There was anger, pressure, haste, and tranquility among Las Americas International Airport (AILA). Everything depended on how each one had been filling out the electronic immigration form or e-Ticket that came into force last Wednesday, September 1, and is mandatorily required to leave and enter the country.

“It’s not difficult, but the platform has many situations that must be corrected,” said Paola Guerrero, one of the “affected” in the terminal.

Guerrero estimated that it took an hour to fill out on his cell phone the form whose mobile version did not allow him to go directly to the year of his birth.

“Change that method, it’s useless! That’s crap that damages the country more than it is!” one lady shouted at the airport staff, angry that she missed her flight after having difficulty filling out the e-Ticket. A Chilean passenger, seeking assistance, also feared that his plane would leave him.

Although since January of this year, the options of filling out the e-Ticket or doing it by hand on paper (as was allowed until yesterday) coexisted. Today, the digital format was established in a mandatory way, and the traditional one was suppressed.

The form combines the declarations of the General Directorate of Migration(DGM), the General Directorate of Customs(DGA), and the Ministry of Public Health in a single platform.

Although at the Las Americas airport, the second with the highest flow of passengers in the country, there was pressure for the filling of the e-Ticket, flights until noon had not suffered delays, said Luis José López, spokesman for Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI(Aerodom), administrator of the terminal.

He said travelers arriving in the country are being asked to fill out before boarding their flight, with support from the airline.

AILA arranged for customer service personnel to assist passengers until the use of the system is normalized.

However, visitors continue to express their dissatisfaction with the new process: “I lost three tickets, there is my wife and daughter, who stayed here stranded (in AILA), and I do not know how we are going to do it. We talked to Delta (Air Lines), but we have to buy another flight to be able to leave on Saturday, which is that there is availability,” said a man.

According to local media, some passengers complained about the slowness in the process and the fall of the platform, which has made it difficult for them to fill out the form on time.

“It’s impossible to fill out the document to get out. Two days, and we haven’t achieved anything, we are here (at AILA) to see if they help us or see what we do with it,” said one traveler.

Also, opinions for and against has generated among passengers of the Cibao International Airport the change from the physical form to the electronic one for the declaration of travelers before the offices of the DGM and the DGA.

According to passengers consulted by Diario Libre in this air terminal, the process to fill out the ticket on the digital platform is very long and complicated for people who do not master technology.

“It took me about ten minutes to fill it with my daughter. However, I understand that they must simplify the process so that we analogues can do the process without help,” said Juan Acosta.

Another passenger who identified himself as Martín Castro said that it is a platform “complicated for us who do not have much knowledge of technology.”

While Juana Reyes, a passenger who was on her way from Santiago to New York City, applauded the implementation of the system.

“That paperwork was uncomfortable for you to have to fill it out in the middle of a flight,” Reyes said.

Lorenzo Vargas, the coordinator of the Migration Services at the Cibao International Airport, reported that the institution has several inspectors to assist people who require help filling out the form.

“We have a staff, properly trained, to help any passenger who requests it,” the official said.

He said he understood the complaints of some travelers that it was a new system.

With this resolution’s entry into force today, people who do not submit the previously filled form through the Migration page will not be allowed to make their trip.