Before you fly: the e-ticket and your passport
Every traveller fills in the free electronic entry and exit form, the e-ticket, at eticket.migracion.gob.do. It no longer has to be done 72 hours ahead: complete it as soon as you have flight details, but before you reach the airline counter. You get a QR code for each direction; children skip the customs section.
Your passport should normally be valid for six months. Until 31 December 2026, travellers from the EU, the UK, the US, Canada and several South American countries only need a passport valid for the length of the stay. Bring proof of a return or onward ticket and the address where you are staying.
Stays over 30 days pay an extension fee on a sliding scale. Pay it online before you fly home or at the airport after security, not at check-in.
Landing at Puerto Plata (POP)
Gregorio Luperón is a small, single-terminal airport 25 minutes west of Cabarete. Have the e-ticket QR code ready for immigration; after bags and customs, the official taxis and the camp drivers wait just outside arrivals. The US$20 departure tax is already in your ticket.
- Carry a few small US dollar notes for the taxi and tips; drivers often have no change.
- Board bags come out at the oversize belt; check for dings before you leave the hall.
- If your camp collects you, send the flight number and keep your phone on: the driver will have a sign.
Money on arrival
The currency is the Dominican peso (RD$). Dollars are taken at most tourist places at a worse rate, and change comes back in pesos. Use cash machines inside banks, in daylight: card skimming is common in resort areas. Cards work in restaurants, schools and the supermarket, rarely at beach stalls or colmados.
Phones and data
Claro and Altice are the two networks. A local SIM with data is cheap and sold on the main road in Cabarete; an eSIM bought before you fly works too. Coverage is good in town and patchy on the coast road east.
Driving on the north coast
- Traffic drives on the right. Rental companies want drivers of 25 or over with a home licence; take full insurance.
- The coast road, Carretera 5, is two lanes through every village. Expect motorbikes on both sides, speed bumps and animals.
- Avoid driving at night: the road is unlit and many motorbikes have no lights.
- Toll booths on the motorways to Santiago and Santo Domingo cost RD$60–100. Carry small pesos.
- After an accident, wait for the police before moving the car.
Buses between cities
Caribe Tours and Metro Tours run air-conditioned coaches from Sosúa and Puerto Plata to Santiago and Santo Domingo, for roughly RD$200–500 one way. Arrive an hour early and bring a sweater: the air-conditioning runs cold. From Cabarete, a guagua or a taxi gets you to the Sosúa terminal. Uber works in Puerto Plata; in Cabarete, your camp’s driver or a taxi is more reliable.
When to book
The winter swell season, December to March, and Easter week are the busiest; book flights and beds early. Many direct flights to POP are seasonal, so check the summer schedule before you plan a kite trip from May to September.
What to pack
- Reef booties for the shallow breaks, a rash vest and reef-safe sunscreen.
- Insect repellent: mosquito-borne illnesses peak in the hot months, May to November.
- A light rain jacket for June to November, the rainy and hurricane season.
- US-style plug adapters: the power is 110 volts.
- Small cash for motoconchos, guaguas and tips.
More on money, culture, food and day trips in the north coast travel guide.