A TRN — Taxpayer Registration Number — is the identifier the Jamaican authorities use for a person or business, and it is required to receive imported goods. It is a small piece of admin that stops a surprising number of shipments, because it is usually discovered late: the barrel has arrived, and the person collecting it does not have one.
What It Is
The TRN is a unique number issued to individuals and businesses in Jamaica and used across tax and customs administration. For shipping purposes, what matters is simple: the consignee — the person or company receiving the goods — needs one before the shipment can be cleared.
Who Needs One
- The person collecting a barrel, box or container in Jamaica.
- A business importing stock or equipment.
- A returning resident importing household effects or a vehicle.
- Anyone named as consignee on the shipping documents.
It is the receiver, not the sender
If you are shipping from the United States to a relative in Jamaica, it is your relative who needs the TRN. You do not need one to send a shipment — they need one to receive it. This is the point most often misunderstood.
When to Arrange It
Before the shipment sails, not after it lands. A shipment whose consignee has no TRN cannot be cleared, and while that is sorted out the cargo sits at the port — potentially accruing storage charges. Arranging it early costs nothing and removes the risk entirely.
What We Need From You
When you book a shipment, give us the consignee’s full name exactly as it appears on their identification, along with their TRN and contact details. Names that do not match the identification are the second most common cause of clearance delays after a missing TRN.
Match the name exactly
The consignee name on the shipping documents should match their identification exactly — not a shortened version, a nickname or a maiden name. A mismatch turns a routine collection into a query.