The Dominican Republic has revamped its airport entry protocols implementing a new electronic form for more a seamless arrival and departure, as signs for increased travel to the island continues.
All foreign and Dominican passengers entering or leaving the Dominican Republic must complete the electronic entry and exit form, which combines the forms of the International Boarding and Disembarkation Card, Customs Declaration and Traveler’s Health Affidavit.
The use of the electronic form became mandatory on May 1. The form can be accessed through the following link: eticket.migracion.gob.do.
Passengers must complete an arrival and departure form and the system will generate two QR codes. Dominican airports have free Internet access, so that passengers who did not complete the form before flying can do so when they arrive in the country. To save time during the arrival procedure, it is recommend that the form be completed 72 hours before the trip, and that travelers print or take a screenshot of the QR code in order to have it on hand until arrival, where it will be scanned by the authorities when passengers pass through Customs. The QR code will not be scanned during departure, but will be confirmed that the form was completed correctly.
If passengers need to make any changes to the form, they will need to complete a new form. Currently the website is experiencing some technical difficulties in completing the forms using Apple devices (smart phones and tablets), and Safari and Internet Explorer browsers, among others. The authorities are constantly working to improve the system and hope to solve this inconvenience as soon as possible. For the time being, it is recommend that passengers with Apple devices complete the form using a computer on another browser, such as Google Chrome. Currently the system works correctly using Android devices.
For more information and to see an instructional video visit, viajerodigital.mitur.gob.do.
Travel is on the Rise in the DR
Travel is on the rise for the Dominican Republic, as the Ministry of Tourism of Dominican Republic (MITUR) revealed positive data regarding the recovery of international tourism to the Caribbean destination. In March 2021, the country received 263,857 non-resident foreign passengers, a 56 percent increase compared to February 2021, and 3.4 percent over March 2020. More than 70 percent of these arrivals were American tourists, and more than 40 percent of travelers arrived through Punta Cana International Airport.
As of March 28, 2021, a total of 3,142 flights from 100 airlines from more than 40 countries have arrived in the country, a 39 percent increase compared to February 2021. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, flight occupancy of aircrafts arriving in the country reached pre-pandemic levels during last week of March.
“The March 2021 rebound in international tourism to Dominican Republic is a clear sign that our reactivation strategy is being successful. This government’s objective has been to regain the international traveler’s confidence, implementing protocols and effective initiatives with impact on the entire value chain, and last month’s figures prove that we are on the right track”, said Tourism Minister David Collado, in a press statement.
Other figures that show Dominican Republic’s tourism recovery are hotel occupancy and flight and room reservations. In the last week of March, hotel occupancy reached 70.6 percent, the highest figure in the last 12 months. The five main tourist destinations in the country registered occupancy rates above 68 percent.
As far as flight bookings, the seven main airlines operating in the country registered an increase for the year’s second quarter. Additionally, the number of room reservations as of April 1, 2021 is even higher than in the years prior to the crisis. The volume of nightly room sales for the next 30 days has reached historical highs for Punta Cana and La Romana – Bayahibe.
For more information, visit godominicanrepublic.com.
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