North and Central America and Caribbean

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

General

Insurance

We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake.   For more general information see Travel Insurance.

Here's how we can help if things go wrong.

Purchasing Property

You should consult Dominican lawyers with relevant experience before purchasing any property.

Money

The currency is the Dominican peso.  American dollar and Travellers’ cheques are easily exchanged.  Currency should be exchanged only at banks or official exchange offices (casas de cambio).  UK debit and credit cards are widely accepted.  Exercise caution when using debit/credit cards.  There have been reports of fraudulent charges appearing after card usage in the Dominican Republic.  Exercise caution and be aware of your surroundings when using an ATM card.

Registration

Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency.

Local tour companies

It is important to be aware that most local tour companies offering excursions, water sports, jeep and quad bike rental, horse riding etc do not provide insurance cover, so you must check the terms and conditions of your travel insurance policy before undertaking any such activities.

Safety precautions

You should also make sure that adequate safety precautions have been taken by the organisers, for example whether crash helmets and or life jackets are supplied. If in doubt you should seek the advice of your tour operator.

Honorary Consulate

In addition to the British Embassy in Santo Domingo, the UK has an Honorary Consulate in Puerto Plata.