--- title: "Dominican Republic Airport Smoking Areas" canonical: "https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/" language: "en-us" description: "Smoking at Dominican airports. Punta Cana (PUJ) has open-air smoking spots airside; Santo Domingo (SDQ) keeps indoor smoking rooms airside near the A gates." lastmod: "2026-10-24T00:00:00Z" --- # Dominican Republic Airport Smoking Areas The Dominican Republic is unusually smoker-friendly at its biggest tourist gateway, partly thanks to architecture: Punta Cana’s terminals are open-air, palapa-style (thatched-roof) structures, so smoking happens at open-air spots airside rather than in sealed lounges. DR law also explicitly permits designated airport smoking areas. ## Dominican Republic Airports Compared: Before and After Security Before security, you can always smoke outside: at a designated smoking area where there is one, or outside the airport property, beyond the terminal kerb and car parks. After security, Yes means there is a smoking area past security and a dash means none is listed. Each airport’s page has the details. | Airport | Before security | After security | | --- | --- | --- | | [Puerto Plata (POP)](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/pop-smoking-at-puerto-plata-airport/) | Yes | – | | [Punta Cana (PUJ)](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/puj-smoking-at-punta-cana-airport/) | Yes | Yes | | [Santiago (STI)](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/sti-smoking-at-santiago-cibao-airport/) | Yes | – | | [Santo Domingo (SDQ)](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/sdq-smoking-at-santo-domingo-airport/) | Yes | Yes | For international travel through the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana (PUJ) is the busiest gateway; Santo Domingo (SDQ) is the capital’s airport, and it too keeps airside smoking options. ## How Dominican Airport Smoking Works The Dominican Republic’s tobacco law bans indoor public smoking and explicitly permits designated airport smoking areas: - **Open-air airside smoking spots** at Punta Cana (its terminals are open-air, so no enclosed indoor room) - **Enclosed indoor smoking rooms airside** at Santo Domingo, near the A gates, plus a Sala Caribe lounge smoking room - **Outdoor** smoking landside - **Vaping** is not clearly regulated; travellers describe it as tolerated in the same open-air spots - Vape devices must travel in carry-on, never checked ## The Hub **[Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ)](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/puj-smoking-at-punta-cana-airport/).** The country’s busiest airport and a major resort gateway, known for its open-air thatched terminals. Travellers describe airside open-air smoking areas in both terminals: in Terminal B between gates 25 and 26 and above Gate B32, and in Terminal A near gates A8 and A16 and around the food court, with the VIP lounges in each terminal adding their own open-air spots. Exact positions shift — ask staff. **[Las Américas International Airport (SDQ)](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/sdq-smoking-at-santo-domingo-airport/).** The capital’s Aerodom-operated gateway takes the opposite approach to Punta Cana: conventional air-conditioned terminals with enclosed indoor smoking rooms airside near the A gates — travellers describe a Camel-sponsored room and a tapas-bar room — plus a smoking room in the 24-hour Sala Caribe lounge and outdoor areas landside. **[Cibao International Airport (STI)](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/sti-smoking-at-santiago-cibao-airport/).** Santiago’s airport and the country’s second-busiest. Smoking at Cibao is outdoors, landside only — both of its lounges, Sala Zafiro and the Turquesa Lounge, explicitly rule out smoking, and no airside facility is published. **[Gregorio Luperón International Airport (POP)](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/dominican-republic/pop-smoking-at-puerto-plata-airport/).** The gateway for the north-coast resorts around Puerto Plata, Sosúa and Cabarete. Smoking at Puerto Plata is outdoors, landside — the airside Sala Ambar lounge is explicitly no-smoking, and the airport does not list whether the landside Larimar Lounge has a smoking area, so ask lounge staff before paying for entry. ## Tips for Smokers at Dominican Airports - Punta Cana’s open-air terminals mean you can smoke at open-air spots airside — handy for a resort departure - Look for the Terminal B area between gates 25 and 26, or the Terminal A spots near gates A8 and A16 and the food court - Carry vape devices in your hand luggage, never checked - Exact smoking spots move around — ask an airport employee ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can you smoke at Punta Cana Airport (PUJ)? Yes — Punta Cana’s open-air, thatched-roof (palapa) terminals have designated open-air smoking spots after security, so you can smoke airside. There is no enclosed indoor smoking room (the terminals are open-air), and the Dominican Republic’s law explicitly permits designated airport smoking areas. ### Where can I smoke at Punta Cana Airport (PUJ)? In Terminal B, travellers describe a spacious open-air area with tables and chairs between gates 25 and 26, another spot above Gate B32, and an outdoor balcony in the Terminal B VIP Lounge. In Terminal A the described spots are near Gate A8, near Gate A16 and around the food court, plus the Terminal A VIP Lounge’s own open-air area. Because the terminals are open-air, smoking is at open-air points rather than sealed lounges — ask staff, as exact spots shift. ### Are e-cigarettes and vapes allowed at Dominican airports? Yes — travellers describe vaping as tolerated in the same open-air smoking areas; Dominican law doesn’t clearly regulate it. Vape devices must travel in carry-on, never checked baggage. ### Is there smoking after security at Dominican airports? At both main airports, yes — Punta Cana’s open-air airside spots sit after security, and Santo Domingo (SDQ) keeps enclosed indoor smoking rooms airside near the A gates, plus a smoking room in the Sala Caribe lounge. DR law explicitly permits designated airport smoking areas. ### Does the Dominican Republic allow airport smoking areas? Yes — the Dominican Republic’s tobacco control law explicitly permits designated smoking areas in airports; indoor public smoking outside them is banned.