The rule for a US licence
Jamaica accepts a valid foreign license for up to 12 months, which covers any normal visit. No IDP is required.
Traffic drives on the left in Jamaica, which catches out US drivers more often than any paperwork issue.
Live in Jamaica?
A licence issued in Jamaica is what you drive on at home - an IDP translates a foreign licence, so it does not apply to you here. If your licence is from somewhere else, check that licence country: the rule depends on where the licence was issued, not only on where you are driving.
At the rental counter
Jamaican agencies accept a US license directly.
What the permit covers
An International Driving Permit is a translation of your licence into a standard multilingual booklet, issued under the 1949 and 1968 road traffic conventions. It is not a licence, and it is never valid on its own: you carry it with your own licence, and police expect to see both.
It is issued against the vehicle classes already on your home licence, and it never adds one. If your licence does not cover motorcycles, an IDP does not let you ride a scooter in Jamaica; if it does not cover a heavier vehicle, the permit will not cover a camper or a minibus either. The permit restates what you already hold, in a form the local authorities can read.
Driving in more than one country?
Check every destination on your trip at once - Jamaica is already filled in.
Check your tripOther destinations
Informational only, not legal advice. Requirements change and vary by length of stay, rental company, and vehicle class. Always confirm with the destination's embassy or your automobile association before you drive.