Dominican Republic Travel Safety Guide

What the advice records

The FCDO states plainly that the crime rate in the Dominican Republic is high, and that incidents range from opportunistic bag snatching and pickpocketing through to violent crime and carjacking.

It also records that assaults, including rape and sexual aggression, have occurred against foreigners including at beach resorts. Some guides to this country report the crime rate and then reassure the reader that the resorts are separate from it. The source does not say that, and this page will not either.

None of which means a visit is unwise. Millions of people travel here every year without incident. It means the precautions are the ordinary ones and they are worth actually taking.

The habits that matter

• Do not walk alone at night, and that includes resort grounds and the beach outside them.
• Keep your drink with you and in sight.
• Carry what you need for the day and leave the rest in the safe.
• Use arranged transport at night rather than whatever is waiting outside.
• If you are robbed, give up the property. It is replaceable.

Bank cards

Card cloning and identity theft are named specifically in the official advice. Use machines attached to a staffed bank, keep the card in sight when you pay, and turn on transaction alerts before you travel. The money guide sets this out in more detail.

Emergencies

In Santo Domingo, call 911 and ask for an ambulance. Outside the capital, be aware that the FCDO records that the 911 number does not have full coverage across the country, and gives the tourist police, Politur, on +1 809 200 3500 for an emergency elsewhere.

Those two numbers are the only ones in this cluster's sources, and they are the only ones it publishes. Confirm the current local numbers with your accommodation when you arrive. It takes one question and it is the kind of detail worth having before you need it.

Vaccinations and health preparation

The CDC recommends hepatitis A for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older, and hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60. For yellow fever its record reads "Vaccine is not recommended".

It also recommends that travelers going to certain areas of the country take prescription medicine to prevent malaria, naming Azua, Elias Pina, La Altagracia, San Juan and Santo Domingo, and noting in its own words that these include resort areas. La Altagracia is the province that contains Punta Cana, so this is not a caution about remote corners of the country. Which medicine, and whether you need it at all, is a conversation with a doctor, and because some courses begin days before departure it belongs several weeks before the flight.

Insurance

Take travel insurance that covers medical treatment and, importantly, medical evacuation. Serious cases can require transfer, and a transfer is the expense that turns a medical problem into a financial one.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Dominican Republic safety and security: the record that the crime rate is high, that incidents range from opportunistic bag snatching and pickpocketing to violent crime and carjacking, that bank card cloning and identity theft are a risk, and that assaults against foreigners have occurred including at beach resorts. Accessed 18 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Dominican Republic travel advice: the index to the entry, safety and health pages this cluster draws on. Accessed 18 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Dominican Republic health: the instruction to call 911 and ask for an ambulance in Santo Domingo, the record that the 911 number does not have full coverage across the country, and the tourist police number for elsewhere. Accessed 18 September 2026.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dominican Republic traveler health: hepatitis A recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older, hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60, a yellow fever record reading "Vaccine is not recommended", and the recommendation that travelers going to certain areas take prescription medicine to prevent malaria, with the areas named and the instruction to talk to a doctor about which medication. Accessed 18 September 2026.