A group of 25 Dominicans who had arrived on an Arajet flight from Santo Domingo were repatriated on Monday, 21 November 2022 after Guatemala migration authorities (Guatemalan Migration Institute – IGM) at the La Aurora International Airport did not allow their entry on Friday, 18 November 2022.
In a press release on the decision to not admit the Dominicans, the Guatemalan Migration Institute reiterated its commitment to contribute to the country’s security, promoting a regular, orderly and safe migration.
The IGM says that one of those not admitted has an arrest warrant in force in the Dominican Republic; two others were found to have criminal records. The others “did not comply with the established requirements due to inconsistencies during the interview,” stated the immigration authorities in the press release.
There are five women and 20 men among the persons not admitted to enter Guatemala. The IGM says it has coordinated the group’s return to Santo Domingo on the same carrier.
For the return, the Ministry of Foreign Relations acted and a special Arajet flight was arranged to repatriate the Dominicans free of cost to the passengers.
As reported in N Digital, during 2022, Guatemala has not allowed the entry of 1,030 Dominicans, representing 40% of the 2,629 foreigners who were rejected at the Central American country’s customs.
As of March 2017, Dominicans do not need visas to enter Guatemala. But the website of the Guatemalan Embassy highlights that travelers need to pass the interview by migration agents before entry is authorized.
Those seeking to enter Guatemala must demonstrate economic solvency: credit cards or cash to cover their tourism activities in Guatemala. If the trip is for business purposes, the Guatemalan Embassy says proof of this must be presented.
Arajet began direct low cost flights from Santo Domingo to Guatemala this year.
Read more in Spanish:
Migration Guatemala
N Digital
22 November 2022