US$59,240 refunded on tourist cards in 2021

The Dominican Government has returned US $ 59,240 for tourist cards in January-November 2021.

According to Internal Tax data requested by Listín Diario, during these months, the refund of US $ 10 for this concept of 5,924 cards was approved, while 1,847 tourist cards were rejected, for a total of 7,771 disbursement requests.

Airline payments 
Statistics from the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII) indicate that airlines and consignees paid between January and November of this year US $ 53,279,058.32 for tourist cards. 

The month in which the organizations mentioned above paid the most money for this concept was November with US $ 6,015,401.17, followed by April with US $ 5,730,270.71.

Statements
Last week, President Luis Abinader announced that a system was established to reimburse through the Reserve Bank the tax of 10 dollars paid by Dominicans residing abroad to those who request it when they fill out the label or credit card digital migration.

Who applies?
It is recalled that following the provisions of Article two of Decree No. 430-17, Dominicans who have purchased air tickets as of April 25, 2018, at points of sale outside the Dominican Republic and foreigners residing in the Dominican Republic with a valid residence card.

Likewise, foreigners with a valid Dominican visa and diplomats accredited in the country and citizens of countries that by bilateral agreements ratified by the National Congress are exempt.

Request channels
Following Internal Taxes, in information published on its web portal, requests for reimbursement can be made in the option “Request Reimbursement” through the DGII offices and credit or debit cards From applicants.

Once the reimbursement request is received, the DGII will have a period of 15 business days, counted from the deposit of the request, accompanied by the corresponding documentation, to respond.

Applicants will have a maximum period from purchasing the air ticket up to 30 days after entering the Dominican Republic to request the refund as mentioned above.

Covid and tourism
Given the new strains of the virus and the promotion of cheaper flights for Dominicans abroad, the Tourism Cabinet headed by Minister David Collado announced a series of additional measures to guarantee the safety of those who visit the country during this time of Christmas Eve and New Year.

Among the additional measures is the reinforcement of 30% in the personnel working in the different air terminals, the Migration Directorate will increase the number of boxes to speed up the entire process of entry and exit from the country, only two people will be allowed to receive or take visitors to airports and the National Police will increase patrols along airport routes.

In addition, the state energy companies will guarantee lighting in the road sections of the different airports.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom) assured Listín Diario that the country requires a PCR test for each passenger arriving on a cruise ship and a vaccination card, in addition to temperature measurements when arriving at the ports.

The state entity confirmed that the Miami ship where more than 40 people positive for coronavirus were detected does not have an established route with the Dominican Republic. So far, no positive cases have been detected in cruise ships that dock in Dominican ports.

Requirements
To request the refund of the tourist card, a copy of the passport is required, a copy of the air ticket with the breakdown of the fees and taxes charged, a copy of the valid residence card or visa, and the diplomatic accreditation in the Dominican Republic (applies in the case of diplomats).