Dominican Republic to Require Venezuelan Nationals to Apply for a Visa to Enter the Country

The Dominican Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that as of December 16, 2019, Venezuelan nationals wishing to enter the Dominican Republic will be required to obtain a visa to travel to the Dominican Republic. The new measure establishing a tourist visa requirement for Venezuelan nationals is contained in Resolution 006-2019, signed by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas.

While the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the visa requirement applies to foreigners of all nationalities, the resolution will specifically impact Venezuelan nationals due to the ongoing economic and political crisis in Venezuela, coupled with the suspension of operations at the U.S. Embassy Caracas in early 2019. The U.S. Department of State's suspension of operations has forced Venezuelan nationals wishing to obtain a U.S. visa to travel outside of their country to other posts willing to accept third-country nationals.

Consequently, the U.S. Department of State has directed immigrant visa applicants to contact the U.S. Consulate in Bogota, Colombia, for further instruction and advised non-immigrant visa applicants that they may apply at any U.S. embassy or consulate in another country. As a result, many U.S. embassies and consulates outside of Venezuela have been inundated with cases.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Venezuelan nationals who hold diplomatic or official passports, and those who already hold a U.S., Schengen, Canadian or British visa, are exempt from this requirement.