Customes at La Romana

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ydkdy

Guest
We have never been to a place to go through customes. Can anyone tell me just what we are expected to do. Do they take all your things apart and does this take a long time to get done. What will we need to know to make this easy to get done. We have id and birth certificates and round trip tickets. Is there a lot of paperwork to do? Any help will be great and thank you .
 
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Bill

Guest
My experience in the past has been, they ask you to open your bags, they may or may not take a look at the contents and wave you through. This at the Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata customes. I have had no experience at the La Romana station. I get the impression that the inspectors are bored out of their socks but that may be the impression they are trained to create, so obey the rules and you will have no trouble.
 
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Jim Hinsch

Guest
Re: Customs at La Romana

Bill is correct. They will usually just wave you through but occasionally, they will open your luggage and look at what you have.

I recently flew into La Romana (May 1999). It is the smallest airport I have ever flown into, with a single gate. There, I found customs to be much stricter than in the larger airports. In this particular case, our luggage was opened, scanned across the top, closed, and as we were on our way out the door, another customs inspector stopped us, kind of like, "Wait a minute. Where do you think YOU'RE going!" and made us return, where we were searched again, this time a thorough look. This was one of the few times we were traveling light, with no gifts, electronics, or meat products and the customs form reflected that (which they never read).

On the other hand, I found security to be lax. On the departure, the metal detector and X-ray machines were down and they just waved us through with no check at all into the gate area, a small class-room size room with rows of plastic chairs and a glass display case in the back where golf items, cigars, and liquor are sold.

Passing through US Customs (the return back to the USA) is much more daunting. I frequently get asked a lot of questions about my reasons for travel, luggage around the baggage claim is routinely sniffed by dogs, I have been strip searched on the whim of a customs agent, and luggage searches can get so involved they look for hidden compartments within luggage case handles.

Note too that US Treasury Agents routinely search passengers destined for the Dominican Republic. This search is done by selecting passengers at random (seemingly) as they board the aircraft in the USA. I have been searched 3 times (out of about 65) on flights bound for the DR, where they search my person and my carry-on, count all my money, and ask me a bunch of questions about the purpose of my trip, what I do for a living, and what I'm going to spend my money on once I get there. They write it all down, too. They are looking for money launderers.

Jim Hinsch JimHinsch@CSI.COM
 
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Dee DeMusis

Guest
Re: Customs at La Romana

Re: customs at La Romana--it's "interesting"...though I have never come through there, I have watched the experiences of friends who have and they ARE random as to whom they will do an "extensive" search upon. The people who use that airport are usually going to Casa de Campo or to work at one of the mission sites in the area...or are locals coming home...whatever.

All I know is that the management of American Airlines at that Airport saved my neck and the customs people were most courteous to me. Good experience.
 
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Jim Hinsch

Guest
Re: Customs at La Romana

In what way did the management of American Airlines at the La Romana Airport save your neck?

Jim Hinsch JimHinsch@CSI.COM
 
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Wanda

Guest
the customs in la romana is like any other customs they check your documentation and sometimes your luggage but normally they dont.

is not a big deal

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wanda