Getting a DR Drivers License

That's an excellent question...we'll be needing to know the current information in February, when we'd hope to get a DR license.

Hope some of you smart guys or gals have some good information.

My information is old so may no longer be correct.  Let's have others respond and I will look for current info.

One thing that's not changed: you need residencia or a work visa to get a Dominican license.

As I remember, you can get a DR license by forfeiting your Cdn one
Americans = NO..... full application process

I chose to keep my Cdn license and get a separate RD one

Go to a driving school..... they will usher you through the process quickly

You can now access the Intrant virtual office online that offers an online manual.  You need to enter your cedula to access it.

https://intrant.gob.do/index.php/notici … e-conducir

If you don't have your cedula, you'll probably have to use one of the older manuals.

You can also have someone with a cedula download the PDF manual for you on the website.

My information is a couple of years old but at that time I was able to get a letter from the Canadian Consulate in SD that enabled me to get my DR license easily.  I did not have to forfeit my Canadian driver's license although it makes sense that you would have to and your Cedula is required. 

I don't remember the cost but let's say it was in the range of $100USD or a bit more...

No cedula, no license.

The truth is......

I have let my Cdn license lapse - didn't renew it..... why do I need it?
Or anyone for that matter?

The test here is not hard....

I remember when I did the test my Spanish wasn't great, the woman in charge told me what answers to choose!  She told me she was sure I was a better driver than Dominicans!

You don't really need much Spanish....the test is cartoon-like, Yes/No answers

I had the VIP..... assistance like you did
That's not allowed any more

I was tested but the road test was waived.... done in POP

Yes I can't imagine failing a driving test here. LOL  But you never know.   Denise and I will be taking the test soon. Wish us luck   

Keep us posted!!!

We just did our licenses last January. We followed the instructions an Expat had posted on Facebook, and they were spot-on.  He's recently posted that things have changed when his wife went to do hers, and she had to go through the test, but maybe her Canadian license was expired?  The quick breakdown is: have your valid Canadian license verified at the nearest Canadian Embassy/Consulate in the DR, with valid passport and residency; travel to Santo Domingo to Foreign Affairs to deposit the verification; go to Intrant and take a blood and eye test and receive your Dominican license, while keeping your Canadian one.  Of course, fees need to be paid at each step, prior to arriving, and you need to supply copies of your documents.  The Sosua Ban Reservas didn't have a clue what we were talking about, but the Consulate in POP took cash, and their is a Ban Reservas attached to Foreign Affairs in Santo Domingo.  The overall cost was a bit more than doing the test, but the benefit was a full license immediately, not a "learners" permit.  From what I understand, we Canadians are allowed to do it this way, because our documents don't get Apostilled, so we are essentially paying the DR State Department to do that service for us.  I think...

I can copy his post, if anyone would like?

The 'learner's' period is 45 days....

US licenses are totally state controlled... less uniformity
Cdn licenses (and other countries , I assume) are accepted as 'gospel'.

Easy way to get legal after cedula nd a trip to SD for the Embassy
POP Embassy won't do it ?

About two years ago my moto was taken away by the cops and had to be released from their storage compound. The gringo drivers license was no problem for them at all , but boy......all the rest was a Kafkaesque  nitemare of biblical proportions.

Are you eligible for a DR license Colonel?

Dont know, dont care, and it didnt matter.   Thats what the little kids say too that I see all around me driving their clapped out pasolas and motos at like 12 years old.

The POP Consulate did the certification of the Canadian licenses, but everything else had to be done in SD.

OK
That'll help people....

Thanks - I will go to the the Embassy in SD when there for picking up my renewed Temp Residency card....depending on the COVID-19 situation.....lol. Good info - thanks for the leads....I have no fear of any test but certainly want to know what is what to make things go as smooth as possible....

Always better to know with reasonable certainty what to expect.   Good luck to you.  Let us know your experience as that actually helps people!

I have checked with the Canadian Consulate in POP. They are only dealing with emergencies due to Covid concerns, so all Drivers License inquiries/processing needs to be done through SD.

Thanks for that info!

Thanks - when I return I will be only going to SD in order to pick up my renewed Temp Residency card so will attempt make an appointment. But no worries, by the time I get around to that, this COVID crisis should be degraded or gone. Won't be 2021 but by Aug 2022. Cheers.

Yup a bit in the future.

Hello, regarding getting a DR license. I'm a U.S. citizen and I have my residency. According to INTRANT you need: Certification from the Embassy or Consulate of the country of origin stating the validity of the applicant’s driving license, duly confirmed and legalized in the Dominican Foreign Ministry. I called the embassy and was told they don't do verification and suggested I contact INTRANT for requirements. To avoid running in circles has anyone had this problem, what is the correct procedure?  Is validity required from the embassy, and if so, who or what department handles it?

Easiest way is to find a driving school..... they'll help w/ everything

If you are from the US, the embassy validation doesn't apply! Our driver's licenses are issued by individual states, not the federal government, so the embassy can't do anything.

You have to either apply for your learner's permit and then two weeks later return for the test, or work through a driving school. We've heard (but have not yet done it ourselves), that if you pay the driving school, they can fast track it and make the process much easier. And if you know how to drive, you don't have to actually complete lessons!

Same applies to UK citizens. You have to go the Dominican route. Apply for provisional license which involved a theory test in Spanish. Wait a few weeks and then apply for full license and when I did that it was a short driving test on a track at the centre in Santo Domingo.

I believe they now use simulators. I also believe they now assess drivers for mental and physical ability to drive including for future renewals.

As a Canadian, our licenses are issued by the Province, equivalent to a State.  But our Embassy in Puerto Plata validates our license here.  I wonder what the semantics involved in that are?  But it allowed us to obtain a full Dominican license quicker.  Not easier, as it involves a trip to Santo Domingo to the State Department and then Intrant, but it was a better option than trying to pass the nonsense computer test.  We tried the practice test and the answers didn't make sense.  Apparently, you need 2 license plates, and all engines take 10W30 motor oil.  Not logical at all, so it prompted us to go the other route.

I am getting messages back from the CDN Embassy stating that they aren't doing this right now due to COVID.  My lawyer tells me that they share an office with the Mexican Embassy now and that everything is done by mail.  I am so confused.  I am now considering the online test which I am sure I could pass, however I don't want to do a road test in Nagua because I am unfamiliar with the area.  Will I have to do a road test?  Thank you.

Yes, a road test is required if you don't get your license validated by your embassy. From what I understand, you just drive around the block and parallel park - you are not driving through town.

I'm a great driver....but of course, parallel parking, the thing I do the least would be the one thing they do....especially in these streets where everyone is honking the horn if you are backing up.  Oh the joys!  LOL

Pay a driving school (escuala de chofers) to help w/ the process.

There will be no road test (at least wasn't for me) and you are 'VIP'ed" thru the system

excellent.  Thank you.  Recommendations for driving school in Las Terrenas, Samana or Nagua?

As far as I know, only one driving school in Las Terrenas.

Robert/Roberto 809.269.8680

You need one near where you renew.... Nagua probably for you.

They are all parked outside the office there

Just tell them you need 'ayuda' and pay them something

Got my license a couple days ago. Needed a copy of license verified by the consulate, then translated to Spanish, legalized and apostilled. Copy of passport and visa/residency. Go to INTRANT in Santo Domingo with this and tell them you're a foreigner. It was really quick. Got it in half an hour, no driving test required as long as you have a valid license from your country. Paid 1900 pesos for 4 years. Legalisation and apostilles were around 1400 pesos. Asked my lawyer to do it for me. Hope this helps.

farahshaniceali wrote:

Got my license a couple days ago. Needed a copy of license verified by the consulate, then translated to Spanish, legalized and apostilled. Copy of passport and visa/residency. Go to INTRANT in Santo Domingo with this and tell them you're a foreigner. It was really quick. Got it in half an hour, no driving test required as long as you have a valid license from your country. Paid 1900 pesos for 4 years. Legalisation and apostilles were around 1400 pesos. Asked my lawyer to do it for me. Hope this helps.

You are fortunate to be able to use that process! For those of us from the US, UK, and a couple of other countries, that is not an option. In the US, our driver's licenses are issued by individual states, so the consolute can't verify them.

planner wrote:

I remember when I did the test my Spanish wasn't great, the woman in charge told me what answers to choose!  She told me she was sure I was a better driver than Dominicans!

Indeed, Im sure too.   We also has some other drivers that when they drive aboard happend a miracle and they know how to drive correctly and do not break any law.

ddmcghee wrote:

farahshaniceali wrote:

Got my license a couple days ago. Needed a copy of license verified by the consulate, then translated to Spanish, legalized and apostilled. Copy of passport and visa/residency. Go to INTRANT in Santo Domingo with this and tell them you're a foreigner. It was really quick. Got it in half an hour, no driving test required as long as you have a valid license from your country. Paid 1900 pesos for 4 years. Legalisation and apostilles were around 1400 pesos. Asked my lawyer to do it for me. Hope this helps.

You are fortunate to be able to use that process! For those of us from the US, UK, and a couple of other countries, that is not an option. In the US, our driver's licenses are issued by individual states, so the consolute can't verify them.

Canadian licenses are issued by the individual provinces, so the same as individual states.  From my understanding, this process is available for Canadians simply because we are not part of the Hauge Treaty and therefore not part of the Apostilling process.  That being said, with the new process for Canadians getting their Residency Visa documents "authorized" before submitting them to the Dominican Embassy in Canada, this may make a difference for Canadians seeking to go this route for their Dominican driving license.  Time will tell.