One of the first questions of any traveler: do I need a visa to the Dominican Republic? Everyone asks about this, including citizens of the United States, Canada and the EU countries. Citizens of more than 100 countries of the world do not require a visa to the Dominican Republic when entering the country for less than 30 days. Read on and find out about Dominican Republic entry requirements, what documents are needed, how to leave if you overstayed and much more.
Table of contents:
- Who requires and who doesn’t require a visa to the Dominican Republic
- Visa to the Dominican Republic:
- Dominican Republic entry requirements for everyone
- Rules for leaving the country
Who requires and who does not need a visa to the Dominican Republic
Citizens of these countries in the photo above do not require a visa. Length of stay – 30 days. You can extend your stay up to 4 or 6 months in any local Emigracion office.
It is important to know:
You need a passport valid for at least 6 months on the date of crossing the border of the Dominican Republic. And for German citizens, only the Tourist Card is sufficient.
About what other documents are required, about leaving the country, I will write at the end of the article. But now know that to travel to the Dominican Republic you only need a passport and desire.
It is important to know:
For more than two years, information has been circulating on the Internet about what is allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 or 90 days. The situation is as follows: in official sources there is nothing about 90 days. Officially so far – 30 days.
Visa-free entry is one of the reasons why you need to come to the Dominican Republic on vacation. For 9 more reasons, follow the link.
And below is a list of countries that need a visa to the Dominican Republic. And you need to get it in advance before your trip at the Dominican embassy in your country.
Visa to the Dominican Republic: how to get if you require it
Let me tell you, this is not the easiest process. Getting a tourist visa to the Dominican Republic is not difficult, but you need a lot of documents and money.
But there is good news: for citizens of almost all countries who need a visa to visit the Dominican Republic, you can visit the country up to 30 days a year, if you have the following valid visas in your passport:
- Multiple entry US visa. If you have one, then you can safely consider the option of flying through US airports. There are very low prices for transit flights through US airports. And the link details about the options for flights to the Dominican Republic.
- Multiple entry UK visa.
- Canada visa, also multiple entry.
- And they are also allowed into the Dominican Republic according to Schengen type C.
Schengen type C is the usual multiple Schengen, which is issued for the purpose of tourism in any EU country. What you need to know about it:
- Visa Schengen must be valid
- Suitable for Schengen of any EU country
- Not suitable for national visa type D of EU
- The Schengen period is not important. They let you with 3 monthly and semi-annual and so on.
It is important to know:
If you have any of these visas, you can also visit the Dominican Republic. To be honest, for citizens of some countries, obtaining a Schengen visa is sometimes easier than a visa to the Dominican Republic.
How to get a Dominican visa for tourists
Everything is very simple, write down the procedure and the visa is in your passport.
- Photo – 1, as in a passport, matte.
- The passport. Valid for at least 6 months. So far, everything is simple.
- Copy of all non-blank pages of the passport
- Questionnaire to be completed in Spanish only
- Letter of petition. Also only in Spanish. A sample is available at the embassy and on the website.
- Certificate from the place of work indicating the position and salary for 6 months. If the certificate is not in Spanish, then be sure to translate it into Spanish with a seal from the translation agency.
- They don’t have enough job references. Therefore, a bank statement is required. Each entrant must have an amount of at least $1,000. Certificate from the bank can be in any language and in any currency. But then the official translation into Spanish, indicating the amount in US dollars on the date of translation.
- Hotel reservation letter. In Spanish or English.
- Round trip tickets. In Spanish or English.
- Medical insurance. In Spanish or English.
If you are ready to collect the entire list of documents, translate them, certify. One more thing:
- The consular fee for a single entry tourist Dominican visa for 30 days to the Dominican Republic is 75 to 275 USD, depending on your citizenship and the country where you will apply for a visa.
Schengen or Dominican visa?
I think the answer is obvious: Schengen visa is cheaper, it’s easier, and with this visa you can visit a lot of countries.
And an important point: in the Dominican Republic locals speak English is very bad. This can already be seen from the required package of documents, everywhere they require a Spanish translation. My advice: 10-15 basic phrases in Spanish for a tourist will greatly help in everyday communication.
Dominican Republic entry requirements
To cross the border at one of the international airports in the Dominican Republic, you need:
- The passport
- Insurance (it is rarely checked, but due to the pandemic, they began to ask more often). Follow the link for a detailed article about extended insurance in the Dominican Republic.
- Return tickets – NOT REQUIRED.
- Hotel reservation or travel voucher – NOT REQUIRED
- Customs declaration: the form is given on board of the aircraft. Fill out 1 form per family.
- Important: there are forms in Spanish and English. Ask the flight attendant in English.
- Migration card. Each person fills in for himself.
- Electronic travel document or health declaration or e-ticket. This is the same. Filled in on the website of the migration service 3-5 days before departure online. The system immediately gives a QR code in the form of a PDF. It must be saved on the phone and presented upon request.
- No need to print
- Until April 1, 2021 is optional
- From April 1, 2021, it is mandatory for every tourist
- Site to fill: https://eticket.migracion.gob.do/
- It’s free.
It is important to know:
Previously, until 2021, every time I crossed the border in the Dominican Republic, I paid $ 10 per person, the so-called tourist fee. At the airport of arrival, you pay at the cash desk and they give you migration cards to fill out. It seems like nothing has changed, and this fee has not been canceled. But since 2022, migration cards are handed out on the plane, and no one takes $ 10 anywhere, and this has already happened 2 times. Therefore we are confused. It seems that we do not pay money, but at the same time I did not find information about the cancellation of this fee.
Rules for leaving the Dominican Republic
Everything is quite simple here. At the entrance to the passport they put a stamp, most likely as in the photo below. And they write on it for how many days entry is allowed. And every time when leaving at the airport, passport control officers are looking for this particular stamp. Nothing else interests them. Events can develop in two ways:
- You have not overstayed your stay. Leaving the country for free
- You have overstayed . Then you need to pay a fine and fly home.
- Fares change frequently, as does the exchange rate for the peso. All about the Dominican peso.
- If you have overstayed less than 60 days on your departure date. Then the fine will be 2800 pesos or $50.
It is important to know:
Sometimes readers write to me that when leaving the country they ask me to pay a fee of $20. I don’t know what the fee is, no one has ever asked him to pay. Remember, the only payment you may be asked for when leaving the Dominican Republic is a fine if you have exceeded the number of days in the country that you are legally entitled to.
Read about the best hotels in the Dominican Republic in a separate article.
In conclusion: a visa to the Dominican Republic for citizens of almost 100 countries of the world is not needed. For those who need it, the easiest option is a multiple Schengen, US, Canadian or UK visa. And already about the declaration and migration cards – you can always figure it out on the spot. The main thing is to have your own pen, usually they are often not available or not enough.
Come to the Dominican Republic, it’s cool here!
Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Dominican Republic
- Flights at the best prices with discounts
- Car rental: DiscoverCars – a largest international resource
- Hotels and apartments:
- Vacation packages:
- Tours, excursions and extreme activities:
- GetYourGuide – more than 800+ tours and water activities.
- Viator – 3500+ tours and excursions in Dominican.
- Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
- Internet and Calls:
- Airalo – eSIM with internet package.
- Drimsim – universal SIM card (or eSIM) in any country in the world.
- Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel
Hello! Please tell me how can I legally stay in the Dominican Republic for more than 3 months?
Irina, good afternoon. You need to contact the migration department, it is usually located at the police station, locally it is called “Emigracien” and there you can extend your visa for another 60 days. Rates change all the time, but it’s not expensive.
Can I go across Mexico with a valid Dominican Republic visa?
I am from Cameroon and I want to visit Mexico with my Dominican republic Visa.
No, you won’t be able to enter Mexico with a valid Dominican Republic visa. You will need to obtain a Mexican visa separately. However, it’s worth noting that you can travel to both the Dominican Republic and Mexico without a visa if you have a valid Schengen visa. It might be more convenient for you to first obtain a Schengen visa for travel within Europe and then use that visa to fly to the Dominican Republic and Mexico.
How can i apply for a Dominican Republic visa from Cameroon? They don’t have an embassy in Cameroon and no cornsolat office to inquire about visa process from Cameroon.
Hello, according to the information posted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, citizens of Cameroon are required to obtain a visa to enter the Dominican Republic. There is no Dominican Republic diplomatic mission in Cameroon, so it is recommended to apply for a visa at the consulate located in Morocco.