Puerto Rico
Business/social hints
Appointments: made in advance, punctuality is important.
Attire for business meetings: men should wear lightweight suits and a tie, women a lightweight suit or equivalent.
Etiquette: it is customary to shake hands on meeting and taking leave. Business cards are exchanged after introduction.
Language: business is conducted in Spanish but many executives speak English.
Invitations: when there is no service charge, gratuities are around 15%-17%.
Local time: GMT -4hrs.
Capital: San Juan.
Language: English and Spanish.
Electricity: 120V AC 60Hz.
Int. direct dialling code: 1 787.
Driving: US or foreign licence required for first month of stay, then a national licence is required.
Currency: US Dollar (USD 1 = 100 cents).
Notes: USD: 1; 2; 5; 10; 20; 50; 100; 500; 1,000.
Coins:Cents: 1; 5; 10; 25; 50.
Business hours
Banks:9am-2.30pm Mon-Fri.
Offices:9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri (Government offices).
Shops:9am-7pm Mon-Wed and Sat, 9am-9pm Thurs-Fri, 11am-5pm Sun (shopping malls). Some shops open when cruise ships are in port on Sunday.
Emergency Services
Police, fire and ambulance: 911
Clothing
Light and natural fibres are recommended
Health
Compulsory vaccinations: none.
Health risks: rabies.
Weather
The winters are warm and sunny and the summers are hot. The north coast experiences more rainfall than the south coast and it generally has no dry season as rainfall is evenly spread throughout the year.
San Juan Temp C Humidity % Rain
Max/Min am pm (mm)
January 28 22 81 75 109
February 27 21 79 74 69
March 27 21 76 74 74
April 28 22 75 75 104
May 28 23 76 75 150
June 29 24 76 77 137
July 32 25 77 78 145
August 29 24 77 77 160
September 30 24 78 77 158
October 29 24 79 76 140
November 28 23 80 76 160
December 27 22 81 77 138
San Juan, Luis Munoz Marin International
Postal Address: P.O Box 37250, Airport Station, San Juan 00937-0250.
Telephone:+1 787 791-4670/791-5823.
Location: nine miles northeast of San Juan.
Transportation to city centre: bus:AMA service M-8, every 30mins, fare USD 0.25, journey time 35-40mins. Taxi: fare USD 6-16, journey time 20mins.
Airport departure tax: none.
Flight information: tel: 253-8753/253-8754, available 24hrs
Passport and Visas
Required.
Customs
Import allowances: for persons of 21 years of age or older
a) 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 2kg of tobacco or a combination of proportionate parts.
b) one litre of alcoholic beverage.
c) gifts not exceeding US$100 in value, provided that the stay in the US is not less than 72hrs and that the gift exemption has not been claimed in the previous six months.