Arriving at SDQ: immigration, luggage and finding your transfer

Before you fly: save the details offline

Check that the arrival airport on your ticket is SDQ, Las Américas. A booking described simply as 'Santo Domingo airport' can create confusion with La Isabela, code JBQ. Send the arriving flight number, travel date and final accommodation address to dispatch. For an overnight flight, use the local arrival date shown on the ticket, not automatically the departure date.

Save the written transfer confirmation, contact number, agreed price and accommodation address as screenshots. Keep the name used on the pickup sign accessible. If travelling as a family, one adult should have these details on a second phone. Complete the official entry paperwork applicable to your journey and save its confirmation before leaving reliable internet access.

Immigration, baggage and customs

Follow the signs and staff instructions for your arriving flight. Keep your passport and required entry documents ready; a transfer reservation does not replace immigration documents. If you need airport assistance, arrange it through your airline before travel and explain any onward vehicle requirements separately to dispatch.

Collect all checked bags before leaving baggage reclaim. If a bag is missing, speak to the airline's baggage-service desk and obtain its report or reference before leaving the controlled area. Message dispatch that you are delayed and still inside. Customs checks and queue lengths vary; avoid treating a published 'minutes to curb' estimate as a promise.

Missing Baggage at SDQ: What to Do Before Your Airport Transfer

Meet and verify your driver

Our booked pickup uses a name sign in the arrivals area after customs. Follow the meeting instructions in your confirmation rather than assuming an exit number or a curb position from an old photograph. Airport operating arrangements can change. A person knowing your name is not, by itself, proof that they are your assigned driver.

Before handing over bags, confirm the booking name and destination, and compare driver or vehicle details with the information supplied by dispatch. If someone says your driver has changed, verify that in the existing booking conversation. Stay in the public terminal area while resolving a mismatch instead of following an unverified person to a vehicle.

If you cannot connect or cannot find the sign

Use your saved confirmation to find the contact number. If you can place a call, call the number on that confirmation; if not, ask an official information desk about available connectivity or help contacting your transport provider. Do not post your passport, full flight itinerary or booking details publicly to find a driver.

When you reach dispatch, send your name, flight number and a clear description of where you are. Say whether you have all your bags. A short message such as 'outside customs, beside the information sign, blue suitcase' is more useful than 'I am at the airport'. Wait for a confirmed meeting instruction before moving to another pickup area.

Before the vehicle leaves

Check the destination, passengers, bags and any requested child seats. Our published one-way VIP prices include $55 to Boca Chica and $79 to Zona Colonial, per vehicle within the stated capacity. The written confirmation should identify the correct zone and any agreed extras.

For a villa or apartment, have the building name, map pin and gate-access contact ready. On a longer journey, agree any essential stop before departure. Keep the return-flight details separate from the arrival booking so the departure pickup date and time cannot be confused.

Landing Early at SDQ? Plan Your Hotel Arrival Before Check-In