Dominican Republic: country facts, travel advice and health

01Free

The 30-second card

CapitalSanto DomingoSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

LanguageSpanishSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

CurrencyDominican Peso · $ · DOPSource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

TimeUTC−4Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

PlugsA · B, 110 VSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

DrivingOn the rightSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Emergency · tap to call

911Police · Ambulance · Fire +1 809 200 3500Tourist police 809-222-2026Tourist police

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Visa · United Kingdom passport

No visa needed · up to 30 daysSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Visa · United States passport

No visa needed · up to 30 daysSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

TippingService is usually included in the bill, so tips are not required.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

SIM and eSIM

Local SIM cards come from one of three networks: Altice, Claro or Viva.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Apps locals use

AlertaCOE app: official Spanish-language hurricane and emergency alerts from the national emergency centre.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 3 of 5: Cash and cards are both common, so carry some cash as well as a card.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Dominican Republic

Dominican Peso · $ · DOP

Change only a little money at the airport or port, where rates are poor; get the rest later or from an ATM.

If an ATM refuses a round sum like 1,000, try an amount ending in 900.

Change leftover pesos before flying out; they are hard to exchange abroad.

Dollars and euros are often accepted, but check the seller's rate before paying with them.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Dominican Peso in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Fri, 6 Nov 2026 · Constitution Day Día de la Constitución

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Navidad

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Día de Año Nuevo

Wed, 6 Jan 2027 · Day of Kings Día de Reyes

Thu, 21 Jan 2027 · Our Lady of Altagracia Día de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia

Tue, 26 Jan 2027 · Duarte's Birthday Día del Natalicio de Juan Pablo Duarte

Sat, 27 Feb 2027 · Independence Day Día de la Independencia de la República Dominicana

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day Día del Trabajador

Thu, 27 May 2027 · Corpus Christi

Fri, 28 May 2027 · Mother's Day Día de las Madres

Mon, 16 Aug 2027 · Restoration Day Día de la Restauración Dominicana

Fri, 24 Sept 2027 · Our Lady of Mercy Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Dominican Republic say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise increased caution

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 11 Jun 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 7 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Card cloning

Keep your card in sight whenever you pay, or pay in cash.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Police asking for cash on the spot

Never hand cash to an officer at a traffic stop; pay fines online on the official site.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Fake police near the Haitian border

Be wary of roadside "police" on roads near the border and stay alert.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots incl. MMR; hepatitis A and B advised; malaria in some regions; some altitude sickness risk.

Vaccinations

Be up to date on routine shots including measles (MMR); hepatitis A and hepatitis B are advised for unvaccinated travellers, typhoid and rabies are worth discussing with a doctor, and yellow fever is not recommended (proof is only demanded when arriving from certain Brazilian states).

Malaria

In some regions

Altitude

Some parts of the country carry a risk of altitude sickness.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Santo Domingo

Old town: the first European city in the Americas, UNESCO.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

Its Spanish heritage earned the country the nickname "Cradle of the Americas".

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: National Anthem of the Dominican Republic. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

1 World Heritage site in Dominican Republic, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $127.4 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $11,059Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	medical instruments, tobacco, gold, garments, power equipment (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	11.5 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	29.6 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	72.6 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Evangelical 50.2%, Roman Catholic 30.1%, none 18.5%, unspecified 1.2% (2023 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2023 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	48,670 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfallSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleysSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+1Source: libphonenumber · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).