Dominican Republic and sockets. Do I need a socket adapter?

Electricity Dominican Republic – what is it like? Do I need a socket adapter in the Dominican Republic? I invite you to read the guide in which you will learn the most important information about electricity, adapters and how to pack for the Dominican Republic.

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Before traveling to the Dominican Republic, it is worth preparing in advance to maximize your time to relax in this beautiful place. I’m sure most of you, including me, allocate some of your luggage for equipment – a smartphone, a laptop or maybe equipment for vlogging and taking photos. Therefore, do not forget about socket adapters that will allow you to charge your electronic equipment.

Contents

• Dominican Republic Travel Adapter – Do I need a travel adapter?
• Which travel adapter you can use in the Dominican Republic?
• Dominican Republic travel adapter. Which travel adapter to the Dominican Republic should I choose?
• Dominican Republic hotel sockets – what sockets are there in hotels in the Dominican Republic?
• How to charge your phone in the Dominican Republic?
• What is the voltage in the Dominican Republic?
• Power outages
• Price for electricity in apartments for long and short stays

Dominican Republic Travel Adapter – Do I need a travel adapter?

Dominican electrical sockets are the same as those in the United States. The contacts have inputs for two flat pins, sometimes two flat pins and ground. If your equipment has a plug other than the American type, you will need a socket adapter.

In some places in the Dominican Republic, for example in new apartments and hotels, there are sockets adapted to both European and American plugs. To tell you the truth, I have only encountered such a solution once, there are also contacts and charging stations connected to the clock adapted to USB cables.

Nevertheless, I recommend purchasing at least one travel adapter so as not to worry about the charging status of your equipment on your dream vacation.

Which travel adapter you can use in the Dominican Republic?

Depending on what plug you have, you should get an adapter with a place for a European plug (if your equipment has such a tip) and a two-pin output.

Dominican Republic travel adapter. Which travel adapter to the Dominican Republic should I choose?

When buying a travel adapter for the Dominican Republic, it is worth considering buying a universal adapter that you can also use during other trips. A great solution are adapters that have, in addition to the classic input, USB, USB B and C inputs. Additionally, they have various plugs adapted to different countries – the United States, Great Britain, China.

Dominican Republic travel adapter: here you can buy an adapter that you will use on your vacation in the Dominican Republic (and in other countries).

Dominican Republic hotel sockets – what sockets are there in hotels in the Dominican Republic?

As I have already mentioned, most hotels use American sockets as standard, which do not support European plugs. Charging stations with USB ports may appear in some places, but for now this is not a standard.

How to charge your phone in the Dominican Republic?

Dominican Republic phone charging – what does this matter look like? In most cases, you should have no problem charging your phone in the Dominican Republic. However, it is worth remembering that when traveling from one place in the country to another, it will not always be possible to charge your smartphone along the way. The newest long-distance buses have USB ports for charging your phone, but this is not standard. Unfortunately, I only had the pleasure of traveling by such a bus once. For this reason, I also recommend purchasing a power bank, which has saved me on many trips.

What is the voltage in the Dominican Republic?

In the Dominican Republic, the voltage is different from in European countries. Standard electrical outlets in the Dominican Republic operate at 110 volts at 60 Hz. The European standard is 220-240 V, so it is worth finding out whether your equipment will support lower voltage. In general, charging a smartphone is not a major problem, in some cases the charging time will simply be longer. A bigger problem, for example, is hairstyling equipment. Many women will certainly want to take their favorite hair dryer, curling iron or straightener with them, but the equipment may turn out to be too energy-consuming and, unfortunately, it will not work as well as in Europe. Unfortunately, straighteners often do not heat up, and dryers only operate at the lowest speed. I recommend finding out whether the equipment will operate at a lower voltage, otherwise it is not worth taking equipment with you that you will not use. Most hotels provide a hairdryer in the room.

Power outages

Since the Dominican Republic is still a Third World country, electricity is not reliable. Most large hotels have their own power plant that provides electricity to the entire resort. However, if you do not plan to stay in hotels and want to work while traveling, be sure to find out whether the apartment/house you want to rent has an inverter that will provide you with electricity at any time. Unfortunately, in many places an inverter is not standard, and power outages can sometimes last to several hours. In some situations, such as bad weather, hurricanes (see the entry about the weather in the Dominican Republic), electricity may be out for up to weeks.

Price for electricity in apartments for long and short stays

If you rent apartments or houses in the Dominican Republic on your own, you may find information that you have to pay separately for the electricity you use during your stay. This happens for two main reasons: electricity in the Dominican Republic is quite expensive, and some apartment owners lower the price of the apartment to encourage people to book it, and then increase the price of electricity. The truth is that I encounter this situation more and more often in tourist places. I used to see it only in Punta Cana, but now I see such advertisements in most places visited by tourists. The worst thing is that electricity prices for tourists are often much higher than in reality. Unfortunately, I was once cheated in this way and had to pay USD 300 for electricity. The electricity tariff in the Dominican Republic depends on average consumption, but it is in the range of 5 – 12 DOP (0,085 – 0,2 USD) per kW. In this matter, I can recommend you to carefully read the offers, e.g. on Airbnb (or other places), ask the owner about this issue and verify the price per kilowatt.

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If you decide to rent an apartment with electricity paid separately, be sure to take a photo of the meter on the day of check-in so that at the end of your stay you can verify the actual amount of electricity used.

— TravelOverSky.com advises

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I also recommend that you remember to turn off the air conditioning when leaving your accommodation – you will take care of the environment, and you will not pay for electricity that you “did not use”

To sum up, I recommend getting a good adapter or travel adapter to the Dominican Republic, verifying whether you will have access to an inverter in the rented apartment and… enjoy your holiday in the beautiful Dominican Republic!

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In the Dominicana tab you can find more useful information and recommendations about this country.

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I love sharing my travels, experiences, thoughts and self-tested advices. A travel blog is also a bit of work that I do drinking coffee.

If you want to buy me a coffee, I’d be very pleased!