Hosting a seminar or workshop in the Dominican Republic: entry, flights, costs and logistics

Entry requirements and the e-Ticket

According to the U.S. State Department, a visa is required for visits longer than 30 days, passports must be valid for six months from arrival, and the US$10 tourist card is included in airline charges and allows stays of up to 30 days, extendable through the Migration Department in Santo Domingo. Visitors must have a round-trip ticket, enough funds for their stay and an address where they will stay. Cash of US$10,000 or more must be declared on entry and exit.

Every passenger on a commercial flight must complete the e-Ticket, a free electronic form for both arrival and departure that generates a QR code; the Migration Department's official portal is eticket.migracion.gob.do. The State Department also notes that business or professional activities requiring permits or licenses need information from local authorities, so if your workshop involves paid local work, check with Dominican authorities first.

Flights: which airport for which format

Choose Las Américas (SDQ) for a city seminar with coworking rooms and business hotels in Piantini; Punta Cana (PUJ) for a resort-based workshop; Samaná El Catey (AZS), about 30 minutes from Las Terrenas, for a villa retreat on the peninsula; and La Romana (LRM) for Casa de Campo. If attendees arrive on different flights, schedule the opening session for the afternoon of day one or the morning of day two, and book shared transfers by arrival window.

Punta Cana · Photo: Leonardo Rossatti / Pexels

Published room-hire and venue costs

Few venues publish prices, but some do. WeConnect Cowork in Santo Domingo lists conference and workshop rooms for up to 18 people at US$40 an hour (small) and US$70 an hour (large), an event space for up to 60 with catering, hydration and AV from US$200 plus ITBIS, and a day pass at US$30 plus ITBIS. Spatium, in the Citi Tower at Acrópolis Center in Piantini, offers meeting rooms, a training classroom and an auditorium for up to 150, with dual fiber internet and generator backup. Near Punta Cana airport, PYHEX Work at Cormont Plaza II lists meeting rooms, a training room and private offices.

If you would rather live and work in one place, Casa Rosabaya in Las Terrenas sleeps up to 26 in 12 ocean-view bedrooms and quotes by dates and headcount; Villa Del Mar on Playa Cosón has 13 en-suite rooms plus a presidential suite for up to 28, with a private chef. In Santo Domingo, the Courtyard by Marriott lists a room for 96 theater-style and a boardroom for 10 with video-conferencing.

Taxes, tips and payment

Expect 18% ITBIS on taxable services (the DGII rate table) and the 10% legal tip on food and drink consumed on the premises, which Pro Consumidor says does not apply to takeout or delivery. WeConnect, for example, shows its prices plus ITBIS. Ask suppliers whether they invoice in US dollars or pesos and whether they can issue a fiscal receipt.

On-the-ground logistics checklist

Test the Wi-Fi and ask about backup power (Spatium and Casa Rosabaya both mention generators). Serve bottled or purified water: the State Department notes tap water in many areas is not safe to drink. Use hotel-recommended taxis or a contracted transfer company rather than street taxis, and consider a professional driver, since the State Department reports some of the world's highest road-crash mortality. Carry travel insurance with medical cover. For content, ExperiencesDR's in-house conference content and recap video and event photo/video are priced on request, and the Event DJ for a closing reception starts from US$1,000.

A simple two-day workshop timeline

Eight to twelve weeks out: confirm the venue and room block, send attendees the entry checklist (passport validity, e-Ticket, travel insurance) and open registration. Four weeks out: lock the agenda, AV list, dietary requirements and transfers by arrival window. One week out: reconfirm headcount with the venue, print or share materials, and test any video-conferencing link from the room itself. On the day: start sessions early while it is cooler, keep breaks to a fixed schedule, and assign one person to logistics so the facilitator can focus.

For a workshop of up to 18 people in Santo Domingo, a coworking room such as WeConnect's large room (US$70 an hour, up to 18) or Spatium's training classroom can be cheaper than a hotel meeting package; for a residential format, a villa such as Casa Rosabaya puts sessions, meals and rooms in one place.

Health and safety basics

The U.S. State Department lists 911 as the emergency number across most of the country and POLITUR, the tourist police, at 809-222-2026. It strongly recommends travel insurance covering medical care and evacuation, because private hospitals generally require payment in advance. Share these numbers and the venue address in the attendee pack, and keep a printed list of participants' emergency contacts with the organizer.