Dominican Republic: Update to Response to Information Request DOM4839 of 10 April 1989 on whether it is an offence for citizens to leave the country without the permission of the authorities and any penalties involved
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | DOM18335.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Dominican Republic: Update to Response to Information Request DOM4839 of 10 April 1989 on whether it is an offence for citizens to leave the country without the permission of the authorities and any penalties involved, 1 September 1994, DOM18335.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac924.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A staff member of the embassy of the Dominican Republic in Washington, DC stated that Dominican citizens do not need permits or exit visas from the authorities in order to leave the country (2 Sept. 1994). However, a person who illegally exits the country while he or she is wanted under the law faces a legal penalty for the offence (ibid.).
According to Country Reports 1993, which is currently available at your Regional Documentation Centre, citizens of the Dominican Republic do not face "unusual legal restrictions on travel within or outside the country" (1994, 422). However, Critique states that it is "difficult for Dominican-born persons of Haitian origin to get Dominican documentation" (1993, 92). For details on the circumstances of Dominicans of Haitian origin or ancestry, please refer to this document and to the Americas Watch report entitled A Troubled Year: Haitians in the Dominican Republic (1992), which are currently available at your Regional Documentation Centre. The embassy staff member was unable to provide information concerning the situation of Dominican-born persons of Haitian origin or ancestry (2 Sept. 1994).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. 1993. Critique: Review of the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1992. 1993. New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993. 1994. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Embassy of the Dominican Republic, Washington, DC. 2 September 1994. Telephone interview with staff member.
