Whenever you leave or enter a country transporting goods – money, goods, electronic equipment, among others – you must consider whether such goods must be declared at Customs.

Who must go through Customs?

Passage through Customs is mandatory for all dominicans or foreign travelers entering the country transporting money or goods. However, up to certain limits permitted by law, citizens are not required to declare the goods they are carrying with them.

Therefore, we recommend that before traveling, you inquire your airline or at the Customs Protection in the Dominican Republic about what you can transport and the goods you must or do not declare.

What forms should I complete?

All Dominican or foreign passengers arriving in the Dominican Republic must fill out the Customs Declaration Form, which will be provided by the crew of your airline or you will find it at the customs counters at the airport.

What should be declared?

The Customs Protection of the Dominican Republic (Dirección General de Aduanas) determines that every person entering the country must present a customs declaration, filled with integrity.

To be declared:

• Amounts in cash, or in checks, or a combination of both, greater than the equivalent in the currency or currencies in question at ten thousand dollars (US $ 10,000.00) of the United States of America.
• Live animals, plants or food products.
• Donated and inherited items.
• Items purchased in free trade zones, by boat or by plane.
• Items purchased for the home.
• Items to sell or own business.
• Goods subject to the payment of taxes, which will be all those goods outside the articles that make up the personal luggage.

Items purchased in free zones will be exempt from taxes (airports, ships or airplanes), as long as these do no exceed the value of US $ 500.00 and, passengers can demonstrate, with legitimate invoice, have acquired it in the indicated places.

List of items that allows on personal luggage for passengers residents in the country, from abroad:

• Luggage: Used or new personal consumer goods, such as clothes, footwear and cleaning products, are in accordance with the duration of the trip and that due to their amount they cannot be subject to commercialization.
• A camera, a video recorder, its corresponding power source.
• Up to twelve rolls of films or video cassettes; photographic material printed or filmed; a cell phone device and / or a radiolocator; a writing machine; a portable computer new or used, of the so-called laptop, notebook, or minibook or similar
• Two (2) used personal sports equipment, as long as they can be transported normally and commonly by one person.
• A musical instrument that could be transported normally and commonly by a person and that can demonstrate that it is of their use.
• Five (5) laser discs, five (5) DVD discs, twenty (20) compact discs (CD) or magnetic tapes (Audio cassettes) for sound reproduction.
• Books and magazines, which due to their quantity cannot be subject to commercialization.
• Five (5) toys that could be transported normally and commonly for someone.
• Medicines for personal use, the medical prescription must be shown in case of psychotropic substances.
• In the case of passengers of legal age, a maximum of 20 packs of cigarettes, 25 cigars or 200 grams of tobacco, up to three (3) liters of wine, beer, rum, whiskey or liquor.
• One binocular.

In the case of persons with disabilities, items for personal use that due to its characteristics it substitutes or diminishes its physical limitations.

For passengers residing abroad, coming from abroad (foreigners):

• The items indicated in the previous listing.
• A tent and a camping equipment.
• Sports articles for personal use.

GIFTS: The value of the merchandise considered as gifts, will not exceed US $ 500.00. Any person who has benefited this permit during the last (3) months prior to their trip, will not be able to use this exemption.

For confirmation and more information, please contact:

Dirección General de Aduanas
Main office: 1-809-547-7070
Airport: 1-809-826-4010
See also import services:
Import Services