Punta Cana Airport To Get Immigration Preclearance

Punta Cana International Airport. Photo: Hans Buch.

Another Caribbean airport is getting immigration preclearance facilities.

U.S. Customs will add preclearance facilities at Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic by 2017.  It will be the fourth Caribbean destination to get the facilities after Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Aruba.

According to Punta’s Cana vice minister of tourism Radames Martinez Aponte, who made the announcement at the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange this week, 66% of the 5.6 million Dominican Republic Visitors in 2016 came through Punta Cana International Airport.

Aponte also said that American tourists make up the highest percentage of visitors to the Dominican Republic.

Preclearance allows travelers to complete immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections before departure at foreign airports. Overall, U.S. Customs offers the program in 15 foreign airports in six countries.