Monday, March 10, 2014

Do you understand why the Dominican Republic has a tourist card?

The Tourist Card is a tax the Dominican Republic charges its visitors. Its legal base rests on the Law 199-67, which establishes the acquisition of such card as a requirement to enter national territory, for tourism  purposes, without the need of a consular Visa.


Law 199-67 establishes that the right to the Tourist Card is automatically lost if the beneficiary engages in lucrative activities while in Dominican territory. Furthermore, the inappropriate use of the Card will be sanctioned by the National Migration Authorities with immediate expulsion of the visitor from the country dispensing with  any formalities. Foreigners wishing to enter the Dominican Republic for business purposes shall apply for a Business Visa, with one or multiple entries, at one of the many diplomatic and consulate offices overseas.



The Tourist Card allows a stay of 30 days in the country, after which, if wishing to stay longer, the Tourist can extend his or her stay paying a fee which will be proportional to the amount of time he or she wishes to remain in the country. If information on the matter is needed, contact the Ministry of Migration.


To obtain a Tourist Card the only requirements are a Valid Passport and the payment of aUS$10.00 or €10.00fee.


The Tourist Card is valid for a year from the date of purchase and is only valid for one person, who will only be able to use it once. The Tourist Card can be acquired at point of sale locations in land, air, or sea ports in the country; it is also available in Dominican embassies and consulate offices overseas and in Tour operating companies. It may also be purchased through the online portal at www.dgii.gov.do.


Who is exempt?

All tourists entering the Dominican Republic should purchase a Tourist Card except countries with which the Dominican Republic has previous agreements.
Tourist exempted from the Tourist Card purchase are:
  • Residents, Visa holders and Dominican nationals.
  • Foreigners arriving from Argentina, Chile, South Korea, Ecuador, Israel, Japan, Peru and Uruguay.
  • Diplomatic and Consular staff with assigned missions in the country, while they remain on duty.
  • Passengers using private, noncommercial aviation as long as the aircraft fulfills the following requirements: the trip must be for sport, leisure, executive, tourism and business purposes, and the aircraft must not weigh more than thirty thousand pounds (30,000) and  have  a maximum  capacity of 12 passengers. 
  • Haitian nationals having a card that validates their entry and exit of the country the same day. The use of this Card is fully explained under Art. 78 of the Migration Law .It also specifies that this card will only be valid in the Dominican province which borders the residence in Haiti of the holder .If not, a Tourist Card must be bought.

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