Traveling to the Dominican Republic With Children
Traveling internationally with a child for the first time sounds like a lot. Between the paperwork, the airport process, and everything else on your mind before a trip, it’s easy to imagine it being more complicated than it actually is. Families travel to the Dominican Republic every day, and the arrival process is the same routine entry that every other traveler goes through — just with smaller passengers. This page covers what parents actually need so there are no surprises at the airport.
In This Guide
Every Child Needs Their Own Passport
Every traveler entering the Dominican Republic needs a passport — including infants and toddlers. A birth certificate alone is not accepted for international travel, regardless of the child’s age. Immigration uses the passport to confirm identity when entering and leaving the country.
If your child doesn’t have a passport yet, apply as early as possible. Processing times can run several weeks to months depending on the season. The passport only needs to be valid for the duration of your stay — but some airlines have their own boarding policies, so it’s worth making sure the passport isn’t expiring close to your return date.
The E-Ticket for Families
Every visitor needs an e-ticket record, including children. The good news is that you don’t need to fill out a completely separate form for each child — family members can be added within the same application when it asks for additional passengers.
Family limit: You can add up to six additional family members to a single family application — seven travelers total on one QR code.
When you finish, you’ll receive a QR code for entry and a separate one for exit. Save or screenshot both the same way you would for yourself. If you created a travel folder in your photos app, add the family QR codes there alongside everything else.
For a full walkthrough of the form itself, the e-ticket guide covers every step. Dominican Republic E-Ticket Guide →
Traveling With Only One Parent
This is the part that worries single parents the most, and it’s worth understanding clearly.
The Dominican Republic does not typically require a notarized permission letter when one parent travels with a child. However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection may ask questions when you return home, and airlines occasionally ask as well. Because of that, it’s strongly recommended that the traveling parent carry a simple consent letter signed by the non-traveling parent.
That’s true for children visiting on a foreign passport without Dominican residency. If your child is a Dominican citizen or holds Dominican residency, a separate exit requirement applies — see Departure Authorization for DR-National Kids below.
The letter doesn’t need to be formal or notarized to be useful. It just needs to clearly state the child’s full name, both parents’ full names, the travel dates, the destination, and a statement giving permission for the child to travel with the named parent.
To Whom It May Concern,
I, [Non-Traveling Parent Full Name], give my full consent for our child, [Child’s Full Name], date of birth [MM/DD/YYYY], to travel internationally to the Dominican Republic with [Traveling Parent Full Name] from [Departure Date] to [Return Date].
If Your Child Holds Dominican Citizenship or Residency
The consent letter above covers the situation most parents picture: a foreign passport, one parent traveling, and a straightforward question at U.S. Customs on the way home. If your child is a Dominican citizen, or holds Dominican residency, there’s a separate requirement on the way out of the country — and it’s easy to miss because it never comes up on arrival at all.
Dominican migration law requires a Permiso de Salida de Menor (PSM) before a Dominican or resident minor can leave the country without both parents present. It isn’t the same as the consent letter above. That one is about satisfying U.S. questions on your way home. This one comes from the Dominican side, and it’s checked at departure, not entry.
Most families never run into this. If both parents are traveling together, or your child is a foreign national with no Dominican nationality or residency, the consent letter above is almost certainly all you need. Where it applies is when a Dominican-national or DR-resident child is leaving with only one parent, a grandparent, or anyone other than both parents together.
Because this affects the trip home specifically, it’s the kind of thing that gets remembered at the ticket counter instead of two weeks earlier, when there was still time to do something about it. If there’s any chance it applies to your family, start the process well before you travel — the standard permit takes about 24 business hours before an in-person pickup, plus up to 48 more to process, though a newer digital option can be faster for the most common case.
Full walkthrough of the PSM process →
Traveling as an Unaccompanied Minor
If your child is flying alone — visiting family in the Dominican Republic without a parent — airlines classify them as an unaccompanied minor (UM) and require extra paperwork, a fee, and supervision at both ends of the trip. Age ranges, connection rules, and fees vary by airline, so it’s worth checking the specific policy before booking.
Airline Comparison for Unaccompanied Minors
| Airline | Mandatory UM Ages | Flight Restrictions | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 5–14 (15–17 optional) | Nonstop only ages 5–7. Connecting allowed ages 8–14, but only through these hub airports: CLT, DCA, DFW, JFK, LGA, LAX, MIA, ORD, PHL, PHX | $150 each way, covers siblings on same booking |
| Delta Air Lines | 5–14 (15–17 optional) | Nonstop only ages 5–7. Connecting allowed ages 8–14 | $150 each way, covers up to 4 children |
| JetBlue | 5–13 (14–17 optional) | Nonstop only, all ages. Max 3 unaccompanied minors per flight | $150 per child each way |
| United Airlines | 5–14 (15–17 optional) | Nonstop only, all ages | $150 each way — fee coverage for multiple children varies; confirm current details on United’s Unaccompanied Minor page before booking |
Fees and age rules change — always confirm current unaccompanied minor policy directly with the airline before booking.
Pre-Flight Checklist
- Valid passport for every traveling child
- E-Ticket QR code saved to your phone and printed as a backup
- Signed consent letter, with a copy of the non-traveling parent’s ID, if only one parent is traveling
- Pickup person’s full legal name confirmed and shared with the airline if applicable
Once you land, the next steps are getting from SDQ to where you’re staying and getting your phone connected — see Getting From SDQ to Your Destination and Using Your Phone in the DR for the details.
For Younger Travelers
If you’re preparing a child for their first flight, these illustrated storybooks walk them through the journey: Yarina’s Big Island Welcome, Sofia’s Other Shore, and Jaida’s Journey to Yamasá.