Returning Residents Guide - A Complete Safety & Security Guide to Coming Home to Jamaica

111

Work & Enterprise

Starting a Business – Opportunities & Regulations

Principle: build it like a project—Idea → Structure → Register → Comply → Launch → Improve.

A. Opportunity Map (where returnees actually win)

Sector Why it works Typical first offers

What makes you

competitive

Property &

Projects

Diaspora trust + local

know-how

Rentals/management,

renovations, small dev.

Licensed team, transparent

reporting, escrow use.

Construction &

Trades

Housing demand,

renovation wave

Electrical, plumbing, tiling,

solar installs

Certification, written

quotes, staged payments.

Tourism &

Hospitality

North & NE coast

growth

Villas/BnB, tours, boutique

F&B

Reviews, safety, consistent

service.

Agribusiness Import substitution + exports Scotch bonnet, ackee, herbs, hot sauces

Traceability, water

management, contract

growing.

Logistics & E-

commerce

Courier/forwarder

ecosystem

Last-mile, pick-and-pack, cold

chain niches

Reliability dashboards,

SLAs, COD options.

Digital &

Creative

Global clients, remote

work

Design/dev, video, music

services

Portfolio + deadlines + USD

billing.

Health &

Wellness

Ageing population +

lifestyle

Home care, physio, healthy

meals

Trained staff, insurance

billing, safeguarding.

Education &

Training

Skills gaps (tech,

trades)

Bootcamps, tutoring,

corporate upskilling

Outcomes, employer ties,

HEART/NSTA alignment.

Dean’s tip: Start with one product, one channel, one parish. Add complexity only when unit economics
are proven.

B. The Registration Roadmap (simple, sequential)

Step What you do Where/Who Notes

1. Choose
   structure

Sole trader / Partnership / Limited

company

—

Liability & tax treatment differ;

many returnees pick a

company for clarity.

2. Name
   search &
   reserve

Check availability; reserve

business/company name

Companies Office

of Jamaica (COJ)

Do this before printing cards or

building your website.

3. Register the
   entity

File incorporation/registration

docs COJ^

Keep your Certificate and

Articles handy; banks will ask.