Filing Documents Electronically in Jamaica

A paperless case management platform being built for Jamaica's Judiciary in partnership with Rwanda's Cooperation Initiative, with support from Global Affairs Canada and UNDP Jamaica. Once live, it's intended to let both criminal and civil cases be filed, processed, and tracked electronically from first contact through trial, appeal, and enforcement, with real-time data sharing between the Judiciary, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the DPP's office, and the Department of Correctional Services.

Until it launches: nothing changes about how a claim, petition, or application gets filed — it still goes in on paper.

Practice Direction No. 11 of 2020 lets parties email the relevant Supreme Court registry directly for two narrow purposes: to have a matter listed to announce a settlement (no application or affidavit needed — the email is sufficient), and to raise an urgent trial matter with the Registrar (an affidavit of urgency is still required for that). It does not cover filing an originating claim, petition, or application.

Practice Direction No. 1 of 2024 permits documents in civil proceedings to be served on the other side by electronic method rather than physical delivery, in the circumstances it sets out. This governs servinga party who's already in the case — it's separate from filing the document with the court in the first place.

Practice Direction No. 2 of 2024 covers disclosure of evidence by electronic method in criminal proceedings — prosecution and defence exchanging material electronically rather than in hard copy.

The Caribbean Court of Justice has run electronic filing for its original jurisdiction since 2013 — disputes between CARICOM member states or about the interpretation of the CARICOM treaty. Jamaica hasn't acceded to the CCJ's appellate jurisdiction (the Privy Council remains Jamaica's final court of appeal), so this applies only to that narrow treaty docket, not to ordinary Jamaican litigation.

New business registration runs through the Electronic Business Registration Form (eBRF), online since 2019. Since April 1, 2026, COJ moved nine core compliance filings — business name renewals, business closures, letters of good standing, and status letter requests — to online-only processing, ending in-person handling for those specific filings. A second phase extended mandatory online filing to additional filing types from July 1, 2026.

TAJ's Enterprise Portal handles filing, payment, and account access for General Consumption Tax, Income Tax, Payroll Tax, and Property Tax. A username tied to your TRN is required; each username needs its own email address. Filing is mandatory online for the tax types listed on TAJ's Mandatory e-Filing Hub.

Certificate applications can be submitted online, but you need your birth entry number on hand to start, and payment is by credit card. RGD's public-facing services are being integrated under the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) — if the RGD link above redirects, that's why.

eLandjamaica is a map-based search of Certificates of Title, Deposited Plans, Strata Plans, Enclosure Plans, Caveat Cards, and Registered Instruments. Searching and the map itself are free; viewing or purchasing a scanned document has a fee, payable online by card.