Punta Cana International Airport, known by its code PUJ, is where most visitors to the east coast of the Dominican Republic land. It is an unusual airport: open sided terminals under thatched roofs, and part of the walk from the aircraft happens outdoors. It is also busy, and the first hour of a trip depends a great deal on how well it is prepared.
Before you fly: the e-Ticket entry form and QR code
Every traveller entering or leaving the Dominican Republic must complete the e-Ticket, the country's electronic entry and exit form. It combines immigration, customs and health information in one document.
- It is free. The only official site is eticket.migracion.gob.do. Other sites charge for the same form.
- It is completed once for arrival and once for departure.
- One form can cover a family or a group travelling together, and it generates a QR code.
- Airlines may ask for the QR code at check in, and immigration asks for it on arrival. Keep a screenshot on your phone.
The tourist card that visitors used to buy on arrival has been included in the price of most airline tickets since 2018, so there is nothing to pay at the airport.
Passports and length of stay
For visitors from the United States, the US Department of State advises that passports be valid for six months from the date of arrival. A visa is not needed for a tourist stay of up to 30 days. Canadian travellers should check the Government of Canada's advice at travel.gc.ca. It currently states that a passport valid for the length of the stay is accepted for tourism, a tolerance announced until the end of 2026. European travellers should check with their own foreign ministry.
Landing: immigration, baggage, customs
After landing you pass immigration, collect your luggage and go through customs. In a quiet period that takes about twenty minutes. When several wide body aircraft from the United States and Europe arrive within the same hour, which happens most afternoons in high season, it can take well over an hour.
This is where a VIP meet and greet changes the day. Someone joins you as you come off the aircraft, before immigration rather than after it, walks you through the process and stays with you until your luggage is in the car. With children, with older travellers, or with a group arriving on different flights, it is the single change that makes the largest difference.
Outside the terminal
Taxis wait outside the terminal, but fares are agreed on the spot, larger groups often do not fit in one vehicle, and after a long flight a queue is not where anyone wants to start. A transfer booked in advance means a driver who has tracked your flight, a vehicle sized for your luggage, and no negotiation. We explain how ours work on the page on airport VIP transfers.
How long is the drive?
From PUJ, by road:
- Cap Cana: about fifteen minutes
- Bavaro: twenty to thirty minutes
- Uvero Alto: close to an hour
- La Romana and Casa de Campo: around an hour
Plan the first evening around the real numbers
The most common mistake is booking dinner too close to landing. A flight that touches down at 6 pm will rarely have you at a table before 8:30 pm once immigration, baggage and the drive are counted. If the first evening matters, we plan it backwards from the arrival time, and a restaurant reservation is made with that margin built in.
Leaving Punta Cana
Complete the departure e-Ticket before you go to the airport. Airlines ask for three hours before international flights out of PUJ, and in high season that advice is worth following. We time the pickup from your check in and from the traffic expected that morning, not from a fixed rule.
