​

What do I need to do, bring and be aware of?

 

Preparing for your Diving Vacation in Roatan!

 

Here are a few important things to remember and know :

​

Before you leave:

Passport:

The entry requirements are always basically the same.

A Valid, Undamaged Passport, valid for 6 Months beyond the entry date.

And a round-trip/onward ticket is required

​

Visas:

Honduras issues Tourist Visas upon arrival, and you can get up to 90 days upon arrival in the Country.

At the discretion of the Immigration Officer upon arrival in Honduras.

Ensure your Nationality allows you to enter Honduras without any additional requirements before booking your Flights.

The Maximum stay in Honduras is 120 Days, with good reason, and it's up to the Immigration Officer if they give you 90 days upon arrival.

Be polite and sincere, and ask for 90 days only if you need it. 

United Kingdom and Great Britain Citizens:
A visa is required for British citizens to enter Honduras. Bookings are required for the Application process at local Honduran Embassies Worldwide.

​

Pre-Flight Arrival Requirements:

HONDURAS CUSTOMS DECLARATION FORM MUST BE COMPLETED ELECTRONICALLY

In a move to a paperless environment,

The Honduran Customs Declaration Form must now be completed electronically.

Paper copies are no longer available or accepted. 
• Use the link - https://sisglobal.aduanas.gob.hn/Pech/#/plataforma/otra_gestiones/formularioDJRV

The internet at the airport is not working. Please ensure you complete it beforehand. 
• One form per family.
• Mandatory for both entering and leaving Honduras and completed within 5 days of your entry or departure. 
• Use the dropdown menu to select English or Spanish. 
• Have the electronic copy with the QR code available for the customs agent to scan. 

​

When was the last time you were diving?

Book a Refresher course with your local Dive Center, or book with us.

Has it been a while?

​

First Ocean Dive?:

Let us know if this is your first ocean dive or your first dive after certification.

New to diving? 

Please let us know.  This helps us with supervision.

​

Equipment:

Have you checked or had your Dive equipment serviced? 

Have you tried your new equipment yet?

Book a pool session at home before traveling.

​

Paperwork:

Where are your Certification Cards/eCards?

Do you have your Referral Course Paperwork/ Referral Card?

Signed and approved RSTC Medical Forms, and are they still valid if required? 

​

Insurance:

For Peace of Mind: We highly recommend that you purchase both Dive & Medical as well as Travel Insurance for any valuables to cover for the full duration of your Vacation.

We recommend that our Divers purchase travel insurance for cases where diving and/or courses cannot be rescheduled. And Dive accident insurance (such as Dive Assure & DAN - Divers Alert Network) is highly recommended before arriving in Roatan. And ask does the policy covers Hyperbaric Recompression, medical bills, lost dive equipment,

trip cancellation, repatriation, etc

​

​Vaccinations:

You're in the Tropic's so get those shots or update old ones!

Check what your Country recommends for Central America or Honduras in general when traveling to this area, new viruses/diseases are not uncommon, and Government websites are updated constantly.

It’s recommended that you update any vaccinations, such as Hep A+B – Tetanus – Typhoid, etc.

Ask your Doctor / Clinic for recommendations on traveling to the tropics.

South American citizens/residents or travelers must provide proof of vaccination against yellow fever. 

Please check with the Honduran Embassy for their specific requirements

​

Rainy Season: Mid-October to March:

We advise that you bring a raincoat and warmer clothes year-round, just in case.

Especially in our Rainy Season. Wind chill can make you cold.

Bad weather usually comes from the North or West of the Island ( West Bay, West End, and Sandy Bay side).

So we dive from our South Shore location in Dixon Cove. 

We have 2 Dive Centers, so we have a dry place to change and bathrooms at both of​

our Dive Centers.

​

​​Money:

The National Currency of Honduras is the Lempira, or abbreviated as Lp or L on prices.

The U.S. dollar is accepted, but it's NOT legal tender in Honduras.

Currently, the U.S $1 = Lp26.47 - 26:00 on average.

Local Businesses do not have to accept the dollar, and they do not need to use the Bank rates in transactions.

Rates vary between 25.00 to 26.00 Lempira to the U.S. dollar, but can vary.

The U.S $ Dollar is widely accepted, unless they are ripped, torn, or damaged, bills are usually NOT accepted

by the Honduran Banks, so businesses usually will also not accept damaged U.S $ Bills.

But be advised, the majority of the time, your change will be in the Honduran Lempira!

The Euro is only accepted by certain businesses.

​

Budget your vacation:

Think about what you would like to do whilst on vacation before you arrive.

Are there any Dive courses you'd like to take or specific dives or dive excursions you would like to go on?

Email for any offers we may have, or dives you would like to do, so you can budget for them before leaving home.  

​

​Financial Safety:

Our advice is purely that, advice. It's your money and yours only.

For the Safety of all our Divers, we advise that you pay by Credit  Card.

You can pay via Credit Card once hereafter a deposit for the safety of not having to carry too much cash around or hide.

We advise Divers to open a New Bank Account before leaving and obtain a New Credit/Debit Card for that Account and separate their main savings from this new account. This will ease the burden of any fraud if it happens. If you need more money for anything, you can transfer between your accounts, but have a specific travel account and Card separate from your main funds.

We are by no means saying that there are issues here, but we, too, live in the Real World and hope you have

a pleasant and enjoyable stay. 

In some countries, you can obtain a Prepaid Credit/Debit Card for traveling.

Bringing some cash is advisable for just a week or 2 weeks, but keep it safe! 

​

Paying in Honduras:

As a Legal Honduran Business, we have a US Dollar Bank account at our local Honduran Bank,

And we accept  US Dollar payments via our POS and Payment links online for your convenience.

​

For all Invoices/Receipts known as Facturas here, for all Factura Values of Lp10,000 or more

A copy of your Passport is required by Honduran Tax Law.
 
For Foreign Visitors and Tourists, our transactions may appear on statements 
as International Transactions. 

We accept: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal.
And we use BAC Credomatic POS payment systems as well as 
BAC Credomatic Compra Click, which is compatible with both Apple Pay and Google Pay.

​

In accordance with the Honduran Consumer Protection Laws:
We DO NOT add Transaction Fees to Credit Card payments on our end.
Or automatically add Tips or service Charges to your billing.

Local Taxes for Diving and Dive Courses, and Activities are currently 15%

​​

We prefer payment via Credit Card for safety and ease of payment.  

But many businesses and small vendors, cash is " King " here, but there should be no issue paying via

Credit/Debit Card in Honduras. When paying via Credit Card and the Business has a receiving Honduran Bank Account under the agreement from the Bank that issued the Credit Card Machine, the business has to pay the fee and not the consumer. 

So there should be NO Surcharge for paying via Credit Card, as it's a Business Fee to the Business and not a

Transaction Fee for the Consumer.

Local Tax is mandatory in all Countries! 

Taxes: Local Tax is 15% - Food, Scuba Diving, Dive Courses, and most Services, etc   

Hotel and Resort Tax is 19% - Rooms, etc

Alcohol Tax is 18% - Beer - Rum, etc  

But some will say otherwise.   

We DO NOT charge any Surcharge or Fee for paying via Credit Card once in Honduras! 

Many foreign-owned businesses accept PayPal and Venmo

​

​ATM's & Banks:

There are many ATM's around the Island, the most popular are at the Gas Stations and banks. 

Most Credit Cards are accepted, through Visa seems to be the easiest to access here.

Don't ask me why!

Banks are located in the main Town of Coxon Hole, area and West End, and French Harbour

And are open from 9 am to 4 pm Monday-Friday and 8.30 am - 12 pm on Saturdays.

Closed Sundays

At the Mall in French Harbour:

All the Banks open from 10 am until 6 pm and 10 am - 2 pm on Saturday's and some open on Sundays from 10 am till 2 pm. All have ATM's with 24-hour access usually.

​

Recommendations:

​What to bring : 

• Dive Equipment, checked whilst acking.

• Spares, save a dive kit

• UW Torch with charger and batteries

• GoPro or a Camera with a charger and batteries, and UW housings

• Certification Cards/eCards and Log Book, Course Paperwork

• An RSTC Dive Medical signed by your Doctor if required

• Swim Wear

• Raincoat, sweatshirt, long pants.

• Large Towels

• Colour Copy of your Passport 

• Any Personal required Medications from your Doctor

• New, undamaged U.S. bills

• Credit Cards ​

 

​

​​If Anything is missed here, shoot us an email. We'll be happy to answer any questions! 

​