Immigration and Overstay Issues

Actually Tippj many many more come in on a tourist visa and try to work here than buy and renovate!

Either way, the point is coming in on a tourist visa and overstaying is currently illegal!  Doing this on a regular basis could have consequences at some point!

@windeguy
    If you took the time to read what I wrote I was talking about “ tourist “ that have
bought property (s) that want to renovate or build or just do improvements and they hire someone
that has 7-10 men doing the work ….and might have to stay past the 30 day limit so they can see the completion of the work being done on their property ….. and the next time they come there denied entry because the last time they overstayed…the post was about how the government was thinking about cracking down on overstaying and being denied entry the next time .I really don’t know to many “ tourist “ that come here to work when labor is so cheap ….. I know what I would have to charge to do a job here couldn’t come close to the prices being given here
-@Tippj

That certainly opens my eyes where they were blind.

What other reasons are also good ones for being illegally in the DR?

What reason is there that I should care about foreigners not be able to stay long enough because they ignore the laws even if they are building the next pyramids?

Okay so we beat that to death, lets move on pleae.

@TikiIslandByrdMan true. I'm a veteran from the United States. 100% full and total pension. I bring an income here, abide by the law and live nicely.

Please advise, I am planning to relocate to the DR nxt January 2023,,to joint my female companion indefinitely, I am retired and received a pension from the US, I will travel between the US and DR will I experience any issues  .

@giloconnor4044 I came here before the pandemic, couldn't fly back to the states; airports were closed. I stayed, rented a condo and never looked back! I qualify for residency but have not applied; in process of doing that as we speak. You ask about issues. I haven't encountered any at all. Like any country, abide by  and respect their laws, the people, their culture and you'll be fine. I even applied for renewal of my expired passport here and like clockwork, it arrived exactly as they said it would. I am choosing to retire here and not return to the U.S. but keep my citizenship as I am a veteran. You should be good to go

Theofficialpatricklee welcome to the forums.  Thank you for doing the legal process, it matters.

Giloconnor  welcome to the forums! As you likely qualify you should apply for residency!

I would prefer to live there for a period before I make that decision to apply for residency thanks..Gilbert..

@theofficialpatricklee thanks for the info my brother..

Hi everyone,

I will be moving to DR in the spring of 2024. I will certainly apply for residency. My house is being built as I speak.

1. Can I apply for residency prior to moving there?
2. What are the criteria to apply for residency?
3. What are the conditions to qualify for residency?
4. Once qualified for residency, how often do I need to renew it?

thanks

@Lronny1998

Hi everyone,
I will be moving to DR in the spring of 2024. I will certainly apply for residency. My house is being built as I speak.

Can I apply for residency prior to moving there?
What are the criteria to apply for residency?
What are the conditions to qualify for residency?
Once qualified for residency, how often do I need to renew it?

thanks
-@Lronny1998

You apply for the residency visa in your home country (A Dominican Embassy in the USA for you) before you enter the DR.

Here is the link to what you need including types of residency and what you need to qualify, how often it renews, etc.

https://migracion.gob.do/en/servicios/services/

Lronny   please go and  read the pinned thread on residency.   You need to qualify for residency and the process starts in your home country.   You do not need to wait until you move BUT you may want to organize the timing around sending a container of your things here when your house is ready!  Everything is about timing.

Here is the thread on residency, a lot to read but basically the process has not changed since this was  written.  For expert help many of us recommend Lishali Baez,  excellent attorney in Santo Doming, speaks English and this is her specialty!  1-809-860-1231

A visa as a tourist from the US lasts for 30 days? Is this automatic or do I need to purchase it somewhere? Later if I want to do a retirement visa is it possible to show a certain amount of cash vice having a retirement pension?

Tourist visa is included in almost all flights.  A few countries need a different visa.

In terms of residency I suggest you read the pinned thread on residency.  You will have to do that from home, not from here.

A visa as a tourist from the US lasts for 30 days? Is this automatic or do I need to purchase it somewhere? Later if I want to do a retirement visa is it possible to show a certain amount of cash vice having a retirement pension?
-@jas1962

The 30 day tourist card is included in the airline ticket price.

Residency requirements for retirees and others are here:

https://migracion.gob.do/servicios/residencias/

I think you need to show a regular income, not a lump sum of money in the bank

@planner ok so how do I become a resident here if I came in and AA dominican made me buy a return ticket for November I came in august 2 so what do I do I rented an apartment here in District National and am getting a job.. what Do I do anyone knows the routine

Welcome to the forums. You can't get a job and work legally without either residency or a work visa.

In both cases the process starts at home, not here. In the case of a work visa, you need a job offer and sponsorship as well!

Residency is covered in a pinned thread!  It's on the main page of the Dominican Republic. 

Interesting to read that AA (American Airlines) made you buy a return ticket.  That is not AA Dominican it's just AA enforcing the rules as they are supposed to do!

AA used to ignore the rules about having a return ticket.  Interesting they asked at all for one.

Actually just for the Canadians as well... this year in May Air Transat made me buy a return ticket ( cancel it as soon as you land ) I have never been asked for a return ticket in the 11 years I have visited here so it was quite a surprise. All the others have never asked nor cared. Dominican immigration for the most part does not care either, pay your tax when you leave. I think they'd have to be going through a blitz from a new jefe or something to enforce or care about that or maybe if the person entering the country again was a bit rude they could... if they wanted.

I've done every kind of search term on Google with no results trying to get answers to this question. If I come to the Dominican Republic, from the U.S., on the traditional 30-day tourist pass, stay for the 30-days, then return to the U.S., how many days must I wait before returning to the Dominican Republic?

There no such restriction to my knowledge

Return when you choose

Actually just for the Canadians as well... this year in May Air Transat made me buy a return ticket ( cancel it as soon as you land ) I have never been asked for a return ticket in the 11 years I have visited here so it was quite a surprise. All the others have never asked nor cared. Dominican immigration for the most part does not care either, pay your tax when you leave. I think they'd have to be going through a blitz from a new jefe or something to enforce or care about that or maybe if the person entering the country again was a bit rude they could... if they wanted.

It is not a tax when you leave, it is a fine for overstaying. So far, I know of only 2 people denied entry recently solely for overstaying previously. And yes, the source that told me about those people is very reliable. So the odds of any issues no matter how long you overstay or when you return are still very small. 

But, we are noticing more airlines are finally starting to obey the rules that have been in place for many years.

@ppauley

someone recommended that you take a flight to Puerto Rico and come back later that night…. The man in the airport said as long as you left the country you could come back for another 30 days without penalty… something to look into

@windeguy Interesting I have never heard of anyone having issues but I do believe that - if you're polite and can speak Spanish or try along with having everything organized for them the chances of that happening to someone is < 1% I have personally asked immigration officers about this and their responses were "pagas la tarifa y todo es bien" I have seen immigration/customs go from smiles to annoyed quite quickly though if you do not know how to communicate with them or if they feel they're disrespected.

@Tippj Your flight to P.R is how much? that's a waste imo. less than 3 months is 2,500 pesos be respectful when entering and exiting, dress nice. Try to speak Spanish and even if you're tired when you arrive show respect and a smile and you'll be fine.

I do recommend getting residency for anyone that spends time here, takes the anxiety out of the game.

@T.DRRR A boat ride to San Juan from Santo Domingo (Zona Colonial) is 12 hrs overnight and less than $95 USD with a private bunk. At least your not breaking the law if you leave and return after your visa expires. Odds may be very low that you will denied entry after overstaying your visa, but you should obey the law to be safe.

@Profe Agayu that's a 24-hour round trip plus food when you get to P.R you need USD food and accommodation for a day more than likely you're looking at 300USD min.

I get your point though - you're concerned about this law and that's fair; frankly, I'd be exploring options crossing the Haitian border on the Caribe tours for the sake of time. I have never looked at the tickets for there but I imagine since the capital is 550 DOP it's not much more one way. Good hotel + food 100USD + 1000 ~ DOP 130 ish. Just quickly looked..

Heck, even do a turnaround on the Haitian border so you don't have to be "in" that country if that's allowed..

Caribe tours has cancelled their Haitian routes. Crossing the boarder for a stamp does not qualify and you need to pay their exit fee, last I heard was US 65 per person.

I always find this interesting all the denial and "ways" to beat the overstay.  Currently it's not a big deal.  If you look at the changes the last few years, some day it could be a big deal.

Also interesting is how people here think it's okay to just do what they want yet scream about illegal immigration in their home countries.

Just my own observations. Not meant for any one person or any one comment. It's generic.

planner, it is like people are happy to get around things. How to get around buying a return ticket for example.  Some people enjoy that game of getting away with something.  I prefer to be legal from the start. I did not move here until my residency was approved and recently become a DR citizen. All airlines are supposed to ask for a return/ongoing ticket if you are not a legal resident of he DR.

For those that live here, I definitely recommend legal residency. And I hope the DR government can come up with a simple 6 month snowbird visa for the rest, but that seems impossible for them.

Very few people are denied re-entry from previous overstays, so far. More people are being asked for return tickets, so things are a bit different in that regard. I think it has to do with the lining of data bases over time.

I think you're right Windy.

Planner says she doesn't leave so might not be aware of the way we're 'tracked' now.

The new entry/exit forms are totally computerized - Migracion knows your comings & goings.

Certainly, they want that info for a purpose

It's all a game..... Until it isn't.

Everyone has choice!  Make your choices understanding there MAY be consequences.  Simple really.

@planner Ah I didn't know they don't currently have routes there.

Everyone can interpret the overstay and do as they please of course. For me, I just rather pay until I have my cedula next year as I have never had issues and know some of the officials in the airport I travel to/from.

Getting a residency is the ultimate solution for everyone to just void their anxiety and give themselves a good layer of protection and legal permissibility to live here

Immigration in Canada and immigration in DR are a little different though independent of if it's legal or not; not saying extranjeros overstaying here is "right" per say but the way their social system is set up vs the Canadian welfare system we are not really taking away anything here from others as the DR has next to zero safety nets for illegals or residents alike.

Haitians come here to work for low wages and are largely exploited, but it's a better option for them than Haiti and Dominicans will hire them because the owners will profit more ( i'm not saying this is correct and I don't agree with it )

The Extranjeros who come here are largely retired and spend their money here and as a demographic, we're very well-behaved and don't cause many issues (s) most own homes or rent them which injects money back into their economy; sometimes maids and gardeners and watchmen are employed. If you ask most Dominicans what they thing about Extranjeros as a whole most times they have zero problems with us minus the old men in Sousa. Dominican Rep economy-wise appreciates tourism and temporal residency from developed countries; when I see the immigration trucks full or buses I never see an Extranjero in them... the law has an insane amount of decretion here along with the policing if they really didn't like us we'd be gone.

We are legally allowed to use the private medical system here ( we can use public too but why ) but we have to pay which contributes to the economy; Also we can send our kids to school here and the educational system will accept them without residency you just need to pay the private fee 1k-8k DOP per month. You can legally open a bank account and accept funds both locally and internationally without issues.

You can also purchase local insurance here for you and your family as an Extranjero without issues that will cover your medical bills/ ambulance, dentist, meds, consults etc. The way their social structure is set up is private or for-profit hence you are not taking away anything ever. You don't get to go infront of anyone in line per say....if you used the public system yes you would.

Canada's system is socially funded and doesn't scale well it's evident in the classrooms and, hospitals etc we have 37 million people and a government that is inflated and objectively fails to adapt to the resident's needs - people complain a lot let's say Ontario because we have public resources going into religious funding and integration programs that cost millions of dollars while the people who built the country since Canada's official birth are continuously told they cannot speak of any discontentedness about how immigration is affecting their culture and throttled with political correctness and other measures.

The problem isn't immigration; it's a system that doesn't scale properly and one that cares about votes for the allocation of political resources and power and this is done by targeting specific demographic(s) that represent an n percentage of the population by offering fake cultural respect and public gifts.

Summarized - there is justification to complain as Canadian when a large percentage of your income is taken and unaccounted for and goes towards programs or areas you do not personally wish to see your money go nor can you control. D.R there is a high corporate tax rate, sales tax, personal income tax is small or non existent until you make a lot. In short if you're not paying for all these services you tend to care less about what others are doing or what theyre doing.

@willie yes honey I am very aware of how we are tracked. Thus I give warnings. 

@T.ddrr I won't begin to unpack these comments. It's Sunday and I am chilling

@planner Yeah that was a lot I admit, enjoy your Sunday!

@T.DRRR

   Well I was thinking it’s a good day trip to  PR maybe hit the casino and a good  restaurant  I’ve been to the capital and it’s pretty nice and not too expensive ( depending on how much $$ you lose at the casino..:-( ) just to take in the serene for a day or two if one wishes. , but I would wait to they clear up the mess after that hurricane , last I heard I don’t think I would go to Haiti with everything happening there…🤔

@T.DRRR
  Well I was thinking it’s a good day trip to PR maybe hit the casino and a good restaurant I’ve been to the capital and it’s pretty nice and not too expensive ( depending on how much $$ you lose at the casino..:-( ) just to take in the serene for a day or two if one wishes. , but I would wait to they clear up the mess after that hurricane , last I heard I don’t think I would go to Haiti with everything happening there…🤔
-@Tippj

Going to Haiti doesn't reset your tourist card.
The explanation of Canadian versus Dominican systems by poster T.DRRR is a nice way to dance around legalities and justify illegal overstays by showing how beneficial such overstays are to the DR. Even if you drive, they will usually honor your illegal foreign license after it is no longer valid in the DR. Could that change? Who knows. If you feel good overstaying illegally, by all means do it. Repercussions have been very rare. Such justifications as T.DRRR's I find amusing.

Yes T.DRRR , we should all follow the letter of the law while we’re here , like the woman sitting on the back of a motorcycle w/her 4 kids  or driving and parking on the wrong side of the road or better yet , how about getting pulled over after leaving a bar with a few pops in him he wouldn’t feel to bad about paying off the police officer to look the other way this one time because they  have  legal status … it seems to me that the government doesn’t really care about it nor do the people who were born and raised here  , the police show no sign of putting anyone in jail over it and the only  scary story’s you hear about anything bad comes from 3rd hand  story’s …. From some people that seem like their angry maybe because they paid out a few dollars to do the paperwork and now insisting it’s the only way one should  stay …. Almost like some have been deputized….. lol ,

@windeguy

Congratulations on becoming a Dominican citizen!