US citizens and Canadian and British nationals may enter the Dominican Republic with an official photo ID such as a current valid passport or driver’s license and the required tourist card, along with a round-trip ticket to demonstrate intent to depart the country. However, as of 2007, American citizens will need a valid US passport to re-enter the United States from the DR (or any Caribbean country). Be sure to obtain a passport for all people traveling well in advance of your trip. Visit the government website, www.travel.state.gov, for application details and requirements. Resident aliens of the United States should bring (along with a valid passport) their Alien Registration Card so that they can re-enter the United States. Legal residents of Canada and Great Britain (as resident aliens are called there) are required to have a valid passport or national ID.
While American, Canadian, or British citizens aren’t required to bring a valid passport to enter the Dominican Republic, there are plenty of good reasons to carry one anyway. For starters, you’ll need a passport in most cases to change money, cash traveler’s checks, or make large credit card purchases. Furthermore, you also may not be able to rent a car or check into a hotel without one.
Acquiring and carrying a passport can also help insure your personal security. If you should have the unfortunate experience of losing your ID while traveling abroad, your country’s embassy can confirm your identity much more easily if you own a passport. With heightened security and far-reaching anti-terrorism laws, the last thing you need is for an immigration official to doubt your identity. To be safe, always travel with a passport, and keep copies of the page with your name, picture, and number in secure places both at home and on the road as an added insurance policy if lost.
- IN THIS CHAPTER:
- The Tourist Card
- Embarkation/Disembarkation Cards
