Discussions on Clearing in Procedures

To enter the Dominican Republic you must arrive at a “Puerto Habilitado”.  This is a port that has Immigration, Coast Guard, Customs and other officials available.  On the North Shore this includes: Manzanillo, Luperon and Puerto Plata. If you arrive at Monticristi, they will send to Manzanillo for Immigration for you.

On the East Coast you can clear in or out at Santa Barbara de Samana, as well as Cap Cana and Punta Cana.

On the south Coast you can clear in or out at Las Salinas, Santo Domingo, Boca Chica and Casa de Campo.

Remember to fly your yellow Quarantine flag.  You will be met by: Marina Guerra (Coast Guard), M-2 (Intelligence), Dept. of Drugs, and Immigration.  In Samana you will also meet Dept. of Ports.

The Coast Guard will want to see your boat registration and your passports.  When they are finished with them, M-2 and Dept. of Drugs may want to search the boat.  This is usually cursory.  Then Immigration will want to stamp your passports and issue you Visas which are good for 30 days.  The entrance of your boat costs a one time charge of $43.00 US.  Each Visa costs $10.00 US and can be renewed easily for another 30 days.  ASIDE from paying Immigration there is no charge for any of the other services and you are NOT REQUIRED TO TIP unless you so desire.

Some of the clearence facilities are located at Marinas such as CapCana, Ocean World, Casa de Campo and Marina ZarPar.  These marinas may charge fees to offset the cost of the resident immigration and coast guard office.  These facilities and their cost are not paid for by the government.  The average cost of the charges can be in the range of $100.00 US.

In Samana and sometimes in Luperon, Dept. of Ports will try to assess a charge of $.70 US per foot for anchoring.  This is not an appropriate charge.  Ports has jurisdiction only over Federal Docks in the country (Law 519-5), and if you are not at a Federal Dock, POLITELY refuse to pay the charge.  They cannot enforce it, as the Coast Guard has harbor jurisdiction and not the dept. of Ports.

This site has a link to “Marina Guerra”.  Use it to let the Coast Guard know how your experience in the country was regarding their services.  In addition, keep in mind that when you leave a harbor, whether it is to go to another harbor or to go to another country, you must get a DESPACHO from the Coast Guard (It is free; however a tip of 500 pesos is considered normal and appropriate for this service).  The DESPACHO  is usually requested the day prior to your departure.  If you are traveling to another port in the DR, the DESPACHO will be to the next port that has clearance facilities (puerto habilitado).  If you choose to stop between “Puertos Habilitado”, you must have a simple reason, such as you are taking a rest from the wind etc.  Show your papers when approached and remain polite.  It is unlikely you will have a problem, although you may be asked for a tip.  If such is the case, pay the tip after speaking for a while and only when the discussion is concluded.  If you choose not to tip, remain gracious and courteous; such comportment is highly valued in the DR by all Dominicans at all levels.  It is inbred into the culture not to be rude or rushed!

Related posts:

1. SAMANA BAY