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The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo informs U.S. citizens visiting or residing in the Dominican Republic that there have been reports of armed robberies during the evening hours on Autopista (Highway) Duarte along the section of the highway that passes through the town of Villa Altagracia. Criminals typically place debris in the highway to force vehicles to stop, at which point the criminals rob the occupants while brandishing firearms or other weapons. In some instances, the criminals have rolled large tires in front of oncoming traffic to cause an accident, and then rob the passengers of the disabled vehicle(s). U.S. citizens are reminded that traveling long distances at night is not advisable in general in the Dominican Republic, and particularly when travelling through the segment of Autopista (Highway) Duarte that passes through Villa Altagracia.

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy is located at the corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Avenida Maximo Gomez. The American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit can be reached by telephone at 809-731-4294, or via email at sdoamericans@state.gov. ACS Unit office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, Friday 7:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., except on U.S. and Dominican holidays. The Chancery of the U.S. Embassy is located a quarter-mile away from the Consular Section, at the corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro. The telephone number is 809-221-2171.