So I just came back from Migraciones on the Malecon and captured the unicorn of the DR: the tourist card extension. Unfortunately, they messed up my entrance date on the extension document and so I will have to return in a day or so while they redo the document.
For those that need it, it's quite simple: You go to Migraciones with a letter addressed to the Director General explaining why you need an extension. Bring a photocopy of the letter along with photocopies of your passport info page and your entrance stamp (this is where the confusion occurred...my stamp page had two entrance stamps, and they accidentally used the earlier one as my entrance date). Wait 3 weeks, and they will call you when your extension is (or is not) approved so you can go and pick up the document.
The document they give you is in Spanish legalese, and it left me with one big question. Essentially, it is not clear to me if I was granted an extension of 30 days or 60 days after my initial 30-day tourist period expires. The extension ("prorroga") is based on the following component of Dominican law:
Articulo 84, Parrafo 3 of the Ley Migratoria:
"En caso de ser aprobada la prórroga, la D.G.M. sólo podrá conceder una prórroga de
permanencia por sesenta (60) días. En caso de ser rechazada la solicitud, se procederá conforme
a lo que dispone la Ley y el presente Reglamento. Se exceptúan de esta disposición, los hijos de
dominicanos nacidos en el exterior."
Now, I am fairly fluent in Spanish, but the above clause is entirely ambiguous to me. That is, does the prorroga itself last for 60 days or does the prorroga function such that your entire stay including it is for 60 days? This would make the difference between a 90-day stay (initial 30-day stay + 60 prorroga days) or a 60-day stay (initial 30-day stay + 30 prorroga days). It all hinges on if "permanencia" in the above refers to the permenancia of your entire stay or the permanencia of your prorroga.
I would love if others, especially legal eagles, could chime in, as this nuance makes a big difference for me. I will be renting a car during my final week in the DR. As I understand it, should I be involved in an accident while on an expired tourist card, I will automatically be at fault for driving while "illegal", yes? This is literally the entire reason why I am trying to get this extension to cover my stay.
I will post the precise wording of the extension document when I get the updated version from Migraciones (I forgot to snap a photo of it before I handed it back for revision), but its wording more or less mirrored the migration law clause I have posted above.