Immigration and Overstay Issues

You will pay the overstay fine when you leave. Same fee as doing it online.

Current practice is nothing will happen when you come back.

@DominicanadaMike That's interesting but damn I hate not being straight up when it comes to that stuff, it can mess life up pretty badly. As long as our visa is in order our license should also be, so should the insurance we are paying for.
-@michael7014

What visa are you talking about that you have?

I am making a wild guess that you are coming from Canada and have a 30 day tourist card. Same as people from the US and EU.

But I could be wrong and you have a work visa or some other visa and not just a 30 day tourist card.

A person on a tourist card with a foreign license can legally drive  for 30 days. That is based upon a direct question I asked to the manager at INTRANT in Puerto Plata. Yes, we have anecdotal evidence even in this thread that people have had insurance pay for accidents beyond that 30 days.   Will that always happen to people who stayed beyond the legal validity of their foreign license in the DR?

@michael7014

If I recall properly, to get that extension you have to apply before the 30 days is up.

Even with that extension, I don't think it extends the validity of your foreign license.

You are in effect paying for the overstay ahead of time. I have even heard of people having

to pay the overstay fines even for the period of time that they already prepaid for that very extension.

As in most things in the DR related to laws, it depends on the day and which way the wind is blowing. Don't expect consistency.

@windeguy Sorry for not being clear, we are on a tourist visa and will be for some years to come. We only plan to stay for 4 or 5 months at a time. The 120 day visa + 30 days when we arrive will work for us. The driver's license could be our only issue due to the 30-day rule. Why wouldn't they have a temp driving permit, they can make money on that, everyone could make money on that!

@michael7014 To be clear... It's a 30 day Tourist Visa and a 90 day extension for a total of 120 days.

There is NO 120 day visa.  There is no 30 plus 120.  You are misinformed.

There is a 30 day tourist card.  There is an administrative workaround allowing you to prepay the overstay fine UP TO 120 day total.

As far as I have been told by lawyers that does NOT extend your driver's license past 30 days.

As all things here application of the law is subject to whim!!!

@planner Ok so when we arrive we get 30 days when we check-in at immigration, then we apply for an extension and we get a total of 120 days so it's only an extension of 90 LOL. is that all they will give us or can we apply for another 30 so we have a total of 150 days on the island? Sorry, don't mean to be thick-sculled at the numbers game!

No worry, clarity is always good.

There is no additional extension currently available.

We really need snowbird type visas but I have heard nothing about this being considered!

Michael

You can leave and re-enter to 'start the clock' again..... another 120 days if you want

Go to Pto Rico on a ferry ride...... for example

Virtually no one will leave the DR and come back in if they are staying for the Canadian maximum time before the medical insurance in Canada becomes an issue. They will simply remain, take their chances and pay the exit fine when they leave.

(I doubt I would take that ferry ride to PR if they paid me to take it. )

They really do need to have a snowbird up to 6 month visa.

I agree!

You can always take Arajet somewhere you have never visited stay for a few days or a week and then come back in. I wouldn't do the ferry either. Yes, a Snowbird visa would be smart for the DR to get more people to stay longer and invest. We just took the plunge yesterday and invested in land. The Partner at Guzman Ariza (attorney) says he hasn't heard any news on the snowbird visa prospect, but he personally doesn't deal with Immigration at his firm it's another department. Arajet has some interesting places they fly that I have always wanted to go to, and it's pretty cheap to fly with them St Martin seems to be the cheapest flight they have. SXM is a busy island but handy as well to get stuff duty-free so make the best of it!

Planner & Windy.....

If they ever change the rules.... tighten the policy..... we may see you in that ferry line....

Same weather, easy trip with your car......won't break the bank

I know you both don't need to leave but this is advice for those who do

I for one, think change will come.

This gov't has said so and are actually the party that wrote those visitor rules way back when , Aren't they?

I  absolutely hope they change the rules. Its logical and necessary and will be helpful to the country!   Maybe if we all cross our fingers.....LOL

Planner & Windy.....
If they ever change the rules.... tighten the policy..... we may see you in that ferry line....

Same weather, easy trip with your car......won't break the bank

I know you both don't need to leave but this is advice for those who do

I for one, think change will come.
This gov't has said so and are actually the party that wrote those visitor rules way back when , Aren't they?
-@WillieWeb

I am averse to boats.  I get sea sick easily.  So it is very unlikely I will be going "sailing".

And I don't see anyone flying, boating, tele-transporting, etc to restart the 30 day tourist card clock.

This is super confusing!  If my wife & I want to retire to the DR, it appears that we need to show $2k per month in pension (still not clear if that's for one or both) or $200k in real-estate investment.  In U.S. dollars.  We are Canadian, so that works out to $2.7k Cdn or $276k investment.  Well...... we make $2k per month and have $300k in the bank - Canadian.  So, if we make the investment, it would pretty much clean us out.  If we rent, then we're good for a couple of decades.

And to really make it confusing, it appears that having $300k in the bank doesn't seem to matter, as they say that we need to show $2.7k Cdn per month from "a pension". 

So, the idea came to us to just simply 'over-stay', but then we can't get a driver's license.  This is wildly aggravating.  Anybody have any thoughts or solutions?

The monthly of $2000 is for both people

$1500 for one , I think

there may be other avenues

adk the lawyer mentioned on this site Lishali Baez

Having money in the bank does not qualify you. 

A pensioner visa is probably your best route.

As stated by Willie contact Lishali Baez and she will help you with all the correct information

REQUIREMENTS

1- residence application form for investment: this will be completed on our DGM services portal.

2-copy of the complete passport with a minimum validity of one (1) year.

2.1 . in the event that the name that the foreigner has registered in the passport is different from that of his birth certificate, he must deposit the document that legally guarantees the change, either the marriage certificate if he has added the last name of the husband, the certificate of divorce if you do not want to appear with the husband’s last name, the adoption certificate, among others, that must be apostilled.

3- valid residence visa (RS), issued at the Dominican consulate of your country of origin or residence.

4- original payment receipt for the medical exam service

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR THE MEDICAL EXAM:

1- original passport

2- 2 copies at stake of the passport information sheet, the residence visa, the last entry stamped in the passport and the birth certificate.

– medical examinations of institutions not authorized by DGM are not admitted.

5- original birth certificate duly apostilled or legalized, as appropriate.

5.1. In the event that the foreigner has acquired a nationality other than his nationality of origin, and wishes to become a resident with this acquired nationality, he must deposit a copy of the naturalization certified by the department of naturalizations that issued it, apostilled.

5.2. in the case of a change of name, the foreigner must deposit the act authorizing the change of name, apostilled.

5.3 . in the case of nationals of countries where only one original document of the birth certificate is issued, a copy of it will be accepted, duly certified and translated into Spanish if necessary, legalized at the corresponding Dominican consulate or at the headquarters in the Dominican Republic of the consulate of origin of the applicant or the official entity authorized and legalized in the chancellery.

6- certificate of no criminal record , issued by the competent authority of the country (in the case of countries with federal regimes must be issued by the federal authority) where they have resided in the last five (5) years, duly legalized or apostilled, as appropriate .

6.1. If this country is different from your country of origin, you must endorse this certification with a personal identity document of the country where you declare to have resided for the past 5 years.

7- four (4) photographs, two (2) of front and two (2) of right profile, size ¨2 × 2 ”.

8- certification of the government, official agency or private company of foreign origin, where he provided his services, duly translated into Spanish by a judicial interpreter, with the apostille seal or legalized by the Dominican consulate of the country of origin of the document, depending on the case. This certification must contain the general data of the applicant, time spent in the company, position held and the amount received as a pension, and the confirmation of this body that is economically able to rotate the amount for a period never less than five years.

8.1. The pension must be for a minimum amount of US $ 1,500.00 (one thousand five hundred dollars) per month or its equivalent in Dominican pesos. likewise, for each direct dependent included in the application an additional amount of US $ 250.00 (two hundred and fifty dollars). In none of the cases do income earned by wages apply .

9-Guarantee policy contracted with ARS Reservas. CLICK HERE

This policy must also include dependents, spouses and children.

10- bank letter, stating that you have a bank account in a Dominican bank.

11-any other document that under the fine part of article 6 of the law no. 171-07 , on special incentives for pensioners and rentiers from foreign sources, administratively require the window of foreign investment of the department of foreigners of the General Directorate of Migration, tending to ensure to the Dominican state the reliable character of the alleged quality.

DEPENDENT CASE:

1- If the request includes the spouse must be made jointly with that of your husband, as a dependent, you must deposit the following documents of the wife: marriage certificate, birth certificate both in original apostilled or legalized, as appropriate, copy of the complete passport , copy of the residence visa, certified criminal record apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish, as appropriate.

2- If the application includes the minor children: you must deposit the following birth certificate documents in an apostilled or legalized original, as appropriate, a copy of the complete passport, a copy of the residence visa, certification of an apostilled or legalized criminal record and translated into Spanish, as appropriate. In the case of children under sixteen (16) years , the criminal record requirement is not required. In the case of children over 18 years of age of the beneficiary, they may only be included if they are financially dependent on the beneficiary of the program for reasons of study or disability.

3 – must include additional a repatriation policy , as provided in article 57 paragraph 16, of regulation no. 631-11 for application of law 285-04, on migration.

PROCEDURE TO FOLLOW

1- residence application form for investment: this will be completed on our DGM services portal.

2-copy of the complete passport with a minimum validity of one (1) year.

2.1 . in the event that the name that the foreigner has registered in the passport is different from that of his birth certificate, he must deposit the document that legally guarantees the change, either the marriage certificate if he has added the last name of the husband, the certificate of divorce if you do not want to appear with the husband’s last name, the adoption certificate, among others, that must be apostilled.

3- valid residence visa (RS), issued at the Dominican consulate of your country of origin or residence.

4- original payment receipt for the medical exam service

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR THE MEDICAL EXAM:

1- original passport

2- 2 copies at stake of the passport information sheet, the residence visa, the last entry stamped in the passport and the birth certificate.

– medical examinations of institutions not authorized by DGM are not admitted.

5- original birth certificate duly apostilled or legalized, as appropriate.

5.1. In the event that the foreigner has acquired a nationality other than his nationality of origin, and wishes to become a resident with this acquired nationality, he must deposit a copy of the naturalization certified by the department of naturalizations that issued it, apostilled.

5.2. in the case of a change of name, the foreigner must deposit the act authorizing the change of name, apostilled.

5.3 . in the case of nationals of countries where only one original document of the birth certificate is issued, a copy of it will be accepted, duly certified and translated into Spanish if necessary, legalized at the corresponding Dominican consulate or at the headquarters in the Dominican Republic of the consulate of origin of the applicant or the official entity authorized and legalized in the chancellery.

6- certificate of no criminal record , issued by the competent authority of the country (in the case of countries with federal regimes must be issued by the federal authority) where they have resided in the last five (5) years, duly legalized or apostilled, as appropriate .

6.1. If this country is different from your country of origin, you must endorse this certification with a personal identity document of the country where you declare to have resided for the past 5 years.

7- four (4) photographs, two (2) of front and two (2) of right profile, size ¨2 × 2 ”.

8- certification of the government, official agency or private company of foreign origin, where he provided his services, duly translated into Spanish by a judicial interpreter, with the apostille seal or legalized by the Dominican consulate of the country of origin of the document, depending on the case. This certification must contain the general data of the applicant, time spent in the company, position held and the amount received as a pension, and the confirmation of this body that is economically able to rotate the amount for a period never less than five years.

8.1. The pension must be for a minimum amount of US $ 1,500.00 (one thousand five hundred dollars) per month or its equivalent in Dominican pesos. likewise, for each direct dependent included in the application an additional amount of US $ 250.00 (two hundred and fifty dollars). In none of the cases do income earned by wages apply .

9-Guarantee policy contracted with ARS Reservas. CLICK HERE

This policy must also include dependents, spouses and children.

10- bank letter, stating that you have a bank account in a Dominican bank.

11-any other document that under the fine part of article 6 of the law no. 171-07 , on special incentives for pensioners and rentiers from foreign sources, administratively require the window of foreign investment of the department of foreigners of the General Directorate of Migration, tending to ensure to the Dominican state the reliable character of the alleged quality.

DEPENDENT CASE:

1- If the request includes the spouse must be made jointly with that of your husband, as a dependent, you must deposit the following documents of the wife: marriage certificate, birth certificate both in original apostilled or legalized, as appropriate, copy of the complete passport , copy of the residence visa, certified criminal record apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish, as appropriate.

2- If the application includes the minor children: you must deposit the following birth certificate documents in an apostilled or legalized original, as appropriate, a copy of the complete passport, a copy of the residence visa, certification of an apostilled or legalized criminal record and translated into Spanish, as appropriate. In the case of children under sixteen (16) years , the criminal record requirement is not required. In the case of children over 18 years of age of the beneficiary, they may only be included if they are financially dependent on the beneficiary of the program for reasons of study or disability.

3 – must include additional a repatriation policy , as provided in article 57 paragraph 16, of regulation no. 631-11 for application of law 285-04, on migration.

Hours of service

M-F | 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Fees

Issuance of residence card and proof of ID – RD $ 22,000.00

Processing time

45 working days

Service channel

Online: Making requests and taxes payment

Face-to-face: Deposit and withdrawal of documents, and tax payments

From the above:   The pension must be for a minimum amount of US $ 1,500.00 (one thousand five hundred dollars) per month or its equivalent in Dominican pesos. likewise, for each direct dependent included in the application an additional amount of US $ 250.00 (two hundred and fifty dollars). In none of the cases do income earned by wages apply .

Direct link to this information for someone retiring on a pension:

https://migracion.gob.do/en/servicio/re … pensioned/

This is super confusing! If my wife & I want to retire to the DR, it appears that we need to show $2k per month in pension (still not clear if that's for one or both) or $200k in real-estate investment. In U.S. dollars. We are Canadian, so that works out to $2.7k Cdn or $276k investment. Well...... we make $2k per month and have $300k in the bank - Canadian. So, if we make the investment, it would pretty much clean us out. If we rent, then we're good for a couple of decades.
And to really make it confusing, it appears that having $300k in the bank doesn't seem to matter, as they say that we need to show $2.7k Cdn per month from "a pension".

So, the idea came to us to just simply 'over-stay', but then we can't get a driver's license. This is wildly aggravating. Anybody have any thoughts or solutions?
-@davedoeslife

To qualify for retirement via pension, it has to be from a pension.  Not what you make from earnings. It is unclear if when you say you make 2K per month if that is from a pension. $1,750 US a month is enough for a married couple from what I posted above. Other  earnings are not included in the calculation of your pension.

To qualify for investment, I believe that investment must be into a company, not just buying a house for that money in that other version of qualifying for legal residency

If you have no way to qualify for residency legally, you can risk driving on your Canadian license "forever" and just paying the exit fines for overstaying each time you leave the DR.  If  you want, you can take such risks and be illegal after the first 30 days each time you enter the DR.   People insist their insurance pays them after accidents no matter how long they drive on foreign licenses.  That kind of decision is up to you.  You never know if the DR government will actually care about such people.

@windeguy  Thanks for the info. I had gone over this info previously, which only raised another issue. Particularly item #3. If I'm applying for a residence visa, how am I supposed to provide a valid Residence Visa with the application?

3- valid residence visa (RS), issued at the Dominican consulate of your country of origin or residence.

Your first step is to collect the required documents and apply for the "residency visa". Once that visa is issues you have 60 days to come here and apply for residency.  That is the second step!

Here is the link for investing 200K US to be a legal resident. It is not about buying a house:

https://migracion.gob.do/en/servicio/in … t-quality/

1- residence application form for investment: this will be completed on our DGM services portal.

2- Letter from the company authorized to belong to the investment residence program, where it asks the foreign investment section of the foreign department to incorporate its investor, or shareholder into the investment residence program. in this case, the company must also present, act of the competent body or board of directors in accordance with its statutes, in original, duly endorsed by the chamber of commerce of the registered office, notarized and visa at the attorney general’s office of the Dominican Republic, where you specify your status as a shareholder of the company, commercial register and last 3 financial statements.

3-certified proof of the corresponding institution depending on the regime to which the investment is accepted:

3.1. of the register of foreign direct investment issued by CEI-RDor the institution designated for such purposes in the Dominican Republic.

Direct investors: companies established in the Dominican Republic that have received a contribution to their capital, from abroad, for a minimum amount of US $ 200,000.00, or its equivalent in national currency. Said contribution may be made in currency, in nature, in financial instruments or in technology, under the forms established in Law 16-95 of foreign investment. said investment must have been registered with the export and investment center of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD), or otherwise be in the process of registration.

3.1.1. In the case of investments made in financial instruments, the investor must deposit a certificate issued by the depository bank of the financial instrument.

@windeguy Thanks for the info. I had gone over this info previously, which only raised another issue. Particularly item #3. If I'm applying for a residence visa, how am I supposed to provide a valid Residence Visa with the application?
3- valid residence visa (RS), issued at the Dominican consulate of your country of origin or residence.
-@davedoeslife

You start the process in your home country at the DR Embassy there. They will review your documents and see if you have what is needed to qualify and if all is good from what they can tell will provide the residency visa in your passport which allows you to enter the DR and start the process for legal residency which has to be done within 30 days of entering with that visa.

I would start with talking to your local embassy to see if there is a way for you to qualify. 

If you have the pension income to qualify, it should be a straight forward process. Contact Lishali - she is the best!

Hi, this is an active topic for sure. Passive income... ok so we own 2 businesses in Canada, and those businesses generate around 120,000. One is an international web design and hosting business the other is a vacation rental business. They are both online and we are active in them but don't draw a salary. We also have a long-term rental property we have owned for 10 years. rent is not 2000 a month, it's a family member 800 month. I suspect we don't qualify LOL Passive income is so vague a statement! I don't want to live here full time I like my businesses and I like living in Canada. I do want to drive here and own property and build a house!

So passive income is pretty well defined.  In your case I strongly suggest you contact the lawyer many of us have recommended. She will clarify how you qualify legally!  Lishali (Lilly) Baez libaezm@gmail.com is the one to speak with!

defined... maybe in text, but the reality of those items they list are not usually a monthly deposit into a bank account, dividends are usually paid quarterly, and gains from shares are paid if and when you sell them, might as well be playing the slots at a casino, there is nothing constant in stocks! LOL I will be talking with Lishali, I'm just trying to get my head around what they see as a secure steady income. Gov pension is the most secure but that can change also, look at what France wants/needs to do to stay solvent! This is not the only country that looks for this stuff, I just never really worried about it as renting was a good way to spend time in many places, and buying opens different doors that need to be understood and dealt with!

@michael7014 Of course nothing in life is certain but death and taxes.  The DR just has some hurdles to overcome for being a legal resident here. 

Not everyone can clear those hurdles and they may not make sense to everyone, but you can indeed find out if you can qualify by talking to people who can explain it based upon your particular information.

Dividends are not always steady so not sure they qualify. Capital gains definitely do not qualify as they can easily become capital losses.

Lishali will help you!

@WillieWeb Maybe someone who is fluent in Spanish should post the link and what text we (snowbirds) should post for them to read? I don3't think posting in from google translate spanglish is what they want to see or read LOL

x@GuestPoster3024 I tried repeatedly to fill out te form in that link and could never get it change pages when selecting next. I finally gave up and paying when I leave. I hope it doen3't affect my next visit. Question is can I get the extension when I arrive for the full 120 days and pay at that time?

Exactly! I made this point when I began this topic. The money comes from tourism not people spending money at Jumbo. The argument is, we buy homes etc but that money goes to a select group and stays within. The Dominican country does not depend on overstay fees or the money we spend.
-@jaya108

@jaya108 Not exactly true, we spent 12,000 Cad for 2.5 months in a rental home! A hotel tourist pays max 5000 for a week or 2 and doesn't spend much in the local economy,  The resorts are foreign-owned and pay crap wages to locals. We bought food locally in Cabrera which is a local town, we used local transit, and eat at locally owned restaurants. We purchased land to build a home, hired a lawyer, and local contractor, and will have local care for the property while we are there and away. I see a lot of money coming out of our pockets compared to when we traveled to all-inclusive resorts in the past. Large volumes of people staying at a resort do have its merit but so do people deciding to stay here for extended times but not really desiring to be a resident!

@WillieWeb Maybe someone who is fluent in Spanish should post the link and what text we (snowbirds) should post for them to read? I don3't think posting in from google translate spanglish is what they want to see or read LOL
-@michael7014

You understand that all of us are volunteers here right?   Maybe you can go ahead and translate this?  Not anyone's responsibility here to do this.  LOL

x@GuestPoster3024 I tried repeatedly to fill out te form in that link and could never get it change pages when selecting next. I finally gave up and paying when I leave. I hope it doen3't affect my next visit. Question is can I get the extension when I arrive for the full 120 days and pay at that time?
-@michael7014

It should not effect your next visit.    You can get the extension within the first  30 days and it covers you for up to 120 days honey!

So in actual fact its a mixture of  resort style tourism and  longer stay tourism.  Each contribute in their own way.

Neither is better than the other as there are pros and cons to both!   However, the volume is clearly in resort style tourism, sheer numbers!

What bank should I keep my money

I spoke to an Imigracion officer back in November when I went back to Boston for few days. I asked him the question about the overstayed if affecting my residency status  he said “as long as we pay the fines when leaving the DR we are good” not sure if that is for Americans. Not sure if works for all nations coming into the DR.

Can we pay the overstay fee in US cash at the airport? Thanks