Embassy/Consulate Addresses | Foreign Relations | Travel Advisories | Travel Tips | Customs/Duties



EMBASSY/CONSULATE ADDRESSES

Diplomatic Representation in the US
Ambassador: Roberto Saladin
Embassy: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: 202-332-6280
FAX: 202-265-8057

US Diplomatic Representation:
Ambassador: Vacant
Embassy: Calle César Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Gazcué District, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Telephone: (809) 221-2171

Consulate(s) are in:
Mobile
154 State St., 2nd Fl.
Mobile, AL 36603.
(334) 433-8894

Detroit
18400 Middlesex, Lathrup Village,
Detroit, MI 48076.
(248) 559-0684

Ponce
Marginal, Unit 303,
Ponce, Puerto Rico 00731.
(809) 842-9004

Houston
3300 Gessner Rd., Suite 113,
Houston, TX 77024.
(713) 266-0165

St. Thomas
5 & 6 Curacao Gade, Suite 1,
Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands

Consulates General are in:
San Francisco
870 Market St., Suite 501,
San Francisco, CA 94102.
(415) 982-5144

Miami
1038 Brickell Av.,
Miami, FL 33131.
(305) 358-3221

New Orleans
World Trade Center, 2 Canal St., Suite 2100
New Orleans, LA 70130.
(504) 522-1843

Boston
The Statler Building, 20 Park Pz., Suite 601,
Boston, MA 02116.
(617) 482-8121

New York
1501 Broadway, Suite 410,
New York, NY 10036.
(212) 768-2480

Philadelphia
437 Lafayette Building, 5th & Chestnut Sts., Suite 216
Philadelphia, PA 19106.
(215) 923-3006

Mayaguez
30 Calle McKinley, 2nd Floor,
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00708. BOX 3067.
(809) 833-0007

San Juan
Edificio Avianca, 1612 Avenida Ponce DeLeon, 7th Floor,
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907
(809) 725-9550

Embassy and Consulate Web Sites for the Dominican Republic
General Consulate of Dominican Republic in NY, USA
Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Washington, D.C. USA
Embassy of the United States of America in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic


FOREIGN RELATIONS

The Dominican Republic has a close relationship with the United States and with the other states of the inter-American system. It has accredited diplomatic missions in most Western Hemisphere countries and in principal European capitals. Newly elected president of Haiti René Préval made a working visit to Santo Domingo in March 2006, reciprocating Leonel Fernández’s call on the Interim Government of Haiti in December 2005. The Dominican Government has regularly appealed for international support for its island neighbor.

There is a sizeable Haitian migrant community in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic belongs to the UN and many of its specialized and related agencies, including the World Bank, International Labor Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, and International Civil Aviation Organization. It also is a member of the OAS, and the Inter-American Development Bank.

U.S.-DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RELATIONS
The U.S. has a strong interest in a democratic, stable, and economically healthy Dominican Republic. The country's standing as the largest Caribbean economy, second-largest country in terms of population and land mass, with large bilateral trade with the United States, and its proximity to the United States and other smaller Caribbean nations make the Dominican Republic an important partner in hemispheric affairs. The Embassy estimates that 100,000 U.S. citizens live in the Dominican Republic; many are dual nationals. An important element of the relationship between the two countries is the fact that more than 1 million individuals of Dominican origin reside in the United States, most of them in the metropolitan Northeast and some in Florida.

U.S. relations with the Dominican Republic are excellent, and the U.S. has been an outspoken supporter of that country's democratic and economic development. The Dominican Government has been supportive of many U.S. initiatives in the United Nations and related agencies. The two governments cooperate in the fight against the traffic in illegal substances. The Dominican Republic has worked closely with U.S. law enforcement officials on issues such as the extradition of fugitives and measures to hinder illegal migration.

The United States supports the Fernández administration's efforts to improve Dominican competitiveness, to attract foreign private investment, to fight corruption, and to modernize the tax system. Bilateral trade is important to both countries. U.S. firms, mostly manufacturers of apparel, footwear, and light electronics, account for much of the foreign private investment in the Dominican Republic.

Exports from the United States, including those from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to the Dominican Republic in 2007 totaled $6 billion. The Dominican Republic exported $4.2 billion to the United States in 2007. The Dominican Republic is the 31st-largest commercial partner of the U.S. The U.S. Embassy works closely with U.S. business firms and Dominican trade groups, both of which can take advantage of the new opportunities in this growing market. At the same time, the Embassy is working with the Dominican Government to resolve a range of ongoing commercial and investment disputes.

The Embassy counsels U.S. firms through its Country Commercial Guide and informally via meetings with business persons planning to invest or already investing in the Dominican Republic. This is a challenging business environment for U.S. firms, especially for medium to smaller sized businesses.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mission is focused on improving access of underserved populations to quality health care and combating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB); promoting economic growth through policy reform, support for CAFTA-DR implementation, and technical assistance to small producers and tourism groups; environmental protection and policy reform initiatives; improved access to quality primary, public education and assistance to at-risk youth; a model rural electrification program; and improving participation in democratic processes, while strengthening the judiciary and combating corruption across all sectors.

DEFENSE
Congress authorizes a combined military force of 44,000 active duty personnel. Actual active duty strength is approximately 32,000. However, approximately 50% of those are used for non-military activities such as security providers for government-owned non-military facilities, highway toll stations, prisons, forestry work, state enterprises, and private businesses. The Commander in Chief of the military is the President. The principal missions are to defend the nation and protect the territorial integrity of the country. The army, larger than the other services combined with approximately 20,000 active duty personnel, consists of six infantry brigades, a combat support brigade, and a combat service support brigade. The air force operates two main bases, one in the southern region near Santo Domingo and one in the northern region near Puerto Plata. The navy operates two major naval bases, one in Santo Domingo and one in Las Calderas on the southwestern coast, and maintains 12 operational vessels. In the Caribbean, only Cuba has a larger military force.

The armed forces have organized a Specialized Airport Security Corps (CESA) and a Specialized Port Security Corps (CESEP) to meet international security needs in these areas. The Secretary of the Armed Forces has also announced plans to form a specialized border corps (CESEF). Additionally, the armed forces provide 75% of personnel to the National Investigations Directorate (DNI) and the Counter-Drug Directorate (DNCD).

The Dominican National Police force contains 32,000 agents. The police are not part of the Dominican armed forces, but share some overlapping security functions. Sixty-three percent of the force serve in areas outside traditional police functions, similar to the situation of their military counterparts..

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Vacant
Deputy Chief of Mission--Roland Bullen
USAID Mission Director--Richard Goughnour
Consul General--Michael Schimmel
Economic and Political Counselor--Daniel Bellegarde
Public Affairs Adviser--Gary Ketih
Commercial Counselor (DOC/FCS)--Laura Gimenez (Acting)
Defense Attaché--Lt. Col. Fred Fagan (U.S. Marine Corps)

The U.S. Embassy is located at the corner of Calle César Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Gazcué District, Santo Domingo (tel. 809-221-2171).


TRAVEL ADVISORIES

To obtain the latest Travel Advisory Information for Dominican Republic check the U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet.


TRAVEL TIPS

Driving U.S Driving permit accepted
Currency (DOP) Dominican Peso
Electrical 110 Volts
Telephones Country Code 1 City Code (1+) 829+7D



Business Hours
Banks Banks are open weekdays 8:30-4:30. Post Offices Post offices are open weekdays 7:30-2:30. Shops Offices and shops are open weekdays 8-noon and 2-6, Saturday 8-noon. About 50% of the stores stay open all day, no longer closing for a midday siesta.

Customs & Duties
Arriving in the Dominican Republic Most Caribbean islands wave tourists through immigration and customs with only a cursory question or two. These rules generally apply throughout the Caribbean: you're limited to bringing in 2 liters of alcohol, 2 cartons of cigarettes, and a reasonable amount of duty-free goods for your personal use. More than that, and you'll be asked to pay a hefty import tax.

Electricity
The current is 110 volts, 60 cycles - just like in North America. You'll hear much talk about electrical blackouts, but they occur less frequently than they used to and tend to last only one to two minutes (when they're over, everyone claps). Hotels and most restaurants have generators.

Telephones
The area code for the Dominican Republic is 809. To make a local call, dial the 7-digit number. International Calls From the D.R., there's direct-dial service to the U.S. and Canada. To reach the U.S. and Canada, dial 1, followed by the area code and number; to the U.K., dial 011, the country and city codes, and the number. The country code for the United States and Canada is 1; for Australia, 61; for New Zealand, 64; and for the United Kingdom, 44.


CUSTOMS/DUTIES

Tobacco*...200 cigarettes

Liquor*....1 litre of alcohol

Note: *applies only to psgrs 16 yrs and older

Perfume....reasonable amount for personal use

Gifts.....up to a value of us$100

Cameras....reasonable for personal use

Film.......reasonable for personal use

Agricultural items/currency/...refer to consulate

Prohibited items.....all animal products, agricultural and hoticultural products and drugs

Note: all baggage must be declared on arrival and departure. certain goods including cameras, videos and electronic goods may only be imported duty free if they are exported on departure. they may not be left in nepal. it is illegal to export goods over 100 years . export certificates need to be obtained from the department of archaeology for the export of any metal statues, sacred paintings and similar objects.



Back to Top