Booked without agent-how do I get my tourist card

Tourist Card

If your British:

Either get it at airport or get one before hand from the Dominican Embassy. I dont use travel agents always do everything myself and its not any slower to do it this way. You still have to wait forever for your luggage !!!

get tourist card at DR airport before making line for immigration.

jetblue charges you $11 for the tourist card,,, but tourist card cost
US$ 10 if you buy it at the DR aiport.

inlubinDR said:

Will it be easily identifiable where I have to go? I've always flown into Puerto Plata and now I'm flying into Santo Domingo for the first time ever so I'm just a little nervous.

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there's usually a desk with sign that says TOURIST CARDS. I have not
being to Sto Domingo in long time so don't remember how it is but just look around,, a tourist desk should be around before passing thru immigration.

As posted above by crazydaisy, you have to wait anyway to get your luggage, so you just do an extra line upon arrival to the migration area to buy your tourist card. The lines are not long, at least in my recent experience -- would say at most the wait will be half an hour, which could be what your luggage takes anyway.

crazydaisy said:

If your British:

Either get it at airport or get one before hand from the Dominican Embassy. I dont use travel agents always do everything myself and its not any slower to do it this way. You still have to wait forever for your luggage !!!

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this is true, but there are little nuances that make life easier when dealing with airports. And the less holds ups along the way, surely make for a less messy and trouble free time at the airport.

for an example...if you have a heavy carry on bag and another bag that you are allowed to have as carry on( packpack-laptop ect) and yo go through the Tourist card line , before you get to the line to wait for immigration...then surely you will be standing in the immigration line a LOT LONGER ...WHILE holding your heavy carry ons.

where as if you were up front on the plane, came in the airport door and just walked up to the immigration line, youd wait just a minute or two and now your through, to the line for the carrosel for your luggage pickup.

now this is another reason to get through ahead of the others...is because they all crowd that corrosel and you cant possible REACH your luggage with all those carts in the way...so if you were late in line, youd have to wait for a whole bunch of people to get their luggage before you could get up to the carrosel yourself!

so now you are one of the first so, you pick a spot right near where the luggage come sout , you have your cart, and you wait with out having to hold your carryons.....like all the people STILL in the immigration line!!!!!!!!

its not about time totally, its about comfort as well

If I could find a place to buy my tourist card beofre I got on the plane I certainly would!!!!

BUT REMEMBER the card is dated!!!!!!!!! BUT,I am not sure what effect the date on your tourist card would have on anything.... I would think nothing because it is collected upon ENTRY, not departure.....time will tell on that one!

bob

inlubinDR said:

So just so I am not confused, the Tourist Card will cost me $10 US (roughly) and then I still pay my $20 to leave the country when I go?

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there is a departure tax.... but on all the flights I have ever booked into the dr.. the airline charged me that tax when I bought my ticket and THEY pay the tax .

I have heard that some charters dont collect that tax.... and I dont have an idea how it would eventually get paid...

I have only flown to the DR from america....dont know if that makes a difference....

bob

Yes. The tourist card will cost you US$10 to enter and US$20 to leave.

Re getting it before you come -- factor in how long it will take you to get the card in your home country (including the commute to get the card and the wait at the office) and if there is an additional cost. I think it will take you much more time abroad to get the card than the short wait in the migration department.

Then, considerations such as those regarding luggage, as presented by laurapasinifan. Then you can decide if the approximately half an hour additional wait inside the migration department is worth it. Remember it will take your luggage about this same amount of time to deplane.

I can confirm that the $20 departure tax is included in the ticket price on all commercial flights from the US to RD. 13 trips on 4 different airlines, and I've never been hit up for it on leaving.

sweetdbt said:

I can confirm that the $20 departure tax is included in the ticket price on all commercial flights from the US to RD. 13 trips on 4 different airlines, and I've never been hit up for it on leaving.

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I am flying with American Airlines from New York to Santo Domingo. I hope it's included because when I went to leave Santo Domingo in January, the agent tried to scam me out of $$ (probably because I was the only white girl on the flight). SO I just want to be aware of everything so I don't get taken advantage of.

China said:

I am flying with American Airlines from New York to Santo Domingo. I hope it's included because when I went to leave Santo Domingo in January, the agent tried to scam me out of $$ (probably because I was the only white girl on the flight). SO I just want to be aware of everything so I don't get taken advantage of.

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american airl includes all taxes on its final fare amt. but sometimes if
you buy it from travel agency, that agency may not include it. Total taxes
are ~$116.xx nowadays. I fly NY to DR and all taxes are always included.
I buy tix online on aa.com or jetblue.com

China said:

...when I went to leave Santo Domingo in January, the agent tried to scam me out of $$ (probably because I was the only white girl on the flight).

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On that trip, did you stay for more than 14 days? There's a charge if you stay longer that 14 days (although these days they don't seem to be collecting the additional fee).

Since they've switched over to the new tourist card system, I not aware of anywhere you can buy them except at the airports in the DR? Has anyone on DR1 actually purchased the new electronically issues ones (not the old green ones) outside the DR?

Tourist Cards

I know that this is a fairly old thread but I will add some input and ask a question. "Departure Tax" I have found that the 20$ tax was included on KLM/Martinair flights but on charter flights while checking your baggage you were told to pay at a certain Dep Gate Number where your Boarding pass was stamped. They kept announcing over the tanoy that if your boarding pass was not stamped you would not be allowed on the plane. "Tourist Cards" My question is, I sent as usual to The DR Embassy in London for my Tourist Card and I just received the 10$ entry part of the little card,nothin else. I now assume I will have to obtain the blue form at the airport which defeats the object of prior purchasing ?
Regards
Keith

well not to them!( defeat the purpose)

I would guess the tourist card is just a vehicle to raise money, since you have it all of 15 minutes until you pass through customs.( once in the country) And there isnt any information about YOU personally on that card.... they stamp the back with the same stamp they do your passport. So they are just getting numbers and dates ( and money) from that little tourist card. Now the blue form you will need to fill out ( some airlines hand them out on the plane) is information ABOUT YOU personally. You fill it out where you are from, who you are where you are going ect ect.... If you got a whole bunch of those long blue forms ahead of time, you could fill all the info out about you ahead of time, and just leave the flight numbers and place you will stay open until you take the trip....but it only takes 5 minutes or less to fill it out, and if they give it to you on the plane..you have plenty of time.

The benefit to fillin git out ahead of time either at home or on the plane , is that you wont have to go over to that desk to get the form... and THEN fill it out, thus making sure you are further back in the line that goes through customs... now if you have checked luggage, you may gain nothing in the over all scheme of things, because the luggage takes so long to come out!!!!!!!!

if you only have carry ons...having the long blue form filled out before you get off the plane and having the tourist card already, will speed you through the airport, because you will go directly to the custom desk. then again if you are the last person off the plane it might not matter any way.

best of luck

bob

Keith

Are you travelling on a UK charter? If so, they hand you the blue form on the plane so you have time to fill it out before touch down.

Safe trip
Daydream

Many Thanks for the information
Regards
Keith