Dominican residency is a very useful status to acquire for a variety of reasons: 1) It facilitates a number of business transactions in the D.R., including obtaining bank loans, buying real estate and applying for credit; 2) It makes one eligible for lower tuition at Dominican universities; 3) It permits one to work legally in the Dominican Republic; 4) One can take advantage of Law 14-93, Art. 13, and import most household goods duty free. In order to obtain Dominican residency, it is first necessary to obtain a residence visa. Even if one is already in the Dominican Republic under another kind of visa, such as a tourist card or tourist visa or business visa, a residence visa must be applied for and obtained before obtaining a provisional residence card, which is the final document certifying that one has valid Dominican residency. While in practice it is not necessary to be a legal resident to live in the
Dominican Republic, the principal advantage is that you will be able to import your household goods, most tax exempt, under Law 14-93. Residence Visa
In order to obtain a residency visa, a number of documents must be submitted to the Dominican consulate nearest the actual place of residency of the applicant, or if the applicant is already in the Dominican Republic, they may be submitted to the Secretariat of State for Foreign Relations of the Dominican Republic. The documents are the following: 1. Three 2" x 2" frontal photos of the applicant's face.
2. A completed Visa application Form 509.
3. A certification of good behavior issued by the Police Department of the applicant's original place of residence.
4. An employment agreement or, if a real estate investment has been made, a copy of the purchase agreement, or any other documentation proving the applicant's financial solvency in the Dominican Republic. The employment agreement must be registered with the Dominican Secretariat of Labor which will send a labor inspector to the place of work to determine work conditions and ensure that the foreign applicant is filling a position that a Dominican national cannot at the moment fill. The process of certifying the employment agreement is separate from that of applying for residency, and may take some time, in most cases, up to one month after filing the agreement with the Labor Department before one can proceed to file any documentation with the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
5. A letter of guarantee from a Dominican citizen, or legal resident of the Dominican Republic.
6. If a real estate investment has been made, a copy of the Presidential authorization if one had been obtained.
7. The results of a medical examination certified by a Notary Public and authenticated by the Dominican consul.
8. An original birth certificate of the applicant, translated into Spanish. Once the above documents are assembled, the file is complete and may be submitted to the Consular Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Avenida Independencia, some 300 meters east of the Santo Domingo Hotel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is housed in a former residence of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the former dictator.
The file eventually will be sent to the Intelligence Service of the Dominican Republic known by its acronym in Spanish, DNI. This department will schedule an interview with the applicant and his guarantor to determine the validity of the application. This is normally a routine matter which is to confirm the information already provided by the client to the government. Once this is done the file is then returned to the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs for further processing.
The entire process for obtaining the residence visa may take between two to three months, although some cases have been known to take as much as one year. Provisional Residence Card
After the residence visa has been issued, the applicant has 60 days within which to enter the Dominican Republic, or if already here, 60 days within which to submit an application for a provisional residence card. This application is submitted to the Dominican Immigration Department which normally takes some two to three months to process. It is valid for one year at the end of which time the applicant may submit a petition for a permanent residence card. Permanent residence cards must be renewed every year. If five years elapse after a permanent residence card has expired, the applicant loses his residency. The requirements for applying for a provisional residence card are the following: 1. Application Form C-1 Ref.
2. Two copies of the Residence Visa.
3. A copy of the applicant's birth certificate, translated into Spanish.
4. Four 2" x 2" frontal photos of the applicant's face.
5. Three 2" x 2" profile photos of the applicant's face.
6. A copy of the land purchase agreement, Certificate of Title issued by the Title Registry office or a copy of the employment agreement or other documentation proving the financial solvency of the applicant in the Dominican Republic.
7. A notarized letter from a Dominican citizen or a legal resident in the country, guaranteeing the Dominican government the financial support of the applicant during his or her stay in the country, including, if need be, the cost of repatriating the applicant.
8. The results of a physical examination, including a blood test
(V.D.R.L.), an HIV test and a chest x-ray, conducted by a medical doctor who is a citizen of the Dominican Republic.
9. Immigration Department excise taxes. Permanent Residence Card
Once the provisional residence card has expired, the applicant may then apply for a permanent residence card. The following documents are required in order to apply for the permanent residency card: 1. Sworn statement by two persons who bear witness to knowing the applicant in the country and that his conduct is in compliance with the laws of the country (plus three copies).
2. Letter of guarantee notarized by a local attorney to the effect that a Dominican citizen or resident will assume responsibility for the applicant while in the country (plus three copies).
3. Four copies of the residence visa issued by the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs for the provisional residency.
4. The original provisional residency card plus three copies.
5. A certificate of good conduct issued by the Dominican police plus three copies.
6. Six 2" x 2" photos, four of them frontal photos and two profile photos of the applicant.
7. The results of a physical examination, including a blood test (V.D.R.L.), an HIV test and a chest x-ray, conducted by a medical doctor who is a citizen of the Dominican Republic.
8. Bank letter certifying to an applicant's accounts in a Dominican bank.
9. Copy of an employment agreement, if an applicant is working in the Dominican Republic.
10. Application Form C-1 duly completed. |
