Do You Need a Passport to Go to Punta Cana?

Yes. If you're flying to Punta Cana, you need a passport — and it has to be the passport book, not a passport card, not a driver's license, not a birth certificate.

That's the whole answer for most people. The rest of this page covers the situations where people get caught out.

What a US citizen needs#

For a normal holiday:

• A valid US passport book. The US State Department says it should be valid for the length of your stay. Some airlines apply stricter rules at check-in, and a passport that expires within six months is the one they argue about — if yours is close, check with your airline before you fly.
• No visa. US citizens don't need one for tourism. The tourist card fee is included in almost every airline ticket.
• The e-Ticket. A free online form every visitor completes before arriving and again before leaving. More on that below.
• A return or onward ticket. Airlines and immigration can ask to see it.

That's it. No vaccines are required for US travellers arriving from the US.

"But I've been to the Caribbean with just my license"#

You probably went on a cruise. Some cruises that leave from and return to the same US port — called closed-loop cruises — let US citizens sail with a birth certificate and a government photo ID instead of a passport.

That rule is about the cruise, not about the Dominican Republic, and each cruise line sets its own requirements. Most recommend a passport anyway, and for a good reason: if something goes wrong and you have to fly home from the DR, you can't board a plane without one. If you're cruising to the Dominican Republic, check your cruise line's documents page. Where the ships dock: Dominican Republic cruise ports.

The passport card doesn't work for flights#

This catches people every year. The US passport card is a wallet-sized card that is valid only for land and sea crossings from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It is not accepted for international flights. For Punta Cana, you need the book.

Children#

Every traveller needs their own passport — babies included. A child's passport is valid for five years, not ten, so check the date if you got one for an earlier trip.

If a child is travelling with only one parent, or with grandparents or friends, carry a signed consent letter from the absent parent or parents. It isn't always asked for, but when it is, not having one can stop you at the airport.

Not a US citizen?#

If you're a US green card holder, you travel on your own country's passport plus your green card, and whether you need a visa depends on your nationality, not on your US residency. Check with the Dominican consulate for your nationality.

The same applies to every other nationality: the passport rule doesn't change, but visa requirements do.

The e-Ticket (free, and required)#

The Dominican Republic uses an online form called the e-Ticket for everyone entering and leaving the country. You fill it in before your flight out and again before your flight home, and it generates a QR code the airline and immigration can scan.

It's free. Several websites that look official charge a fee for the same form — you don't need them. Step by step, with the traps to avoid: the Dominican Republic e-Ticket.

Don't leave the passport to the last month#

Passport processing times change through the year and are longest before the summer and the holidays. Check the current routine and expedited times on the State Department's website before you book, not after. If you're renewing, apply as soon as you have dates.

Once you're in#

Keep your passport in the hotel safe and carry a photo of it on your phone. You'll rarely need the original outside the airport. Things worth sorting before you land: money and cash in the Dominican Republic, getting from the airport to your hotel, and what to pack.

Make the trip more than the resort#

Once the paperwork is done, the best part of Punta Cana is the part outside the hotel gate. Local Friends in Punta Cana are people who live there and can show you the beach where Dominican families go, a real lunch and a night out that isn't the resort show — you message them directly and plan the day together.

No passport yet and short on time? Puerto Rico is the one Caribbean island Americans can fly to without one: Dominican Republic vs Puerto Rico.

Coming from the US? The Americans in the Dominican Republic guide covers entry, money and what's different.

Check entry rules early: visa-free countries for Americans.

Also worth reading: Where Americans Can Travel Without a Passport in 2026.