Dominican Republic Travel During This New Normal
Last week we returned from our trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. These trips are so important to us as we spend countless hours touring the island’s all-inclusive resorts. We also wanted to experience this new normal traveling to an unfamiliar area.
A lot of the all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana have only been reopened for a few months. Some only a few days. Punta Cana is under strict rules when it comes to cleanliness and capacity. Masks are worn by residents and visitors when out and about. Masks are also recommended to be worn by guests while on the resort but not required at most of the ones we visited.
Everywhere we went we were given hand sanitizer. Some resorts took our temperatures when entering the resort and before entering restaurants and the spa. Temperature checks were not the standard here as they were in Mexico a few months ago. Staff at both the airport and resorts were constantly sanitizing surfaces. Seating in restaurants, as well as the pool, were social distanced.
Our airport arrival and departure was pretty easy. There were a few steps we did take to make our arrival as easy as possible. Here are a few of the steps we took before our departure.
We checked into our flight 24 hours prior to departure using the record locator/confirmation number on the airline’s website. We do this before any trip, pandemic or not.
The Dominican Republic requires travelers to complete three forms that are presented to immigration on entry; Traveler’s Health Affidavit, Customs Declaration, and International Embarkation and Disembarkation forms, and one Customs Declaration form when exiting the country. Currently there are two ways to complete these forms:
Electronic Forms- As of November 29, 2020, the Dominican Republic has created electronic entry and exit forms, which combines the Traveler’s Health Affidavit, Customs Declaration, and International Embarkation and Disembarkation forms. Travelers will need to fill out a form for arrival and another one for departure and the system will generate two QR codes that will be scanned by the authorities at the port of entry and during departure.
Paper Forms- The flight attendants will hand out the three forms mentioned above aboard the plane. These forms are easily filled out using your passport, airline ticket, and hotel information. You will also need a departure customs form that can be obtained at the airport. As of January 1, 2021, the use of digital forms will be mandatory and paper forms will no longer be accepted.
We also pre booked our resort round trip transfers. I prefer to book a private transfer. After a long flight, the last thing I want to do is wait on other passengers to arrive or have to make stops at other resorts in the area. Our transfer was waiting for us as soon as we walked outside and we were in our van within minutes on our way to our new home for the week.
These few simple steps made the process a breeze for both arrival and departure. We also splurged for VIP arrival and departure offered by the airport. We will discuss that experience in the next blog post. Spoiler alert…VIP arrival is so worth it!
While you don’t need a negative covid test to travel to the Dominican Republic, airports and other ports of entry are administering a quick, breath test to between 3% and 10% of passengers, and all those who present symptoms, upon arrival. All passengers will also have a temperature check. Passengers who present symptoms or whose test results are positive will be isolated and attended at authorized locations. We also took it upon ourselves to get a rapid test the day before we arrived. We did not want to expose others to us if we were sick.
One other thing to note: If you have never been to the Punta Cana airport before you might not know how chaotic it is making it from baggage to your resort transfer. You will walk through a rental car/taxi counter area and then an excursions area. Your best action is to say “no thank you” and move on. There is no need to stop here. Once outside you will follow the sidewalk to where transfers are waiting to pick you up. Also, many time airport employees will want to assist you with your bag. Be aware they are looking for a tip for carrying your bag to your transfer.
As always, it is important to check the local requirements for your trip with the US State department and local tourist boards as things change rapidly. These requirements were in effect at the time of our travel.
