Are there Duty free stores at the Punta Cana airport?

What items do they have?

  Is it worth buying in the Duty free, in the hotels shops or its surroundings?

As you may have noticed, the answer to the first question is: yes… There are Duty free shops at the airport in punta cana.

You can also buy local products at local prices in punta cana with our free shopping tour

But let’s break it down a bit and see the pros and cons.

Punta Cana International Airport

Has Duty Free stores or well-known as free zone stores, because they are “tax free” shops, these stores are located in all airport terminals and are operated by several international companies and brands, such as DUTY FREE AMERICAS or DFA among other local brands, which makes it easier for travelers to purchase both local and imported products.

The stores are distributed along terminals A and B, and in addition to the arrivals terminals.

These stores have a wide variety of products, which makes it almost impossible not to find something to buy.

International products are distributed throughout several stores or departments within the same store and these ranges from consumer electronics to jewelry stores

Famous brands of clothing and accessories, as well as the perfumery area.

The local products stores have crafts, paintings and sculptures typical of the Caribbean.

Jewelry made from the famous Larimar stone or pieces of fossilized amber.

Products such as Santo Domingo coffee and bottles of mama juana or Brugal, are very present

Duty Free punta cana stores at the arrival terminal

Yes … You can buy duty-free products upon arrival in Punta Cana

The Dominican Republic is one of the few exceptions, since you can buy duty-free products in the stores of the Punta Cana airport, both arrival and departure terminal

Limits at the arrival terminal

As everything in this life has its limits, you will also be limited in the quantities of products that you can buy at the arrivals terminal stores.

This is because these products are legally entering the country without paying taxes.

 Also those products if you plan to return with them when you leave the country, you must keep in mind that they must follow the same safety regulations as the other products that you will acquire during your stay in Punta Cana, because they have already left the controlled area

 

Duty Free punta cana stores at departure terminals

As soon as you have passed the security and migration checkpoints, you will have the facilities to find products in the different stores that are located in several points of the boarding terminals.

In both terminal A and terminal B you will find tax-free products, both national and international.

Limits at departure terminals

In these stores you will not have limits on the quantities you can buy, except for offers or promotions in which the store is limited to the quantities per customer

In addition, purchased items may be carried as part of hand luggage, if they comply with your airline regulations

However, travelers are advised to check with their local customs, restrictions and quantities per item that are allowed to enter their country of origin, especially in items such as Cigars and Rum.

Fines for exceeding the amounts legally allowed by your local customs, may make the purchase in Duty free not so useful

Product catalog

As I mentioned before Duty free Americas (DFA) and its allied stores, it has a fairly broad catalog of products.

They range from local products such as cigars, coffee, rum, mama juana and others.

Beauty products, cosmetics, perfumery, consumer electronics and more … in short, these stores become a kind of warehouse

Prices

  All prices are presented in US dollars (US $)

This is to facilitate the conversion calculation to your local currency, but you can also pay with other currencies or with your credit card.

Buy local products at local price in punta cana with our free shopping tour

Pros and cons of buying at duty free shops

Pros:

1. There is a wide variety of items.

2. You can take them in your carry-on luggage, without fear that your bottles will break.

3. The price is standard and you don’t have to fight with the seller for the price

cons:

  1. Prices, like the vast majority of stores in squares and shopping centers, pay very high rental costs and that makes tax-free prices not so tax free.
  2. Local products such as coffee, handmade cigars, mama juana and others. They can’t really be tax free because the product is leaving the country.
  3. Hand luggage: it can be a bit annoying to be carrying a few bottles of rum, plus your hand luggage, plus the luggage when you arrive at your destination. so you must have that earring

Recommendation

In my personal opinion, purchases in the Duty free are usually good on items that are not native, because if you buy those products in regular stores they are charged with taxes.

But the article of Dominican manufacture, those that are so typical and that in most case it is what we are looking for.  the mere mortals.

In short, they are much cheaper; some bottles of rum can be above USD 10 difference.

The Larimar jewelry, not to mention

These items are much cheaper and sometimes more handmade, if purchased at a local store.

You can get a free shopping tour from any hotel in Punta Cana, or shop at the hotel stores.

Recapitulation

In short, Punta Cana international airport, like many Dominican airports, has Duty free stores in all terminals.

Both: arrivals and departures.

You can pay practically with most currencies or with credit cards, but you will only get benefits if you buy items from international brands.

Local products, it is much better to buy it from where they come, the locals.

Take advantage of the free shopping tour or your hotel stores

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