Dominica
| General Information
General Info, Travel Info, & FAQs are provided to assist with your vacation.
ATMs Not all ATMs in the Caribbean operate like those in your home country. Some may only accept a four digit PIN number, so if yours is longer you may want to change it before your trip. Ensure you keep your travel money in your primary chequing account as some ATMs default to this account and will not allow you to choose another. Withdrawal fees are generally much higher outside your home country.
The main banks are FirstCaribbean International Bank (tel 767/448-2571), National Bank of Dominica (tel 767/448-4401), Royal Bank of Canada (tel 767/448-2771) and Scotiabank (tel 767/448-5800). ATMs are located at their branches and at various locations around the island. Generally they accept major credit cards (Visa and MasterCard) on the major networks, such as Cirrus/Maestro and Electron/Plus. They dispense Eastern Caribbean dollars.
BANKING AND BUSINESS HOURS Banks Mon-Thurs 8am-2/3pm Fri 8am-4/5pm
Post Office General post office: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm Smaller branches: Mon-Fri 3pm-5pm
CHURCHES/RELIGIONS Mostly Roman Catholic. Protestant, including Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostal, Seventh-day Adventist and Baptist, is also represented, as well as Berean Bible, Deliverance Baptiste, Qahal Yahweh and Jehovah's Witness.
CURRENCY AND CREDIT CARDS The local currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$ or XCD), which is divided into 100 cents. Paper money runs in denominations of EC$5, EC$10, EC$20, EC$50 and EC$100 bills, and coins in 1¢, 2¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ and EC$1 pieces. US dollars, British pounds and the euro are widely accepted. Most shops, hotels and restaurants accept American Express, MasterCard, Visa and traveller's cheques.
To ensure hassle-free purchases during your trip, you may want to contact your credit card company and let them know you will be travelling abroad.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS American Express: lost or stolen card, 336/393-1111 (call collect); lost or stolen cheques or cheque cards, 866/386 7455 Discover Card: 801/902-3100 MasterCard: 800-1561 Visa: 410/902-8022 (call collect) Western Union: Grand Bay Co-op Credit Union, 446-3500; Castle Bruce Credit Union, 446-0119; Marigot Credit Union, 445-7155; Southeastern Credit Union (La Plaine), 446-2068; Whitechurch (Portsmouth), 445-4331; H H V Whitechurch & Co (Roseau), 448-1665
DEPARTURE TAX A departure tax of EC$55 is payable in cash at the airport.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS A passport is preferred, however, American and Canadian citizens can also use proof of citizenship, such as an original birth certificate with raised seal, with official photo identification. All visitors must also have an onward or return ticket.
Nationals of other countries may require a visa. Consult your nearest Dominica consulate/embassy or the Ministry of Labour and Immigration at 767/448-7601.
Note: As of January 8, 2007, all persons travelling by air to the Caribbean, Mexico and Bermuda will require a valid passport, Air NEXUS card or US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document to enter and/or re-enter the United States in accordance with the US Government's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. For more information visit the US Government's Bureau of Consular Affairs website at www.travel.state.gov.
Some countries require single/lone parents or other adults travelling alone with children to provide documents showing evidence of parental/custodial and/or access rights, and/or documents authorizing consent from the parents, legal guardian, and/or the court for the children to travel. Parents of adopted children, particularly those of a different nationality, should carry the proper documents.
NEAREST FOREIGN REPRESENTATION British Honorary Consul: 255-2410, 235-5495 or 246/430-7800 (Barbados) High Commission of Canada: 246/429-3550 (Barbados), 888/949-9993 (toll free to Ottawa) US Embassy (Consular Section): 246/431-0225 (Barbados)
EXCHANGE RATES
As of October 26, 2006
US$
EC$/XCD
British pound sterling
1.87562
5.11106
Canadian dollar
0.88765
2.41885
European Union euro
1.25755
3.42682
Japanese yen
0.008390
0.02286
Swiss franc
0.79009
2.15299
US dollar
--
2.72500
HEALTH STANDARDS The main hospital is the Princess Margaret (tel 448-2231). There are smaller hospitals in Portsmouth (tel 445-5237), Marigot (tel 445-7091) and Grand Bay (tel 446-3706). There are also some private clinics. The nearest hyperbaric chamber is in Guadeloupe. Medical care is limited and serious cases require medical evacuation to the US. Medical facilities often require immediate cash payment. Your home medical program may not provide payment for medical services outside your home country. Obtaining adequate medical/travel insurance, including air ambulance coverage, and consulting a physician or travel medicine specialist six to eight weeks prior to your trip to determine health risks and necessary vaccinations is recommended.
There are a number of pharmacies on the island. Jolly's Pharmacy (tel 448-3388) at 12 King George V St in Roseau is open 24 hrs. New Charles Pharmacy (tel 448-3198) at the corner of Cross and Fields lanes has a 24-hr on-call service. Bulls Eye Pharmacy in Roseau (tel 449-8600) and Portsmouth (tel 445-3600) is open late.
For all emergencies dial 999.
ILLEGAL ITEMS There are harsh penalties for possession, use or trafficking in illegal drugs, and strict regulations for exporting or temporarily importing firearms, business equipment, food and beverages, paints and varnishes, chemicals and certain animal and plant specimens. It is illegal, even for children, to dress in camouflage clothing or to carry items made of camouflage materials.
For more information call Customs and Excise at 767/266-3700.
LANGUAGE The official language is English, but Creole or French patois is also widely spoken.
POSTAGE The general post office (tel 448-2601) is located on Bayfront in Roseau. It is open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm. The smaller branches in towns and villages are open Mon-Fri 3-5pm. Airmail to North America can take one to two weeks and to the UK, two to three weeks. Courier service is also available.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS Jan 1-2 New Year's Feb (varies) Carnival Mar/Apr (varies) Good Friday Mar/Apr (varies) Easter Monday May/Jun (varies) Whit Monday May (first Mon) Bank Holiday Aug (first Mon) August Monday Nov 3 Independence Day Nov 4 Community Service Day Dec 25 Christmas Day Dec 26 Boxing Day
SHOPPING HOURS Shops are generally open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm and Sat 8am-1pm, although some stay open until 6pm. They are usually closed on public holidays.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS The phone system on Dominica is modern and cellular and Internet services are available.
The country code is 767. Local phone numbers have seven digits. For local directory enquiries dial 411 and for the operator/international call bookings dial 0. For calls to the US and Canada dial 1 + area code + local number. For calls to other countries dial 011 + country code + area code + local number.
Cable & Wireless/C&W (tel 255-3133 or 800/804-2994) provides telecommunications services. In addition to pay phones that accept coins, C&W has a number of Smart Payphones located around the island that accept Pre-paid Calling Cards, credit cards and Smart Phone Cards. Insert Smart Phone Cards into the slot on the pay phone and dial the number you wish to call. The charge for your call is automatically debited from the phone card. Pre-paid Calling Cards can be used from any phone. If using a Pre-paid Calling Cards at a pay phone, do not insert the card into the slot. Dial the toll-free number on the back of the card and at the tone enter the card number, then follow the voice prompts to place your call. Both types of calling cards are available at C&W offices and through local agents around the island.
To use a C&W Pre-paid Calling Card or major credit card, dial the following based on your language preference and follow the voice prompts: English, 2000 French, 2001 German, 2002 Spanish, 2003 Italian, 2004
To use a major credit card you can also dial 1-800-744-7777. As well, you can dial 1-800 CALL USA to use US calling cards and major credit cards or to make collect calls.
For more information see the section in FAQs: Can I use my calling card from here?
C&W, AT&T/Cingular Wireless (tel 440-6688), Digicel (tel 616-3444) and Orange Dominica (tel 440-5000) provide cellular roaming services. Check with your service provider to see if they have a roaming agreement with one of these companies.
TEMPERATURES Temperatures vary between 70°F and 85°F during the day, but can be much cooler at night, especially in mountainous regions. The rainy season is July-Nov.
TIME ZONE The island is on Standard Time year round, which is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). During the summer the time is the same as on the east coast of North America and during the winter, the time is one hour ahead. Dominica does not observe daylight savings time.
Disclaimer: Information is provided as a service to visitors and is updated regularly. All
information should be verified prior to travel.
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GENERAL INFO
