When you leave a port of entry in the Dominican Republic, you must acquire a “Despacho” from the Navy to declare your next port of entry.
What is a Despacho?
Despacho translates to dispatch, or in the noun form of the meaning, a message of great importance sent with haste. This is the Dominican Republic’s system to keep track of all the boats coming in and out of any harbors. It may be a pain, but if you are going to visit the Dominican Republic by boat, just know this is how they do things!
Despachos are issued to Ports that have a clearing in/out facilities – aka “Puerto Habilitado”.
Despacho de la República Dominicana
As soon as you acquire your Despacho and declare your next port of entry, you have to leave between the hours of 6am and 6pm. (Hey, we said the noun meant a hasty message!)
Do You Have to Pay for A Dominican Republic Despacho?
It costs money to clear in your first time, but you shouldn’t have to pay for another Despacho after that. The Despacho is given by the Coast Guard. Some say there is no “official” cost for a Despacho, but it is customary to give them at least $15. The Office of Immigration will also stamp passports, and there is a set cost for this per person and per boat.
What if You Need to Stop In-Between?
You are only able to stop at anchorages between your current and next port of entry if you need to rest or wait for weather to pass. If you need to stop at one of these anchorages, expect a visit from the local Commodore(s) to check you out. If you tell them you will only be anchored for a few hours, you should be OK. It is advised to give them some pesos for doing their job. We also suggest staying on your boat.
Traveling Around the Dominican Republic
As we cruised around the Dominican Republic, we learned more about the Despacho system that way we could share this with you all. This process is pretty different to anything we have ever experienced before and it can get pretty confusing. If you have any questions or experiences as you cruise through the Dominican Republic, reach out to us!
Marinas to Check Out in the Dominican Republic:
- Cap Cana
- Marina Luperon
- Sans Souci
- Casa de Campo
- Club Nautico de Santo Domingo
- Boca Chica
- San Cristobal
- Montecristi
- Puerto Bahia
- Puerto Blanco
- Puerto Colon
- Punta Cana
- Puerto Plata
Hello!
What was your arrival experience regarding despachos/zarpes when you first get into the Dominican Republic?
We are in Spain where we would have to backtrack a solid couple of days (against the prevailing winds!) to get to a place that issues a despacho; normally in all of Spain no-one issues such a thing nor has heard about it.
But perhaps arriving into the D.R. w/o one is a no-no?