Short answer: no, you don't need to buy a tourist card for the Dominican Republic. What used to be a separate $10 physical card is now bundled into your airfare, so you've already paid for it without realizing it. What you DO need is the free digital E-Ticket immigration form, which every traveler must complete before entering or leaving the country. This post walks through the current entry requirements for Punta Cana visitors — what the E-Ticket is, how to fill it out, who needs a visa, passport requirements, and how to spot the scam sites that try to charge you for what's actually free.
The Tourist Card, Historically
Until relatively recently, entering the Dominican Republic required a physical tourist card that cost $10 USD and was purchased on arrival at the airport (or included in some tour packages). It was a small paper card stamped by immigration and kept with your passport during your stay. That system has been phased out. Since roughly 2018, the tourist card fee has been built into the price of every plane ticket to the DR, meaning every arriving traveler has already paid for it as part of their airfare. You don't need to purchase anything separately, and you shouldn't hand any money to anyone at the airport claiming they represent the tourist card program.
What You DO Need: The E-Ticket
The current mandatory form is the Electronic Entry/Exit Form (E-Ticket), filled out at the official government portal eticket.migracion.gob.do. This single digital form combines what used to be three separate documents (immigration form, customs declaration, and health affidavit) into one online submission that generates a QR code. You show that QR code at airline check-in and again at immigration when you land. The form is required for every traveler, including infants, children, and any nationality. Both entry AND exit require the form, which trips up some travelers who assume they only need it going one way.
The E-Ticket is completely free. There is no cost. If any website asks you for credit card information to fill out the form, you're on a scam site — leave immediately and go to the official portal at eticket.migracion.gob.do. Search results and social media ads sometimes surface fake sites that charge $30 to $50 for the "service" of filling out a form that costs $0 on the official site.
How to Fill Out the E-Ticket
The process is straightforward and takes about 5 to 10 minutes per traveler. Go directly to eticket.migracion.gob.do (bookmark it, don't trust search links). Fill in your personal details (name matching your passport exactly, date of birth, nationality, passport number, expiration date). Enter your flight details (airline, flight number, arrival date, departure airport). Enter your address in the Dominican Republic (your hotel or resort name and location is fine). Answer the customs and health questions (typically "no" for the standard tourism scenarios). Submit and download your QR code — save it to your phone AND print a paper backup. That QR code is your entry document; without it, you can't check in for your flight.
You can complete the E-Ticket as soon as you have your flight details finalized. The old 72-hour advance requirement has been relaxed, but filling it out at least a day or two before departure is still smart — it gives you time to fix any typo or issue without airport-morning stress. Families can add multiple travelers on the same form (up to 7 people) and receive a single QR code that immigration can scan for the whole group.
Who Needs a Visa?
Most travelers from Western countries do not need a visa for tourism stays up to 30 days. According to the official Dominican Republic tourism site, visitors from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union, Russia, Mexico, most Central and South American countries, Japan, Israel, and many others enter with just their passport and the E-Ticket. If you're from a country outside this general list, check the official government website for whether you need a visa in advance. Business travelers, students, or anyone planning stays longer than 30 days for other reasons may need different documentation regardless of nationality.
Passport Requirements
US citizens need a valid passport that's valid for the length of the intended stay. The Dominican Republic does NOT require the 6-month post-travel passport validity that some other countries enforce — which is a nice break from the usual travel checklist. Canadian, UK, and EU citizens generally have the same setup, though checking your specific country's requirements before travel is always smart. If your passport expires within a few weeks of your return date, you're technically fine to enter the DR but might have issues with your airline or in a connecting country, so renew if you're close to the wire.
Children and infants need their own passports (US kids can't travel on a parent's passport anymore) and their own E-Tickets. This trips up some family travelers who assumed the parent's form covered the whole family. It doesn't — every person, regardless of age, needs individual E-Ticket entries.
The 30-Day Tourism Stay
The standard tourism entry is good for 30 days from the date you arrive. This works for the vast majority of vacation travelers since typical trips are anywhere from a long weekend to two weeks. Nothing needs to be pre-declared, and immigration won't ask specifically how long you're staying beyond what shows on your return flight ticket. Stays up to 30 days require no additional paperwork or fees beyond the E-Ticket.
If you stay longer than 30 days — say, you're on an extended remote-work trip or visiting family for a month or more — an overstay fee applies on departure. The fee is calculated on a sliding scale based on how long you stayed over the 30-day limit, and it can be paid either online in advance of departure or at the airport immigration desk after check-in. The overstay system is designed for people who genuinely stayed longer than planned, not as a punishment for tourists — the fees are moderate, not punitive.
What to Have Ready at the Airport
For a smooth arrival at Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) or any other DR entry point, have three things accessible: your valid passport, your E-Ticket QR code (on your phone AND ideally printed as a backup), and your return flight information if immigration asks. That's the whole document set. The airline will check your E-Ticket at boarding in your departure city, so make sure it's downloaded and works. At immigration in the DR, the officer scans the QR code, stamps your passport, and you're through — the whole process is typically fast now that the paper forms are gone. See our getting around Punta Cana guide for what happens after you clear immigration.
You'll also complete a separate E-Ticket for departure — same portal, same free process, same QR code system. Do it a day or two before you leave. Some travelers forget the departure form and end up scrambling in the airport lounge trying to fill it out on hotel Wi-Fi with a boarding call happening.
Common Scams to Watch For
Because the entry requirements are online, there are third-party sites that mimic the official portal and charge fees to "file" your E-Ticket. These are all scams — the government portal is the only legitimate site, and it's free. Any URL that isn't eticket.migracion.gob.do or a subdomain of migracion.gob.do is not the official form. Ignore Google ads promising to "handle your Dominican Republic tourist card" or "expedite your entry" — none of these services do anything you can't do yourself for free in 10 minutes.
At the airport, don't hand cash to anyone claiming to represent the tourist card program. The card is built into your airfare, immigration officers don't collect fees at the desk, and anyone asking for money for entry paperwork is running a scam. If you're not sure whether a request is legitimate, ask an airport information desk employee or your airline representative.
Related Documents Worth Knowing About
Travel insurance is worth mentioning here, even though it's not a required document. The Dominican Republic doesn't currently require travel insurance for entry (this changed a few times during 2020-2022 pandemic protocols and has been optional since), but for divers specifically we generally recommend Divers Alert Network membership or equivalent dive-specific accident coverage. General travel insurance often excludes diving-related incidents; DAN was built for this purpose and coverage is inexpensive. Our guide to choosing a reputable dive shop covers what to check on insurance and coverage more thoroughly.
For US citizens specifically, the State Department maintains a country page for the Dominican Republic with any advisories or notices, worth glancing at during trip planning. For UK, Canadian, and EU citizens, your respective government travel advisories serve the same purpose. These are broadly informational rather than restrictive — general safety recommendations, not entry barriers.
The Bottom Line
You don't buy a tourist card for the Dominican Republic — it's included in your airfare. What you DO need is the free E-Ticket digital form completed for every traveler, for both entry and exit. Passport must be valid for the length of stay (no 6-month rule for US citizens). Most Western nationalities get 30 days visa-free for tourism. Only use the official government portal, ignore scam sites charging fees. If you're planning a Punta Cana diving trip and want help coordinating any part of the arrival logistics — airport pickup, resort recommendations near dive sites, day-of scheduling — message us through our contact form and we'll walk you through it.
