Dominican Republic visa and entry requirements

The E-Ticket is free. Say that again.

Every passenger flying into the Dominican Republic must file an electronic entry and exit form before check-in. It costs nothing. The only address is eticket.migracion.gob.do.

• Fraudulent sites charge between USD 36 and USD 90 for filling in the identical free government form. They copy the colours and the fonts, they buy search advertising, and they rank above the real thing. Migración has publicly warned about them.
• The rule is simple: if the address does not end in .gob.do, it is not the government. Anything ending .com, .net or .org offering to process your E-Ticket is a middleman.
• File it once for the whole trip. The same submission covers entry and exit, and you can complete it as soon as you have flight details, up to 7 days ahead for the arrival leg.
• You get a QR code. Save it offline and screenshot it. Airline staff ask for it at check-in and immigration scans it on arrival.

What you get at the desk

• 30 days is the standard tourist admission for visa-free nationalities, and it is granted on arrival with no application.
• The USD 10 tourist card is already in your airfare if you fly in. Arriving by land or sea, you buy one on the spot. The USD 20 departure tax is likewise bundled into the ticket.
• Passports should have 6 months' validity. A temporary measure running to 31 December 2026 lets citizens of the EU, UK, Canada, the USA, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador enter on a passport merely valid for the length of the stay.
• You will be fingerprinted and photographed on entry. This is routine.
• Bring evidence of onward travel. Entry can be refused without it, and airlines check before boarding.

Where your nationality lands

• The exemption is generous and widely missed. Anyone, of any nationality, holding a valid visa or residence permit from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus or a Schengen country may enter the Dominican Republic as a tourist for up to 30 days without a Dominican visa. If you hold a US or Schengen visa, you very probably do not need to apply for anything.

Overstaying is a bill, not a crime

This is unusual and worth understanding, because it is calmer than most countries.

• There is no daily fine accruing in the background, no office to report to and no arrest risk for a tourist who stays past 30 days.
• You settle it when you leave, on a published sliding scale tied to how long you actually stayed. It starts at about RD$ 3,500 for 30 to 90 days and climbs steeply from there.
• It is payable at the airport by card on departure, or in advance at a Banco Reservas branch.
• Extensions up to 120 days can be arranged through Migración for a fee if you would rather do it properly.