Can a US citizen book a one way flight?

They want to see proof of onward travel back to your home or at least to another destination. So while you can technically travel on a one-way ticket, they also need some kind of official return ticket confirmation showing that you are leaving the country eventually.

Can you have dual US and Jamaican citizenship?

Yes you can have dual citizenship between Jamaica and the USA. In fact, persons can also have dual citizenship with Jamaica and Canada as well as Jamaica and the United Kingdom.

What are two benefits of having Jamaican citizenship?

Some of the advantages of becoming a Jamaican citizen include but not limited to the ability to:
  • Acquire a Jamaican Passport.
  • Work without a work permit.
  • Vote in General and Local Government Elections.
  • Receive Social benefits and get access to government programmes.




Problem Getting Jamaican Citizenship




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