Immigration and Overstay Issues

    [link under review]
Trying again.  I hope this image accompanies this message.  If not I will try to add after.  A friend of mine was just passing through SDQ and got this from an immigration official.
   

    -@flgman1966

What was the gist of it?

@Oscarsahony Sanchez

You paid this amount for the visa? was there a lot of paperwork? my residence is in progress, but is slow. I would like to get a visa as I like following the rules as much as I can there to avoid expensive situations.. was there a lot of paperwork involved? do you have to do the whole thing with your birth certificates and get them notarized and submit the docs to them?

If your residency is in progress then why would you need a visa?  I am not following.

I would like to send the image so that you all can see it in Dominican Letterhead.  If this doesn't work I will attempt to post the text only.

That doesn't look right either.  Well if there is no image I will copy and post the text.  The document is better though because it is on Dominican Letterhead.

Sorry, didn't realize that the discussion went on to another page so posted same message twice.  Here is the text.  It is in Spanish and less organized than on original.

9001

CERTIFIED/ ORGANIZATION

REPUBLICA DOMINICANA

MINISTERIO DE INTERIOR Y POLICIA

DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE MIGRACIÓN "Año del Fomento de la Vivienda"

TASA POR EXCESO DE ESTADÍA O PERMANENCIA

Artículo 40 de la ley 285-04 sobre migración y el artículo 81 del Reglamento 631- 11 de aplicación de la ley.

a) Formulario debidamente llenado y firmado

b) Copia del Boleto Aéreo o Ticket de Embarque.

c) Presentar Pasaporte original

d) 2 Copia de la carita del pasaporte donde están los datos personales.

e) 2 Copia de la última entrada al país.

COSTOS DEL SERVICIO

ESTADIA TIEMPO

TARIFA VIGENTE

30DÍAS A 90 DÍAS

RD$ 2,500.00

3 A 9 MESES

RD$ 4,000.00

9 A 12 MESES

RD$ 5,000.00

12 A 18 MESES

RD$ 6,500.00

18 A 24 MESES

RD$ 8,000.00

24 A 30 MESES

RD$ 9,500.00

30 A 36 MESES

RD$ 11,000.00

36 A 48 MESES

RD$ 16,000.00

48 A 60 MESES

RD$ 20,000.00

6 AÑOS

RD$ 30,000.00

7 AÑOS

RD$ 40,000.00

8 AÑOS

RD$ 50,000.00

9 AÑOS

RD$ 60,000.00

10 AÑOS

RD$ 70,000.00

GEXER

NOTAS:

✓ A partir de los diez (10) años, cada año o fracción, aumentaráRD$ 5,000.00

✓ Este pago no supone una prorroga que autorice al nacional extranjero a permanecer en el país.

DIRECCION GENERAL DE MIGRACIÓN Departamento de Extranjería. 809-508-2555 EXT. 2042-2043

Simply a pre pay of the overstay penalty with a lot of other hoops to jump through! It does not create a legal stay.

What are y referring to??

@T.DRRR My wife is a Dominican. Does that make any difference?

    @T.DRRR My wife is a Dominican. Does that make any difference?
   

    -@robertbrucegillies

did you have a specific question? if your wife is Dominican, you would apply for a reunification visa/residency rather than the investment/pensionado that most of us use.

@flgman1966

Question are these the current overstay rates?

I thought they went up?

Example;  I read somewhere 48 to 60 months was now 28k not 20k, could be wrong

@flgman1966 can you DM me the page document link? Where it was on the site please?

Is that possible?

This is the thread with the new overstay rates (2023) and a link to them:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1051091

@CHRISTOPHER DAVID56

How can I DM you?

    @CHRISTOPHER DAVID56
How can I DM you?
   

    -@flgman1966

Click on his name on one of his posts to open his profile. Then you will see an option to send a message.

by the time we depart, we will have been here 58 days. But this was made very clear when we arrived and nothing was said. I'm not envisaging any issues when I leave. Or should I?

Just pay the overstay fee!

    I am told that longer stay visas are on the table....  but I have been told this for some time now....  Fingers crossed they do something about it.
   

    -@planner

We are still waiting on those longer stay options that harmonize staying , driver's license legality, etc, more than four years after your above post.  It is obviously at the lowest priority level so the exit fines for overstying a tourist card remain in place.

For sure they keep passport in and out information in a database.  When I applied for naturalization I had to get the print out of that data passport in and out date from Migracion as one of the requirements.   

The cedula number from a driver's license is also in a database that is easily searchable. It can be searched when you got to renew a marbete for a vehicle by the person selling the marbete.

When the traffic police do routine stops, they use their cell phones to pull up your cedula picture to verify your license and residence/citizenship.  My wife has been shown her picture by DIGESETT officers during such stops.  That said, I know people that live here and drive forever on their foreign licenses without repercussion despite such licenses being valid for only 30 days.  They also don't have legal residency.  No motivation for them to become "legal" so far.  I have heard of people being fined for driving on foreign licenses over 30 days, but that is so rare.

In other words, the data bases are linked, but the laws are not enforced as written many times.

All of that is  true!  we are  moving forward at a snails pace for sure.    I cannot understand why they still have not made longer stay visas a higher priority!

My wife (who was born in DR and has US citizenship) and I are beginning a house build this year.  I plan to go in April to build fence, storage shed and if time prep for house build (excavate, septic, etc).  After seeing this thread I was thinking of limiting my stay to 30 days to be extra safe.  Is this 30 calendar days after the entrance date?  i.e. I must leave on or before 2 weeks and 2 days from the date I enter the country to be within 30 day visa?   My wife will get updated cedula process started (It has been decades since she had a Dominican passport) and I suppose I will apply for temporary residency via reunification rather than rentera, but  this could take a while.  If I want to stay longer (or when I need to during main build if temp residency visa isn't ready) would a one or two day trip to San Juan (or day trip to Haitian border if open and safe enough) be a workable way to get another 30 day visa?  Perhaps I'm worrying too much about this?  I did see Migracion website has a portal to apply for extension up to 120 days.  Has anyone here used this service?

tchenier,  don't over think this but be aware of the reality.  People from tourist card countries enter visa free for 30 days.  It is not a visa for them.  After that you are legally illegal, but so far hardly anything every happens to anyone but paying the overstay fine  when you leave.

Just don't cause any issues like car accidents,  Going to Haiti is not supposed to reset the time, but some say it does. Hmm, don't know for sure in that case.  Hint, Don't go to Haiti now.  Things are worse there for e every moment that passes/   

A trip to PR would definitely reset the time, but once again, don't overthink it. I know people from tourist card countries that live here full time without any legal residency.  Driver forever on US licenses, etc...

Poor WillieWeb has died. 

Any recent reports of frequent overstayers being turned away?

I know people that live full time in Cabarete and take a couple trips out of the DR each year returning only on tourist cards and never get questioned about their overstays.  They could not overstay more frequently for many months at a time and nobody seems to care.   

I have heard nothing recent either.  Maybe the govt is distracted by upcoming elections and the issues next door?

My opinion right now it's just a roll of the dice. So much happening as Planner mentioned

It has been a while since our last trip to the DR so I am sure things have changed. We are flying into Puerto Plata at the end of next month. We are not planning to overstay on our this trip, but I have a question that is not quite on topic, but I could not find a thread that matched. I believe there is a DR website for customs clearance that you need to complete in advance. If so, can someone please share? Or what is the process now to come into the DR? Thank you,

https://eticket.migracion.gob.do/?_gl=1 … YuNjAuMC4w

Thank you!!!

Wow, the form asks for the province, Municipality and Sector, but once I enter Puerto Plata as the province, there are no drop downs for the other two and the filed will not accept typing in Sosua or any other nearby city and it will not let me proceed with completing those two fields - very frustrating.

I should say it will not let me proceed without completing the other two fields.

    Wow, the form asks for the province, Municipality and Sector, but once I enter Puerto Plata as the province, there are no drop downs for the other two and the filed will not accept typing in Sosua or any other nearby city and it will not let me proceed with completing those two fields - very frustrating.        -@Expatlife4us

Pick the closest area.  It is not vital that your location be exact, but the dates and flight numbers need to be.  Sometimes a different browser/device/day make a difference.  Or even try "Desktop Mode" if you are on an Android mobile device.

@windeguy   My wife lives here, I come to visit every two months and stay 2-3 months and have never been questioned about overstaying.  I think they are happy collecting the overstay fees.

Thanks Uncle Buck, it worked when I tried it again and selected English, then the drop down options appeared.

As for coming and going and staying longer, I may try the overstay next year when I am retired and have more time, but I have mixed feelings about that as I certainly want to be respectful and legal. I doubt we will ever stay more than a couple of months each trip, maybe twice per year, but I want to be respectful. It would also be nice to meet members of the forum in the Sosua/Cabarete/POP area.

With that said, would my best option be to apply for a 60 or 90 day extended stay each time? Is there a limit to how many of those you can do each year of over a lifetime?

Can someone tell me if I am able to use my credit card or pesos to pay my overstay fee / fine when I fly on Saturday? I am have been here 8 months....

@Steverino7777

I think they now only accept debit and credit cards.

I would select PESO versus your normal country currency.

You will normally get a better exchange rate

Can someone tell me if I can pay my overstay fee / fine with a credit card ?

Yes

@Expatlife4us

When I filled mine out last year (2023), I chose Puerto Plata as the province, and El Batey as the sector/city.  My destination was Sosua.

@planner

So ture, I read that the goverment its working to implement a Nomad visa.   Hope they can get soon to implement, there are a lot travelers working remote.

    @planner
So ture, I read that the goverment its working to implement a Nomad visa.   Hope they can get soon to implement, there are a lot travelers working remote.
   

    -@Riva31

Where did you read that?

    @planner
So ture, I read that the goverment its working to implement a Nomad visa.   Hope they can get soon to implement, there are a lot travelers working remote.
   

    -@Riva31

I have not seen or heard anything at all about this being in the works!