HOW CAN I MAKE DOMINICAM REPUBLIC MY HOME?

Hello glory53.

Welcome to Expat.com!

If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask them.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Hi Aurelie,
Thank you for ready my post, could you tell me about your experience, i saw that you're from Ile Maurice how was the journey moving from Africa to Domican Republic?  I am looking forward to hearing from you, have a great day.

Glad,

Hello glory53.

I am still in Mauritius Island. I've never been to Dominican Republic.

Hope other members will share their experience with you.

PS: I form part of the Expat.com Team.

Thank you,
Aurélie

My advice would be to come down here to the DR for 6 months and give it a try.  It may or may not be what you are looking for.  Depending where you go - it can be very very different. Where have you visited when you were here?

Do you have an income to live on?   Will you require special medical care? Or medications?  Do you need assistance? 

There is a great deal to consider with this type of a move.  I did it almost 10 years ago,  did some things really well and made mistakes at other times. ALl was an opportunity to learn!!!!!

This country is wonderful but it is not for everyone.  Give it a try that is the only way you will know for sure.

Planner is pointing you in the right direction. Come and spend a few months here before "jumping in". Living here is vastly different than vacationing here.
We have been here for 7 years and still are sometimes suprised at what happens. 
Planner actually gave me some good advice when we were in the ealry stages of getting ready to move here.

Bob K

how would you describe living in the dominican republic?
please dont be politically correct
everywhere has a good and bad.
  thanks
  peter

Yes it all has good and bad but for us the good far out weighs the bad.
YOu have to get used to a different culture, lifestyle and be able to adapt.
For me now 7 years and have not looked back once.

Bob K

I agree with Bob, you have to be willing to change and adapt. We are in their country and not the other way around. My best advice is come, watch, learn and see where you fit in.

hi, I spent 4 months in Puerto plata, unfortunately I didn't ask about health insurance cost. or how good is the hospital there. I know panama and costa rica insurance plans are very good if you become a pensinado ( spelling may be wrong ). what does a reasonable plan cost in DR, thanks

Hi a reasonable plan is about US 35 a month, including some dental and prescription coverage. If you need more info just message me.  I have an additional plan that is about US 45 a month.  Both are with one of the two best carriers in the DR.

Health insurance here is cheap but getting more expensive.  My wife and I pay $45 a month for the two of us (used to be $20) for full coverage (no meds but you can add that for $10 a month or so).  Coverage is good. I had two surgeries here (8 days in the hospital) and my out of pocket expenses was about $300.

We have a group policy (cheaper rates) here on the north coast and if you are interested send me a PM and I will give you the contact information.

Bob K

hi, i'm a new member. my name is mike and I am very interested in the group insurance policy. you can email me at [beeep]

Mike NEVER put your email on a public forum. You never know who will get a hold of it. You should remove it if you can
Are you living here in the DR as the insurance is only good if you live here and only covers your health care in the DR.

Let me know and if  you are here I will send you the info in a PM
or your email if  you have not removed it

Bob K

welcome to the forums Mike.  I  have asked to have your email removed from the post, Bob is correct.

I have also sent you information regarding a group health policy that I administer.  Bob is correct, you must be here to apply!  But that is pretty easy to arrange.

thanks for the info about email address and insurance. one question if you know. i'm 73 years young, can I get health insurance in DR

That becomes a problem. I will need to check.

The policy we you need to be under 65 to enroll then after that age does not matter.
So ours won't work for you, sorry

Bob K

Hello, I saw you talking about healthcare. I have tricare. When I was living in Cosat Rica, there were hospitals that lots of american vets went to because they took tricare. I was just wondering if anyone knew if the D.R. took tricare oversea and what are the income requirements for residency or if you even had to have residency to live there?

Welcome, never heard of private! Income for residencia is $1500 a month or income / investment. You don't have to get it now but the govt is cracking down.

Never heard of tri care being accepted here. Usually if you have an insurance from elsewhere you will have to pay your bill and they will give you the forms filled out for you to submit to your carrier for reimbursement.

As to residency there is a whole process that now has to start with the paperwork in your home country. You have to show income and money to be able to support yourself.  Currently you need to show $1500 US a month or investments that will allow for that.

Bob K

Hello
I’m thinking of moving to Cabarete and was planning on purchasing a condo.  I was down there last year and looked at some properties but will be going back to see one again and possibly more.  Has anyone any information on Orillia Del Mar or Windchimes as places to buy?  My main question though, comes from the residency requirement in today’s post.  Would owning real estate in the Dominican Republic make a difference in getting residency even if you don’t have the required $1500?  There wouldn’t be any rent or mortgage payments so that reduces your monthly expenses considerably.  I figure what I have will be more than enough to live on (no dependants) but it doesn’t amount to $1500.

That is a good question. Owning property does help but it depends on the value of the property. If I remember correctly, and at my old age memory is not a strong point, the value had to be above $150,000.
This is a question you should ask the lawyer that is going to help you get your residency.

Bob K

I agree with Bob,  I think the investment doesn't help you on this type of residencia but I am not certain.

And by the way, welcome to the forums!!!!

Thank you for that information.  I’m new to this forum and have been reading the posts for a while now.  I’ve also been researching information online about moving from Canada to Dominican Republic (residency, health care, transportation and veterinarians).  I’m beginning to think that buying property might not be good idea in case I get refused residency due to the required $1500.  I had heard about that in one site and thought that was for immediate permanent residency instead of the first step of temporary residency which would show that you are able to support yourself before becoming a permanent resident.  The properties I’m looking at are quite a bit lower than $150,000.  My price range is quite a bit lower as it’s just for.  I don’t need a big place and I’m not wealthy but from my calculations I will have more than enough to live on.  However that may not be enough to qualify for residency.

Thank you I’m glad I’ve finally started to post questions...you and Bob seem to be the ones in the know!

You csn email Wilsonrood@gmail.com for info! He will know as he is a lawyer

You are welcome.  You might want to rent for a while before even starting the residency process to see if the DR "fits" for you.
You certainly can stay here for 6 months or more with out worrying about residency.  Then if it works apply.

Bob K

Thank you Planner, I emailed him today and he has already responded!  I feel a lot better now!

That is a good idea and I’ve noticed you suggest that to others in the forum.  I don’t think I’d be able to do that though because I work full time right now and a leave of absence isn’t an option.  It seems hard to find places that rent to people with pets as well.  Both you and Planner suggest the rent first idea because living in DR isn’t for everybody.  To avoid putting you on the spot with the question “what is it that some people wouldn’t like” I will tell you why I want to live there.  Obviously the weather, I hate the cold and Canada is one of the coldest countries (I’ve heard that Ottawa is the coldest capital in the world).  The cost of living is more affordable than in Canada.  I also plan to help out at Judy’s Pet Lodge in some capacity. 
I was also wondering as I’m new to the forum and not familiar with how it works, if I want some information on real estate properties should I start a new post or is that what is called a thread?
Thanks again for your help!

yes, start a new thread honey!  And here it is not hard to find a place that takes pets! Judy's is fabulous!!!

This is a third world country in many respects and you will not get the services you are used to in Canada. Things like electricity, drinkable water, police that do anything, lack of service from companies, always being the "gringo", crazy divers with no understanding of driving laws and on and on and on.

But on the positive side weather, people, food, cheaper (if you use local products), laid back lifestyle, and on and on and on.

But it is not for everybody and many do not make it here. So try it out first.

Rental with pets is no problem at all.

Bob K

Hi folks,
I've read that the Samana area (Las Terrenas, Las Galeras, Cabrera, Nagua, etc) and the Punta Cana area has electricity 24 hours a day. This is so because these areas are on a private system and not on the public system. Is this true? If true how much more do you pay?

Some of the upper class neighborhoods, and tourist areas are on a 24/7 line. It is also areas where almost everyone actually pays their bill (about 1/2 of Dominicans do not pay their bills and are hooked up with out meters)  Even on a 24/7 line you will experience blackouts but not as often and not for as long as other.
We live on a 24/7 line but still maintain a generator for those days.

BObK

mmm???.... A generator you say. How much is one? and how much gas do you consume monthly?

SO that is the reason for blackouts then: people that don't have any meters and thus the utility co. can't accurately gauge demand? OR maybe there are bigger crooks in the utility co.?

So if I am looking for places to rent then those homes with meters are the better ones--in terms of electricity supply?

It has nothing to do about gauging demand. They can't produce enough, waste too much and are not paid for what they do produce. Then there is the corruption that goes along with it and huge amounts of $$$$ go missing all the time.
The system is old in poor repair and not maintained very well. Electricity (or lack of it) has been a problem here for decades and no real prospect of improving anytime in the near or distant future.
Yes you will need a back up system of either a generator or an inverter.  Most condo/apartment complexes have one. If in a private villa or an apartment without one you will need to install one or have a good supply of candles and batteries.

Bob K

Thank you Bob.  I’ve heard of  the problems with electricity and drinking water.  This is where living in a condo makes sense to me.  Most of the ones I have seen have electricity backups and as that may not always work either I can still cook with gas and charge batteries when the electricity is on so things like computers will work during a blackout.  I don’t even drink water from the taps in Canada either although I will if it’s boiled.  Can you boil the tap water in DR and drink it or is that still risky?  In any event I’m not worried about too much.  I’m actually more worried about my dog being here and not a lot vets in the north area.  I know of Dr Bob but as I’m not planning on owning a car or driving while I live there getting to a vet in an emergency will be my first thing to look into.
I also find that living in a condo or apartment lends to socializing.  You get to know the other residents and they will often have solutions to any problems that arise.  And I’m hoping on a security level that in a condo there will be safety in numbers.  Did you find a difference living in a condo community before you built your villa?
As for the police who do you call in case of emergency...maybe your neighbors?
Anyway I am very serious about this and it may not happen right away but I’m trying to work things out for sooner than later.
Thanks again!

Don't use the tap water (boiled or from the tap) for anything but washing. There are some private wells that are "clean".  Ours is "clean" but still don't drink it.

Yes you will build a network of neighbors, expats, others (lawyers) and such that you can rely on in an emergency.  There is a very strong sense of community among the expats, at least here on the north coast. You will quickly know who to trust and who to avoid. The police are for the most part "useless" and usually will not respond in a timely fashion.

As to condo vs villa we actually made more friends in the villa we rented and the one we built rather than the condo in Cabarete. The reason may be that the condo had lots of short term renters while the villa either had long term renters or owners in them.

Bob K

Great comments and advice Bob.  Also we should point out that the large blue bottles of drinking water (5 gallons?) cost just over $1 US,  so drinking water is not a big or expensive issue.

Electricity -our problems are too big and too complex to even attempt an answer on these forums.  Suffice it to say you need a backup regardless. I live in a "24/7" circuit and it goes out. Tonight it went for 12 minutes, no big deal. but Saturday it was out 4 hours, Sunday 2 hours.  A back up is as simple as inverter and batteries -  around US1,000  BUT know that your electric bill  will increase about 20%.

Generator - noise, cost and fuel - is your other option unless you live in a complex supplying backup power.