What's the book corporate America doesn't want you to read? Find out now -- or you could get scammed.

Are “Tourist Cards” ripping off Caribbean cruise passengers?

February 17, 2009

When Gary Moll disembarked from a recent cruise in Santo Domingo, he encountered a fishy fee he’d never seen: Uniformed agents offered a $10 “Tourist Card” to passengers coming ashore. Are these cards for real?

Moll doubts it. Here’s what happened when he left the ship, in his own words:

After going through passport control and immigration, we encountered a desk where several uniformed individuals were selling Tourist Cards. If you were leaving the cruise terminal and going to the airport, you did not need one. If you elected to stay for a night or more in DR, you would need to purchase a Tourist Card for $10 per person.

Once you got your card — and there was no identifying information entered on it — you walked about 20 feet to the baggage claim area. As you entered the claim area there was another uniformed person collecting the Tourist Cards.

No receipt for the purchase. No further requirement for the card. You were allowed to hold it for 20 feet before surrendering it.

Moll thinks these cards are “worthless.”

Are they? I asked my friends in the island’s tourism office. Vanessa Welter, a spokeswoman for the Dominican Republic, told me they are not.

The Tourist Card acts as a temporary visa, although it’s true that it is not entered into your passport as normal visas are. A tourist card is a simplified and quick way to get such a temporary visa. If you’ve ever applied for a regular temporary in-your-passport visa for a country that requires one, you’d find that the process is more complicated, takes longer and costs much, much more.

DR tourist cards can be applied for in advance (though this can be a lengthy process), and are therefore usually bought and issued on arrival at a cost of $10. The tourist simply purchases the card as they advance through entrance into the country at the airport. Then the card is turned it into an official as they enter the country.

I have traveled to the DR many times for business and have always asked for a receipt for the Tourist Card and received one. I don’t think they offer a receipt unless you ask for it.

I’m going to call this one a draw.

Moll is correct. These cards appear to be worthless because they aren’t official stamps in your passport, like a visa or residency permit. What’s more, you could tell the authorities you didn’t plan to stay overnight and they would never know.

At the same time, the Dominican Republic has every right to charge for these cards. It’s just that they could probably do this a little better. I mean, how much would it cost to just stamp everyone’s passport?

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

Tagged as: , , ,

7 comments

  • http://www.singleparenttravel.net John F

    Tourist cards are all over the place. Many times (if not most) the fee is included in the price of your airfare when you buy a round trip ticket. Makes sense because then the gov’t knows you are coming and when you are going.

    Sure it is a money grab by the DR and to be honest it is only collected when they have enough people to man the booths to do it. If not, no biggie. While it is policy, it is loose policy.

    But I do question what cruise line was allowing passengers to disembark with the notion of staying overnight in the DR or flying home. I don;t know of any that terminate their itinerary in Santo Domingo.

  • Michelle

    I had to pay a fee for a tourist card when I went to Cuba. I don’t remember exactly how much it was since it was included in the all inclusive package we purchased, but it wasn’t more than $20/25 dollars.
    I was given it at the airport, told to fill it out, then hand it to customs. They took one half of it, then the other half I kept in my passport and gave it back when I left. It had to be filled out exactly how they wanted otherwise you would have to PAY for a new one to fill out. Many Caribbeans countries have the tourist cards/departure tax. Just a way to make more money I suppose?

  • Stewart Sheinfeld

    I had a similar experience leaving Vancouver BC a number of years ago where I had to wait in line to purchase a coupon for an “airport improvement fee” than immediately had to wait in the next line to hand it in.

  • Wrona

    John F, Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas is sailing out of Santo Domingo this winter.

  • Haley

    I am an US citizen and been through the airport in Santo Domingo, DR four times in the past six months and purchased the $10 tourist card every time. For the next 10 months I will be living in the DR. You give a person $10 to get a card (make sure you have exactly $10 because even though the teller has change there is a good chance you won’t get change) then you walk a few feet to hand it to another person. I say to at least cut out the middle man and save paper!

    I have also questioned if these cards were “worthless”. I believe you used to have to keep the tourist card and pay when you leave but that was recently changed. They now tack on a flat fee to your airline ticket (on most airlines) for your “exit fee” (yep, you pay an exit fee too). The tourist card is good for 30 days. If you stay after that time period you are required to pay an extra fine when you depart which can be between $10 for 90 days or up to $55 for a year. I believe this fine definitely beats the hassle of getting a visa if you plan to stay for an extended period of time – which is what I’m currently doing. After much research I’ve learned the only penalty you’ll have when I leave will be a fine.

    So if you are just coming for a short visit then yes, I agree with Moll – they seem a bit worthless and just another way for them to get more money out of you. But for someone who wants to stay a bit longer, it is a painless process. I just don’t understand why they don’t tact on the fee for the tourist card with the airline fee?

  • Jorge

    DR tourist cards used to be $20 and they used to be a duplicate form you fill out and have to keep with you and turn in on exit to “prove” how long you;ve been there and whether you owe any extra for overstaying. (They appear to have learned to read passport stamps now.)

    I’m not sure what you mean by they are worthless. What is a stamp in a passport “worth”? Or to put it another way, you may think it’s worthless, but you ain’t getting in without it, making it worth just about the same as a visa (lying to get around it notwithstanding).

    Is it just another scam to collect money from tourists? Sure, and so are the same fees charged everywhere. The US charges $100 for a visa appointment- regardless of whether you are granted a visa. How’s that for a scam?

  • Jorge

    Sorry, make that $131.

Previous post:

Next post: