Jamaica - Obtain A Special Economic Zone Status

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. To apply for the Special Economic Zone Status (SEZ) you should submit your application to the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA). You can view their contact details via this link: Link
2. If you meet the required eligibility criteria mentioned in the “Eligibility” section below to be as an SEZ user, you may schedule an appointment with the JSEZA to obtain the application in-person from their office or you can request it via their email address: [email protected]
3. Alternatively. You can also download the forms directly via the links provided in the “Documents to Use” section below
4. Read the application form/s carefully and fill them correctly then prepare all the required supporting documents and attach them to the form. In case you need assistance in filling the form/s and obtaining the required documents, you can obtain a checklist of the documents and guidelines to fill the form/s from the JSEZA office or via their website. Link under “Apply Now”
5. Once your registration form and any relevant supporting information or documents have been completed, signed, stamped, and certified where required, you should visit JSEZA’s offices to submit your application for SEZ Status along with proof of payment of the relevant fee. The application fees are stated in the “Fees” section below and are non-refundable once paid
6. Once submitted, the JSEZA will scrutinize the application and the attached documents to verify if it meets the required standard, and if the application is complete, they will schedule a date for the site inspection
7. On the scheduled date, JSEZA will send the inspectors to conduct due diligence on the proposed site and forward their report to the JSEZA
8. Then JSEZA will review the investigation report and if the entire application is satisfactory to the JSEZA’s standard requirements, they will forward a pre-approval letter to you and to the Portfolio Minister at the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC) for approval and objection if any
9. If the minister has no objection to the application, an order will be prepared and gazetted in the local newspaper regarding the application
10. At the end of the published notice and if no complaints or objection has risen from the public, the JSEZA will negotiate an SEZ agreement with you in terms of SEZ Master Concession Agreement or SEZ Licensing Agreement
11. Then the Authority will notify you that your application for your SEZ Status has been granted and that you may visit JSEZA to collect your document.
12. You will be issued with your SEZ Master Concession Agreementor SEZ LicensingAgreement and your SEZ Operating Certificate
    

Apply Online

1. To apply for the Special Economic Zone Status (SEZ) online, visit the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA) Link
2. On the information bar, click on “APPLY NOW” to go to the online application forms for the SEZ
3. Choose the category you wish to apply for from the provided options, for example, if you wish to apply as a Developer, click on the “DEVELOPER”tile and complete the online application form. You can also view the guideline for completing the online application form by clicking on “VIEW GUIDELINE”. You can do this for any category you want to apply for
4. Upon successful application, the JSEZA will scrutinize the application and the attached documents to verify if it meets the required standard, and if the application is complete, they will schedule a date for the site inspection
5. On the scheduled date, JSEZA will send the inspectors to conduct due diligence on the proposed site and forward their report to the JSEZA
6. Then JSEZA will review the investigation report and if the entire application is satisfactory to the JSEZA’s standard requirements, they will forward a pre-approval letter to you and the Portfolio Minister at the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC) for approval and objection if any
7. If the minister has no objection to the application, an order will be prepared and gazetted in the local newspaper regarding the application
8. At the end of the published notice and no complaints or objection has risen from the public, the JSEZA will negotiate an SEZ agreement with you in terms of SEZ Master Concession Agreement or SEZ Licensing Agreement
9. Then the Authority will notify you that your application for your SEZ Status has been granted and that you may visit JSEZA to collect your document.
10. You will be issued with your SEZ Master Concession Agreement or SEZ Licensing Agreement and your SEZ Operating Certificate

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Required Documents

Developer:

• Complete application form
• Proof of payment of application fee
• Certified copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Certificate of Incorporation
• Certified copy of Tax Registration Number
• Certified copy of General Consumption Tax number
• Certified copy of Tax Compliance Certificate
• Affidavit - setting forth all relevant commercial information of the Applicant, including its name, address, nationality, owners, the board of directors (or equivalent management committee), auditors, and bankers, as well as the capital-ownership shares of the Applicant
• Copy of proposed sub-concession lease agreement
• Surveyor’s ID report
• Surveyor’s Technical Description
• Surveyor’s ID Site Plan
• Business Plan
• Certified copy of the certificate of the legal right to land ownership or occupancy; or certified copy of a long-term lease agreement clearly stating the duration of the lease; or document establishing that the Applicant is in the process of obtaining occupancy rights to the subject land area
• Affidavit clearing lands for the use and, where applicable, supporting documents, showing third-party public or private occupants of the proposed land area declaring their written consent to the planned SEZ
• Concept Master Plan
• Certified drawings - certified by a registered architect, engineering drawings must be certified by a professional engineer, and site and subdivision plans must be certified by a commissioned land surveyor
• Preliminary land-use plan
• A written statement explaining the general compatibility of the Concept Master Plan and Preliminary Land-Use Plan
• Description of the type of SEZ proposed
• Labor force and skill level requirement
• Source of funds

Occupant:

• Complete application form
• Proof of payment of application fee
• Certified copy of the memorandum and articles of association
• Certificate of incorporation
• Certified copy of Tax Registration Number
• Certified copy of General Consumption Tax number
• Certified copy of Tax Compliance Certificate
• Affidavit - setting forth all relevant commercial information of the Applicant, including its name, address, nationality, owners, the board of directors (or equivalent management committee), auditors, and bankers, as well as the capital-ownership shares of the Applicant
• Copy of proposed sub-concession lease agreement
• Surveyor’s ID report
• Surveyor’s Technical Description
• Surveyor’s ID Site Plan
• Business Plan

MSME Occupants

• Completed application form
• Proof of payment of application fee
• Certified copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Certificate of Incorporation
• Certified copy of Tax Registration Number
• Certified copy of General Consumption Tax number
• Certified copy of Tax Compliance Certificate
• Affidavit
• Copy of proposed sub-concession lease agreement
• Surveyor’s ID report
• Surveyor’s Technical Description
• Surveyor’s ID Site Plan
• Business Plan

Office Locations & Contacts

Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority
13 Waterloo Road
Kingston 10
Jamaica W.I.
Tel: 1 (876) 619-SEZA (7392)
Email: [email protected] 
Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Eligibility

A company incorporated under the Companies Act of Jamaica is eligible to register provided they meet the following eligibility criteria requirements of these zones

• Developer
• Occupant
• Zone User
• MSME Occupant

Any business, regardless of size, once they meet the eligibility criteria can seek SEZ status as a Developer, Occupant, or Zone User

Fees

• Developer:US$3,000.00
• Occupant:US$1,500.00
• Zone User:US$100.00
• Annual Fee for Building Space: US$0.20 (per sq. ft.)
• Annual Fee for Non-Building Space: US$0.05 (per sq. ft.)

Validity

• The SEZ agreement or certificate is valid for the period stated on it

Documents to Use

• Application forms: Link

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

The application will be processed as follows:

• Developer Status will take approximately sixty working days to be processed
• Occupant Status will take approximately forty-five working days to be processed
• Zone User Status will take approximately fifteen working days to be processed

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
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e.gIn the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• Developer – a company may apply for Developer status if the intention is to establish, manage, maintain and operate as the landlord of an SEZ. A single entity operator must apply for Developer status. The Developer is the company that will be entering into a master-concession or a license-agreement with the Authority.
• Occupant – refers to a company that conducts business in the Zone under a sub-concession agreement with a Developer.
• Zone User – means a company providing services to Developers or Occupants within an SEZ. This could include restaurant or manpower services. A Zone User does not benefit from the SEZ fiscal incentives.
• MSME Occupant – this is a company operating under a sub-concession agreement under the MSME classification as prescribed by the Authority.
• Relocation – Any company seeking to move from one location to another must complete a relocation form.
• Expansion – Any company which intends to grow their operations, that is, if they require additional space to their existing structure, they must complete an Expansion Form.

Required Information

• Applicant details
• Applicant contact details
• Representative details
• Company details
• Declaration

Need for the Document

• You need JSEZA’s approval to operate in the SEZ legally

Information which might help

SEZ act: Link

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

JSEZA: Link

Others

More information which might help people.