Dominica tourist visa and visitor's visa

The government lists Commonwealth and CARICOM states, the United States and Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia for stays of up to six months. Another group, including Argentina, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, may stay up to three months. For nationals on neither list, any in-transit passenger or bona fide tourist who has a return ticket and satisfies the immigration officer that they will not stay longer than 21 days needs no visa, and passengers on tourist vessels are also exempt.

Every visitor, with or without a visa, needs a valid passport, a valid return ticket, sufficient funds for the intended stay and a local address. The immigration officer at the port of entry decides on admission and on the time granted, and a visa does not by itself guarantee entry: the official visa form states that a visa holder found inadmissible can still be refused at the port.

A visitor's visa is applied for on the Commonwealth of Dominica visa application form published by the Ministry of National Security. Submit it with a valid passport and two recent passport photos, a bank statement from your bank or from the sponsor who invites you, a medical certificate, an employment letter or proof of self-employment, an invitation letter from the sponsor and marriage or birth certificates where applicable. Everything must be in English or translated, the applicant's signature must be notarised or sworn before a Commissioner of Oaths whose full contact details are given, and copies must be notarised or endorsed by certified translators.

The application fee is EC$200, paid at the Treasury Department in Roseau. The document list on the ministry's visa form gives the same fee as a bank draft of US$75 (EC$200) payable to the Accountant General, which suits applicants paying from abroad. Enquiries go to the Ministry of National Security, 3rd Floor, Financial Centre, Kennedy Avenue, Roseau, telephone (767) 266 3354.

Apply before the time granted at the port of entry expires, in person and at an interview with the Inspector-in-Charge of Immigration at the Passport and Immigration Department, Police Headquarters, Bath Road, Roseau (telephone (767) 266 5159). Bring a valid passport, a return ticket, evidence of sufficient funds and a local address. After the interview, non-CARICOM nationals pay EC$50 for less than one month or EC$100 for one to three months at the Treasury (CARICOM nationals EC$25 or EC$50) and attach the receipt.

Neither visa-free entry nor a visitor's visa allows employment. Work requires a work permit approved by the minister responsible for labour, and people who intend to settle apply for a residence permit; both applications require the applicant to hold a recorded extension of stay while they are processed.