I grew up in the Dominican Republic and therefore was a resident for most of my life. I have not lived in the DR since 2000 and my residency expired in 2002. I would like to return to the DR with my family but I was wondering what I would need to do in order to renew my residency and what I would need to get for my wife and kids whom have never lived in the DR.
You should allowed to renew just by paying the penalty for the renewal. If you had a temporary residency card the penalty will be RD$500.00 per month and RD$600 per month if you had a permanent residency permit, which you probably had if you lived in the country for a long time.
If you decide to apply for a new permit there is the chance the Immigration Department could pull up your old file, plus you must consider that would not qualify for a residency visa at this point.
There is the possibility that, because your file is so old, the Immigration Department may take a while locating the file, thus you will probably have to make more than the usual 1-2 trips.
Once you have renewed your residency card and c?dula, your wife and kids will qualify for a residency visa. They will have to go back to their country of origin to apply for the visa and gather all documents for a regular process.
Regards,