The only Dominican metro, the conchos, and homologating a foreign licence

Step-by-step

1. 1

   Buy a Metro card and learn the two lines

   Line 1 runs north–south from Villa Mella to the Centro de los Héroes; Line 2 runs east–west across the city with a western extension toward Los Alcarrizos; the Teleférico crosses the Ozama valley from Gualey to Sabana Perdida. The reloadable card costs RD$60 with a minimum RD$20 recharge, so RD$80 to walk out with a usable card, and a 24-hour Metro-plus-Teleférico pass is RD$80.

   In personWho: You, at any station ticket office10 minutesRD$80 to start; RD$20 per Metro trip
2. 2

   Use the integrated fare instead of paying twice

   Since July 2026 a Metro trip plus a connection to the Teleférico, an OMSA bus or a bus corridor within 90 minutes is capped at RD$35 — RD$20 for the Metro and RD$15 for the connection. Before the change the same journey cost around RD$55 in separate fares. It only works if you tap the same card for both legs.

   In personWho: YouImmediateRD$35 maximum for a connected journey
3. 3

   Install Uber, and treat conchos and motoconchos as local knowledge

   Uber is the default for a newcomer and covers the Distrito Nacional and most of Santo Domingo Este well; a crosstown trip runs roughly RD$250–600 and Las Américas airport RD$1,500–2,500. Conchos are shared cars running fixed corridors for a flat fare of a few tens of pesos — cheap, crowded, and worth learning once you know your route. Motoconchos are faster and cheaper again, and are how most of the city moves; if you use them, buy your own helmet.

   Mobile appWho: YouMinutes to installRD$250–600 across town by app; RD$25–50 in a concho
4. 4

   Homologate the foreign licence through INTRANT

   INTRANT exchanges a valid foreign licence for a Dominican one. The unusual requirement is the embassy or consular certification: your own country's mission in the Dominican Republic has to certify that the licence is valid and state its category, and that certification then needs the apostille from MIREX. Bring the original licence plus a copy, your residency or cédula, your passport, and the payment receipt. Applications and payment go through INTRANT's virtual office.

   In personWho: You, at INTRANT with your embassy's certificationDays once the embassy certification is in hand; the certification itself is the slow partINTRANT's published licence tariff, in the low thousands of pesos
5. 5

   If you buy a car, price the running costs before the car

   Compulsory third-party insurance, the annual marbete (vehicle tax sticker) and the fuel bill are the recurring items, and fuel prices are reset weekly by the Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Mipymes rather than by the stations. Second-hand prices are high because most vehicles are imported. Traffic in the Distrito Nacional at peak is severe and parking in Piantini and Naco is genuinely scarce.

   In personWho: YouOngoing
6. 6

   Adjust to how the roads actually work

   Lane discipline is advisory, motorbikes filter from every direction including against the flow, and a green light does not mean the intersection is clear. Drive slowly, leave a gap, and expect to be overtaken on the inside. Outside the cities, avoid driving at night: unlit vehicles, animals and unmarked roadworks are the standing reason.

   In personWho: YouOngoing