According to cellphoneexplorer, the Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana) is a country in the Caribbean (North America) bordering only Haiti. The Dominican Republic, together with Haiti, forms the island of Hispaniola. The capital of the Dominican Republic is Santo Domingo. Dominicans use the name of the capital to designate the entire country. A number of major cities in the Dominican Republic are: Santiago de los Caballeros, La Romana, Los Alcarrizos, San Cristóbal and Bonao.
The Dominican Republic is known for baseball, the number 1 sport in the country. Nature is characterized by the “Pico Duarte”. This is a mountain of 3,175 meters high. The country also has a large National Park “Jaragua” where you will encounter many flamingos. In this park you can also find caves with wall drawings. Furthermore, the country is known for its beautiful extensive beaches, music and dance. Many tourists know how to find this country every year. See clothingexpress for sunny Dominican Republic.
Where is the Dominican Republic?
Travel information of Dominican Republic
Official name: Dominican Republic
Continent: North America
Area: 48,671 km²
Capital: Santo Domingo
Country code: DO, DOM
Population: 10,499,707 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 3,098 m (Pico Duarte)
Distance (Amsterdam – Santo Domingo): 7,376 km
Flight time: approximately 10 hours and 20 minutes
Travel advice
Current status: Attention, safety risks.
Current color code: Yellow.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in the Dominican Republic that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of the Dominican Republic, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to the Dominican Republic. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about the Dominican Republic?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, guided tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in the Dominican Republic at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
The Dominican Republic has a tropical climate. The temperature varies from 22 to 32 degrees in summer and from 19 to 29 degrees in winter.
The Dominican Republic is located in a hurricane-prone environment.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for the Dominican Republic can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of the Dominican Republic can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March and April are the best months to travel to the Dominican Republic. This avoids the rainy and hurricane season.
Language
Spanish is the official language in the Dominican Republic.
Would you like to translate from or into Spanish for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon departure from the Dominican Republic.
A visa (tourist card) is required. You can purchase this for approximately 8 euros upon arrival in the Dominican Republic (valid for 30 days).
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in the Dominican Republic:
netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in the Dominican Republic:
netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy and Consulate of the Dominican Republic in the Netherlands:
embajadadominicana.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting the Dominican Republic, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
Malaria occurs in the Dominican Republic. Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
In the Dominican Republic, payment is made with the Dominican peso (DOP).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in the Dominican Republic can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in the Dominican Republic are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -28% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (47% cheaper), food (18% cheaper), imported beer in catering (14% cheaper), cigarettes (48% cheaper) and public transport (82% more expensive). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In the Dominican Republic it is customary to tip. If no service charge has been calculated yet, tip approximately 10%.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 6 hours earlier in the Dominican Republic.
During our winter time it is 5 hours earlier in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic has no difference between winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone of the Dominican Republic can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In the Dominican Republic you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in the Dominican Republic.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within the Dominican Republic.
Electricity
In the Dominican Republic you need a travel plug. In addition, in some cases you need an inverter.
More information about common plugs and sockets in the Dominican Republic can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 911
– Fire: 911
– Ambulance: 911
You can also use the international number 112 here.
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to the Dominican Republic can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from the Dominican Republic can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from the Dominican Republic end in.do.
Official website of the Dominican Republic: godominicanrepublic.com.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone in the Dominican Republic is 001809 or +1809.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from the Dominican Republic? Then use the Dutch country code 01131.
(If you use a country code, you must omit the first 0 of the number to be called.)
Telephone numbers can be found in the Telephone Directory of the Dominican Republic.
Company details can be found in the Yellow Pages of the Dominican Republic.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos from the Dominican Republic.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from the Dominican Republic.
Public holidays
An overview of all public holidays in the Dominican Republic can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in the Dominican Republic, supplemented with photos, videos and points of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about the Dominican Republic?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited the Dominican Republic. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in the Dominican Republic can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in the Dominican Republic can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to the Dominican Republic? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol and money, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. In addition, on this website you will find the laws and regulations regarding the importation of pets and a list of everything that may not be imported and/or exported into the Dominican Republic.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant laws and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to the Dominican Republic.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: Maximum allowed blood alcohol content is 0.
– Tobacco: Buying from the age of 16, smoking at all ages.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…The Dominican Republic and Haiti form the island of Hispaniola?
…The Dominican Republic is one of the largest cocoa producers in the world?
…Baseball is the most important sport in the Dominican Republic?
…40% of the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic live below the poverty line?
…The Dominican Republic was occupied by neighboring Haiti from 1821 to 1844?
