Published: December 19, 2024
This report is intended to supplement the U.S. Department of State Dominican Republic Travel Advisory and Dominican Republic Country Information Page.
Embassy Contact Information
U.S. Embassy: 57 Avenida República de Colombia, Arroyo Hondo, Santo Domingo.
Tel: +809-567-7775
Hours: 0800-1645 Monday-Friday
OSAC Country Chapter(s)
The Country Chapter in Santo Domingo is active, meeting quarterly.
Contact OSAC’s Americas team with any questions.
Dominican Republic Travel Advisory
The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses that travelers should exercise increased caution when traveling to the Dominican Republic due to crime.
Crime
The U.S. Department of State has assessed the Santo Domingo as being a CRITICAL-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has included a Crime “C” Indicator on the Travel Advisories for the Dominican Republic, indicating that there may be widespread violent crime and/or organized crime present in the country, and/or that local law enforcement may have limited ability to respond to serious crimes.
Crime continues to be the number one safety concern in the Dominican Republic for Dominicans and for the U.S. Embassy. Most crimes committed are random armed robberies, which are committed with guns or knives and often violent. Most criminals utilize motorcycles for transportation. Although armed assaults are more likely to occur at night or to pedestrians, they can also occur during the day and/or while the victim is in a vehicle stopped at a traffic light. Purse and cell phones are often snatched from pedestrians on the street or sidewalk, including in wealthy neighborhoods and tourist areas. Homicides are significant – causing almost 12 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 – but improving, projected to account for less than 10 deaths per 100,000 in 2024. Most homicides are linked to social or domestic violence situations. The wide availability of weapons, the use of drugs, and the developing criminal justice system all contribute to the high level of criminality in the country.
During the holiday season (November-January) the overall level of crime, specifically thefts and robberies, tends to rise due to employees receiving their “13th month” bonuses. The Dominican Republic Security Services, however, also increases police and military presence to counter this trend.
The Dominican Republic also faces challenges with organized crime, which involves a variety of activities, including drug trafficking and money laundering. A lack of law enforcement resources, poorly paid and trained police officers, and corruption exacerbate the situation.
Security outside of the resort area, including beach areas, is unpredictable, especially at night. Insist that hotel management take immediate action to involve appropriate authorities such as contacting the police. Fraud schemes, particularly credit card fraud, remain commonplace. ATM card skimming is common, although ATMs located inside banks, malls, and hotels tend to be more reliable. The fraud scheme most attributed to the Dominican Republic is called the “Grandparents Scam,” where someone pretending to be a police officer or a representative from the U.S. Embassy calls an elderly relative of a U.S. citizen claiming that a young relative has been arrested. The caller sounds credible and pressures the U.S. relative to wire money for “bond,” “damages,” or “legal fees.” Due to a high number of U.S. tourists, international scammers often cite the Dominican Republic as their location. However, based on U.S. Embassy investigations, the callers often are not based in the Dominican Republic, nor does the wired money end up in the Dominican Republic. The U.S. Embassy regularly receives calls from U.S.-based victims of this scam.
Most crime is concentrated within the local population in cities and urban areas. Due to its critical crime rating, the Embassy recommends driving from place to place instead of walking, especially at night and/or in locations you are unfamiliar with.
Kidnapping Threat
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Kidnapping “K” Indicator on the Travel Advisories for the Dominican Republic.
There is a low risk of kidnapping in the Dominican Republic. Victims of reported cases include businesspersons, family members, and common citizens. Some victims have reported being abducted by men in police uniforms or similar clothing and having been told that their identity needed to be verified. Kidnappers take victims to an undisclosed location and hold them from a few hours to a couple of days.
Terrorism
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Santo Domingo as being a LOW-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Terrorism “T” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for the Dominican Republic.
There are no known organized domestic terrorist groups. Santo Domingo experienced its first incident of domestic terrorism in 2014, when a male ignited an incendiary device on a crowded subway car, killing one person and injuring dozens. The Dominican Republic is an integral transportation hub of the Caribbean, with several international airports, and is generally permissive for travel. As such, it is a likely transit point for extremists from within the region, Africa, and Europe.
Political Violence and Civil Unrest
The U.S. Department of State has assessed Santo Domingo as being a LOW-threat location for political violence directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Civil Unrest “U” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for the Dominican Republic. Civil unrest can develop quickly without prior notice, often interrupting logistics and services. Avoid demonstration activity, as even those planned to remain peaceful have the potential to turn violent.
Elections/Political Stability
The Dominican Republic is a stable democracy that shares democratic principles with the United States. Protests have occurred around election periods.
Protests & Demonstrations
Politically motivated protests, demonstrations, and general strikes are common throughout the country, particularly during general election years. Although demonstrations are normally peaceful, some have turned violent, with participants rioting, erecting roadblocks, and clashing with police. Civil unrest sometimes occurs due to the lack of adequate electricity, water resources, and the public opinion from certain groups that the government is not actively protecting the national interest.
Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment
There are no concerns about anti-U.S. sentiment.
Law Enforcement
The Constitution separates the powers of the National Police and the military. This constitutional provision specifically identifies the military responsibility to maintain the country’s sovereignty, leaving the National Police to handle the country’s internal security and the protection of its citizens (to include residents, visitors, and diplomats). In 2014, certain functions, such as the tourist police (POLITUR), the border authorities (CESFRONT), and the airport security authorities (CESAC), returned to the military. POLITUR was later moved under the National Police, although it remains somewhat independent as an institution. The National Police remain the main internal security force and the only agency authorized to conduct investigations. POLITUR provides first responder-type assistance to tourists. POLITUR will help visitors who are victims of crime get to a police station, file a police report, and seek further assistance.
Corruption and official misconduct remain a serious concern. Police Internal Affairs works to prevent, investigate, monitor, control, and recommend corrective actions for any improper conduct. Although Internal Affairs investigations result in the termination of hundreds of police officers per year, these investigations are regularly under-resourced and unable to make a significant dent in the level of police corruption.
Call 911 to reach emergency services.
Police Response
Response times to reported incidents is normally limited due to local traffic conditions and available resources but are within the international norms for emergency response systems. The system is considered a model emergency response system in the region and was recently expanded to serve almost 90% of the Dominican population.
Travelers with Special Considerations
For specific traveler concerns in the Dominican Republic, review the local laws and circumstances on the Department of State’s Country Information Page.
Rule of Law, Arbitrary Detention, Official Harassment, Corruption, & Transparency
The U.S. Department of State has not included a Risk of Wrongful Detention “D” Indicator on the Travel Advisory for the Dominican Republic
The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and the government generally implements the law effectively. The attorney general, through the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor on Administrative Corruption, investigates allegedly corrupt officials. Individuals and NGOs note the greatest hindrance to effective investigations was a lack of political will to prosecute individuals accused of corruption, particularly well-connected individuals or high-level politicians. Government corruption remains a serious problem and a public grievance, so much so that it led to widespread protests in 2017, and corruption was a primary factor leading to the change in government in the 2020 elections.
Dominican President Luis Abinader has made anti-corruption a priority of his administration and has made progress dismantling the culture of impunity in the Dominican Republic since first being elected to office in 2020. Important advances since 2020 include the prosecution of several ongoing high-level corruption cases, implicating former senior officials, the strengthening of regulations surrounding public procurements, and the enactment of a civil asset forfeiture law. Despite these efforts, official corruption remains widespread.
U.S. companies identify corruption as a barrier to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and some firms reported being solicited by public officials for bribes. U.S. investors indicate corruption occurs at all phases of investment, not just in public procurement or during the process for awarding tenders or concessions, as is most often alleged. U.S. businesses operating in the Dominican Republic often need to take extensive measures to ensure compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The U.S. Government has received reports/heard allegations of significant harassment of investors whose interests ran contrary to politically connected individuals in recent years.
Cybersecurity
The threat from transnational cyber criminals is of increasing concern to host government authorities.
Import/Export Restrictions
Import licenses are not required for most products, except pharmaceutical products (drugs, cosmetics and skin care products, cleaning products), all agricultural products, and agrochemicals. For pharmaceutical products a Sanitary Register must be obtained at the Public Health Ministry for each trademark/product imported by the company. The import of satellite phones for personal or business use is not limited. For the latest information on Import/Export Restrictions, contact the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
A country-specific listing of items/goods prohibited from being exported to the country or that are otherwise restricted is available from the U.S. International Trade Agency website.
Additional resources and reports can be found in the OSAC Traveler Toolkit.
