My Personal Experience with the Naturalization Process in the DR

When you say "Naturalization", do you mean Temporary Residency, Permanent Residency, Citizenship, or are you part Dominican getting Citizenship?  It is a term used by many, oftentimes for many different things.

How long has it taken so far since beginning the DR side of the process?

@UncleBuck

Thanks for the question for clarification. When I say "Naturalization", I mean becoming naturalized as a Dominican citizen after having temporary residency for 3 years through marriage to a Dominican citizen.

Thank you for this post.  It's not advertising when you are talking about someone else. It's a recommendation and is definitely allowed here.

@DRVisitor

The process for being naturalized as a Dominican citizen, the entire process takes place in DR. I started gathering documents 6 months ago and it was accepted by the Ministry of Interior this week. It likely be a few months to finish with the naturalization ceremony.

@planner

Thank you for allowing me to share!

Yes - Lishali is a true professional and gets it done!

@Profe Agayu

Thank you for sharing your positive experience bravo

@planner

In this case, a very good thing

FYI this isn't allowed on all the forums.  It's because we actively manage the DR forums that this is permitted!

@Profe Agayu

I did all of the Dominican Republic Citizen Naturalization process without a lawyer. 

Didn't have that need in our case. My wife and I did everything ourselves.

Congratulations on completing  the process, few of us go that way and stick with it.

@windeguy

Do you know Spanish?

@rgwsf

He does and his wife is Dominican and all of that helps.

@windeguy Do you know Spanish? - @rgwsf

I know enough to pass the 10 question citizenship test in Spanish which I had 3 days to study for, since they called me on a Monday and I took that test on a Thursday with a 10 out of 10. 

I can speak conversational Spanish, but I will probably never learn the proper verb tenses.

@rgwsf
He does and his wife is Dominican and all of that helps. - @planner

Indeed she is. 

@windeguy

Me too, I butcher the verbs!

@Profe Agayu

Glad you had a great experience, and no surprise it was with Lishali. 

Do a search on "Lishali Baez" and you will find many, many posts lauding La Doctora, as you say. 

To all those considering hiring a DR lawyer to support your residency or naturalization here, Lishali is unmatched.  You should at the very least consider engaging her services.  We know this from personal experience.

Lishali rescued our residency applications from an abrogoda (lawyer) who very much took our money and seemed intent on never actually doing anything.  She is also currently handling our naturalization applications -- for which we await thr Ministey's apprival.)

Now, no lawyer -- not even LA Doctora -- can evade all of the DR'S legendary bureaucracy.  But Lishali is still your best bet.  She turned us around from being ready to give up on the DR (due to the prior bad lawyer), to being eager to become citizens of this fine country..

That is the personal recommendation from both myself and mi esposa (Lisa).

Best to all.

JIM

ExpatRusher

@windeguy

Did they give you information on what to study? What sort of questions were you asked?

Yes, they provide a list of questions and answers for the citizenship test.  There might still be a link for them online, but it has been a few years and I no longer have that link.

@Mila V

Yes, Lishali notified me as soon as she had an appointment for the written exam and interview. I recieved a study guide which is a list of questions prepared by the Ministry of Interior and Police.

The written exam consists of 3 sections: multiple choice, matching, and true or false. Each section has roughly 5 questions each.

The study guide is very useful as a guide. Although, none of the exact questions from the guide is listed on the exam. You just need to know info such as who is Máximo Gomez (not in in the study guide), day of independence, the branches of government and thier roles, and other related info.

When it is time to take the written exam, officials from the naturalization office will usher a group of people into a conference room with refreshments. They said no one ever fails the exam and that it is super easy. However, when I was given the paper exam, I immediately noticed that most people who spent a lot of time in the Dominican Republic and knew just a little about history and the government would not fail. On the other hand, if you know absolutely nothing about Dominican history and government, YOU WILL FAIL. Keep in mind that they insisted that no one will fail. This makes me believe that you only have to attempt exam to pass it. However, do not test your luck.

The interview is only required for applicants seeking naturalization by marriage. The director of the naturalization office and her team will interview the applicant and thier Dominican spouse. After approximately 20 marriage couples, we were the last to be interviewed. They were only interested in a few things: what brought the applicant to DR, how the applicant met the Dominican, how the applicant earns a living, and why the applicant wants to become Dominican. My interview lasted 4 minutes. They let us know that I will be contacted within a couple of weeks for a date of the swearing-in ceremony which is usually held at the end of every month. Most interviews lasted between 10 to 20 minutes. Keep in mind, they will be studying you for lies and inconsistencies.

@Profe Agayu

Can I ask how much she charged for her services?

@KaiserS

I do no think it is appropriate to tell. However, I will say she is worth every penny.

Also, be aware that many lawyers in DR that offer immigration services try to undercut market prices. Meanwhile, they do nothing to assist you with getting the intended results. Therefore, I highly recommend Lishali. If you prefer someone else, do your best to vet them and their history by speaking to people who have actually dealt with them from start to finish.

In fairness I do not think every case will be the same so price wont be consistent as you can expect hurdles along the way whether you feel you are capable of handling or prefer a lawyer.

Lishali was very approachable and transparent when I talked to her. I wouldn't hesitate to ask her about her process or fees.

@DRVisitor

Great point.

When I received naturalization via marriage, there was no interview of my spouse involved.  That is something new from when I did mine.  I used a lawyer for nothing except notarizing some documents.

In order to be a Notary in the DR they have a silly policy that you must be a lawyer first. 

They told me I would have 2 weeks notice before my exam.  So I was going to study for those two weeks.  They called on a Monday that my exam was on Thursday.  I got all the answers correct, but yes you should study the list they provide.

When I received naturalization via marriage, there was no interview of my spouse involved. That is something new from when I did mine. I used a lawyer for nothing except notarizing some documents.
In order to be a Notary in the DR they have a silly policy that you must be a lawyer first.
They told me I would have 2 weeks notice before my exam. So I was going to study for those two weeks. They called on a Monday that my exam was on Thursday. I got all the answers correct, but yes you should study the list they provide. - @windeguy

  Yes, the interview is probably something new. I imagine something nefarious happened so they implemented the interview process. That explains why something interviews were less than 5 minutes while others exceeded 20 minutes.  They were really studying people and asking questions to figure out the validity of the marriage and the process. Unbeknownst to me, there were people from all over the world applying for Dominican Citizenship through naturalization.  I saw North Americans, Venezuelans, Palestinians, Haitians, Russians, Germans, and others in which I had no idea where they had come from.

[If future prospective expats benefits from this post, I ask only that you remember to pay it forward to the next set of expats!!]   

My wife and I just took our Naturalization Examinations -- and passed. 

With the OP's permission, I am posting our observations and experiences here to confirm and add my perspectives to Profe Agayu's observations about the Examination process.     

Here it goes:

My wife (Lisa) and I were hesitant about pursuing Citizenship by Naturalization in the Dominican Republic.  One of our concerns was "The Examination" covering knowledge about the history, government, culture and politics of the DR.  Neither of us spoke Spanish, and we knew the test would be given ONLY in Spanish. 

1. We're both 65+ and it's been a long while since we were in school.  Neither of us had ever studied Spanish.
2. Could we still pass an examination, particularly when administered solely "en Espanol?"

Despite misgivings, we still felt it was the best path forward and started the process back in 2022.  COVID slowed us down, but didn't stop us.

Documents were obtained, prepared and submitted.  Time passed, and a couple of weeks ago we were notified of our examination on April 1st.  Lisa had become reasonably proficient in reading & writing Spanish, so she felt confident in that part.  As for myself, I found I had lost my previous youthful "ear" for foreign languages; Spanish proved tougher than I expected.  I didn't feel ready for the exam, but decided to plow ahead and see what I could do.

1. By the way, I want to give a shout-out here to the Lishali (aka Lilly) Baez Law Firm!
2. Our naturalization applications apparently zipped right through the government's review process without a single turn-back!!  Thus, we were called in for our examinations much earlier than expected.
3. Great job by Lishali and the Gang!

To gain the required knowledge about DR history, government, culture and politics, we started with "sample questions" the Immigration Ministry had sent out to lawyers to help clients prepare.  We had to research those questions and provide the answers ourselves -- the lawyers are constrained in how much they can assist you.  Further, we read numerous online articles to supplement our learning. 

1. I was fascinated by the DR's long struggle for Independence as its own sovereign nation.  There are many parallels between the USA and the DR's struggles for Independence. 
2. However, the DR didn't throw off just one tyrant -- no, the DR had to repeatedly fight off invaders and those that would dominate them, both politically and military, for a couple of centuries!  It is a fascinating story.

Between our reading and the prep questions to focus our studies, we felt "reasonably prepared." 

How did I handle the Spanish-only test?  Actually, fairly well.  I had forced myself to learn the test questions/answers in Spanish, through repetition and massive utilization of the Google Translate app, which expanded my Spanish vocabulary considerably.  I was still a bit nervous, but it was time to take that exam.

EXAM STRUCTURE: The exam had about 25 questions, all in multiple choice, true/false or matching answers form. 

1. No essay, extended response or even fill-in-the-blank questions at all.  The entire examination was, as promised, entirely in Spanish with zero English.

This was in no way an "impossible" test -- the questions were straightforward, as long as you read each question and potential answer all the way through (again, in Spanish!)

1. I found one question a bit tricky -- as I felt it could be interpreted several different ways.  After reading it through several times, I asked the test proctor a clarifying question which he readily answered.  With that clarification, I nailed that question, too.  (DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK!!  The testing staff truly wants you to pass this test!)
2. Note that the testing staff was fluent in English as well as Spanish. They didn't seem bothered to be asked a question in English.
3. 
   

The entire exam itself took less than 20 minutes from entry into the exam room, receiving instructions, taking the test and making our exit.  It was more like a "pop quiz" than an "exam," to be perfectly honest! 

1. It took far longer to be checked in, verified and to negotiate the elevators & building security than it took for the actual test!
2. Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV), of course. 
3. The test room was comfortable, with many tables set up for our use.  Each rectangular table seated exactly two test-takers, one at each end. 
4. Married couples were NOT allowed to sit at the same table, nor adjacent to each other. 
5. The testing staff was calm, encouraging, helpful and professional.  Pens were provided for use on the tests. 

HOW DID WE DO? We both passed without any issues.  Indeed, we had probably over-prepared (which I recommend). 

1. We each missed a couple of questions (one name and one historical date) that had not appeared in the pre-exam prepping materials.
2. I'm told it's not unusual for the Ministry to include couple of "zinger" questions that few will answer correctly if they're not well versed in Dominican history.
3. They got us on those questions, but the rest were straightforward.

I'm told by "senior expats" that the current Ministrerio de Migracion has indeed simplified and shortened the naturalization examination compared to past years.  I don't know that personally, but I'll take their word for it.

1. They also advised that the Ministry can at any time change the exam to make it harder or longer if they so choose. 
2. I have no reason to doubt that: it is entirely up to the Ministry as to the length and difficulty of the exam.
3. Keep in mind that this was OUR experience in April of 2025 -- if you're taking the exam at some future date, you should ask on the forums for advice on the current exam makeup. 

NOW HEAR THIS: There's absolutely no reason to lose sleep preparing for this exam.  It is a manageable challenge.

1. At the same time, don't get me wrong -- you won't pass the DR naturalization exam without putting in reasonable work studying the subject matter and learning the language.   
2. The test questions were easy...IF you had studied the material.  However, an average person would NOT pass this exam without any preparation.  (Unless perhaps you were Dominican in a previous life).
3. Do the work, do it well, and you'll do well on the test. 

My whole point in writing here is to offer this final bit of advice: Don't let the modest hill of naturalization requirements, including the naturalization exam, become Mount Everest inside your head.

You've met and conquered challenges before, and you can beat this one, too.

1. Just set out a plan for how/where/when to study the necessary subject matter and language skills, then break the topics down into manageable chunks.
2. Start working on language skills EARLY (like my wife did), not late (as I did). 

From there, it's like that old adage about "How do you eat an entire elephant?"

1. Well, you eat an entire elephant by taking just one bite at a time!!! 
2. Treat the DR naturalization examination the same way, exercising reasonable self-discipline in the process, and you will do well.

You're never too old for another adventure -- even if it involves eating an entire elephant!! 

@ExpatRusher

Any reason you chose this route vs permanent residency?

@ExpatRusher

Congratulations!

@ExpatRusher
Any reason you chose this route vs permanent residency? - @DRVisitor

I cannot speak for them. 

I had permanent residency for years and was content to renew again...

I did my renewals myself and I hated having to go to Santo Domingo periodically to renew permanent residency which is actually not permenent at all.  Then it came to be that I had a missing document they discovered after many renewals.  I could not renew.. Oh my.   I got 2 of those missing  documents, one for renewal and one for naturalization so I never had to deal with them again at Migracion.  Good riddance.

So I went for naturaliztion instead of dealing with Migracion.  I am glad that is behind me.

And that is as good a reason as any!!!

@windeguy

How often do you have to renew on permanent residency?

Can understand not wanting to deal with migracion.