Question for Dominicans travelers

[simpson Homer]

Hola Amig@s!

Please I would like to know how thing work in DR airports when you arrives specially passing Custom with your personal items and electronics thing as a VCR or DVD, CD player or Computer also some gift clothes, shampoo, shoes, perfume.

My question are:

Do you get a receive or they just make you pay whatever they want?

Do they have a book where it's the real price that people have to pay?

The reason I'm asking is because since I came to Canada I haven't been back and I am planning to go back in March or April 2005. I know they don't play around with tourist but in this case I'm not a Tourist and I am not willing to give away personal thing or money that I don't have to pay.

Thanks,

Homer Simpson

[stallion]

Originally Posted by simpson Homer

Hola Amig@s!

Please I would like to know how thing work in DR airports when you arrives specially passing Custom with your personal items and electronics thing as a VCR or DVD, CD player or Computer also some gift clothes, shampoo, shoes, perfume.

My question are:

Do you get a receive or they just make you pay whatever they want?

Do they have a book where it's the real price that people have to pay?

The reason I'm asking is because since I came to Canada I haven't been back and I am planning to go back in March or April 2005. I know they don't play around with tourist but in this case I'm not a Tourist and I am not willing to give away personal thing or money that I don't have to pay.

Thanks,

Homer Simpson

From my experiences, I did not have to pay duty on VCR,shampoo and perfumes. And for clothing take off the price tags, if not they will charge you with duty and they think you are selling them. They actually have a pricing list of the duty they can charge you. Good luck.

[bob saunders]

What my wife(dominicana) and i did: All electronic stuff in my luggage. We've never had a problem so far.

[stallion]

Originally Posted by bob saunders

What my wife(dominicana) and i did: All electronic stuff in my luggage. We've never had a problem so far.

With the way baggage are handled. I had my computer broken in my luggage. $900 gone down the drain. So depending how expensive the item is, is sometimes to pay a bribe or duty.

[tiguerita]

I brought a DVD player in from Miami and I have dominican residency... they took it (confiscated it) because it is a luxury item that has duty on it.

The duty office was closed... (because we came in late at night) I had to return there twice...

Once to find out the price and then later to pay out of sheer frustration!

They have a department downstairs... If you don't have a bill... they check the internet and base the duty on the highest price... luxury tax was huge... almost 80% of what I paid. Everyone I know "knew someone" who was going to help me but in the end no one did.... I paid the tax just so as not to leave it there.

My mistake was: I said I had residency and showed my cedula. Had I played the tourist card and said I was bringing it in for my personal use on my vacation because my hotel did not provide them... I think things would have gone better.

Again this was just about 1 year ago. So maybe rules have changed.

[stallion]

Originally Posted by tiguerita

I brought a DVD player in from Miami and I have dominican residency... they took it (confiscated it) because it is a luxury item that has duty on it.

The duty office was closed... (because we came in late at night) I had to return there twice...

Once to find out the price and then later to pay out of sheer frustration!

They have a department downstairs... If you don't have a bill... they check the internet and base the duty on the highest price... luxury tax was huge... almost 80% of what I paid. Everyone I know "knew someone" who was going to help me but in the end no one did.... I paid the tax just so as not to leave it there.

My mistake was: I said I had residency and showed my cedula. Had I played the tourist card and said I was bringing it in for my personal use on my vacation because my hotel did not provide them... I think things would have gone better.

Again this was just about 1 year ago. So maybe rules have changed.

From My experiences locals always get hit hard, as tourists slip by with out searches. I mean everytime I fly with the canadian charter airlines i never get searched unless i have excess baggage or boxes.

[bailarin]

Well the past two times my Dominican husband has returned home he just pays off one of the guys a couple of extra dollars-ie bribe, to avoid any further hassle!!! He's never had a problem and in the end that's what they really want.

[TCIDR]

i NEVER had a problem. The guys are more interested in asking me for propina (tips). They usually say give 5 dollars then i wouldn't check you bag. I'd say I don't care if you check it. I assume then they don't know what the hell I am saying then they usually let me go.
One time I flat out say "NO", then the guy let me go.....I assume he wanted to get on to the next passenger since i wasn't going to give him anything.
But there was a time this guy was really cool, so he ask me to buy him a beer. So I said ok. Then he send someone outside to get the beer for him, except that he said he can't drink at work so give him the money he will get it later. I ended up dishing out 10 buck for the guy and his buddy. I laughed it off because it was so smooth