Double nationality overstay fees.

suarezj519

Member
May 14, 2014
115
1
18
Hi guys,

So back in December 2015 I flew in to SDQ as an American citizen. I finally finished all my paper work to get my Dominican citizenship in February and now have a Dominican Cedula and Birth certificate. I'm flying out soon back to the states, and I wanted to know will they give me any hassle at the airport for overstay fees. I think it's 4000? Can I just flash my Cedula or birth certificate and that will be fine or will I have to pay? I need to know ASAP. Thanks.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
113
If you don't leave using the same passport you did when you arrived, it is likely that there will be no record of your US passport leaving the country. The fines will continue to increase based on your entry date until you use that passport to leave the DR. If you use your US passport to enter the country in the future, there could be a few questions and a payment required to reset the situation.

2nd point - To book an airline ticket, you need a passport #. To check in for your flight, you need to show a passport. As a Dominican citizen travelling to the US you need to show a Dominican passport with a USA visa in it. All of the screening steps from check in to sitting down on the plane are an attempt to ensure that only authorized passengers actually get on the plane. Everyone knows you need a passport to enter the US. The airline will want to see one, immigration will want to see one and they will want to see your passport when you are walking down the jetway to the aircraft. The passenger manifest with your passport number will be sent to the the US before the plane taxis to the runway.

I suppose anything is possible, but I would be very surprised if you can get through immigration using just a cedula. If you have a DR passport, then you can come and go on that although I don't know why you would want to since travelling as a Dominican would require a visa and you already have a passport that precludes that nightmare.

3rd point - You know you owe money. Be an upstanding DR citizen and pay what you owe. The DR doesn't need any new scam artists so don't be one. As a new citizen, this will be your last opportunity to throw cash at immigration., enjoy it. Your chances of encountering an obstacle is best at SDQ because of the computer system in use at that airport these days. There is a better than good chance that immigration is going to want to swipe a passport into that new computer system as you pass through.
 
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AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
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South Coast
You will be fine. My husband uses his American passport to come and go, and only needs to show his cedula at immigration when he leaves.
 
Feb 7, 2007
8,005
625
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Of course no money needs to be paid. You use your foreign passport and show c?dula. The first time it may take a bit longe runtime they link both of your profiles. Same goes for children with dual nationality, as I have first hand experience with it.
 

CNSIERRA

New member
Apr 11, 2016
27
0
0
Cdn-gringo, his dominican passport will states his place of birth which is the usa so no questions ask. My daughter
was born in the usa and she now has dual citizenship and the last time that she went to the states after being her
for over 3 months she didn't have to pay because she use her dominican passport as well as coming back in.
Your passport states your place of birth and nationality.
 
Jan 7, 2016
827
2
0
My Cedula states that I was born in California, which matches the information on my U.S. Passport...come and go as I please with no fees other than the ticket.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
3,480
732
113
An interesting scenario played out at SDQ with a Condor flight to Frankfurt last week. A Swiss mother and her two Dominican born children of a Dominican father.

When at immigration she presented three Swiss passports and one residency card for the mother. The immigration officer noted that there was no entry stamp in the kids passports, even though place of birth stated Dom Rep. The mother was told that there would be an overstay fine. I don't know the exact amount, but it was quite hefty. So the mother produced the kids Dominican passports.

The immigration officer then asked for a letter of authority from the father to allow the children to travel with just one parent. The mother didn't have it. She was refused exit and the plane was delayed while they looked for their luggage!
 

RV429

Bronze
Apr 3, 2011
1,574
1
36
This is clearly a case of the Immigration Officer busting her chops but I suppose he has the right.

But importantly, this points out the extreme importance of the "First Stamp" out of the D.R. Very important!

An interesting scenario played out at SDQ with a Condor flight to Frankfurt last week. A Swiss mother and her two Dominican born children of a Dominican father.

When at immigration she presented three Swiss passports and one residency card for the mother. The immigration officer noted that there was no entry stamp in the kids passports, even though place of birth stated Dom Rep. The mother was told that there would be an overstay fine. I don't know the exact amount, but it was quite hefty. So the mother produced the kids Dominican passports.

The immigration officer then asked for a letter of authority from the father to allow the children to travel with just one parent. The mother didn't have it. She was refused exit and the plane was delayed while they looked for their luggage!
 
Feb 7, 2007
8,005
625
113
An interesting scenario played out at SDQ with a Condor flight to Frankfurt last week. A Swiss mother and her two Dominican born children of a Dominican father.

When at immigration she presented three Swiss passports and one residency card for the mother. The immigration officer noted that there was no entry stamp in the kids passports, even though place of birth stated Dom Rep. The mother was told that there would be an overstay fine. I don't know the exact amount, but it was quite hefty. So the mother produced the kids Dominican passports.

The immigration officer then asked for a letter of authority from the father to allow the children to travel with just one parent. The mother didn't have it. She was refused exit and the plane was delayed while they looked for their luggage!

A similar situation happened to me last year when i was traveling with my daughter to Colombia. What happened to this woman was a carbon copy. Her European passport. Ah overstay fee. No she was born in DR. Shown DR passport. Ah permission letter... * But I knew my rights and the law and insisted that he was wrong. He tried to call supervisor but at 6 am on Sunday morning... (you can imagine). Finally he let us go. Upon return I reconfirmed with supervisor that "my side" was right and that officer was wrong. That was last year June. When I traveled with her in December to Europe I called SD office to reconfirm nothing had changed, and also went to the airport to speak to the supervisor (no need for permission letter if traveling on dual nationality foreign passport, and no overstay fee if dual nationality and DR nationality can be proven). Even got one officer's whatsapp number (quite cute) to contact her if there is a problem and the officer on duty that day would give me a hassle.

The immigration officer was WRONG and she should have known better. The law is on her side, and every time I travel I make sure that I check with immigration in SD the law (or policy) had not changed.

Since this year they again give the blue slips when you enter with the child on foreign passport, so that is again the "security insurance" for cases like this. Blue slip is a get-out-of-jail free card (well, get out of the immigration counter to board the flight) as that one by default removes the need for the Permission letter.

* http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/151404-New-exit-procedure-leaving-with-minors

What you guys need to do in situation like this, is call SD office, reconfirm no need for permission letter, get the name of the person you speak with, write it down along with the extension number, and if faced at the airport with the issue, use this information, insist on speaking with supervisor if necessary, and I am sure the supervisor would not want to be dragged into the office of his boss for not complying with the official rule/procedure. Just be respectful, but insistent on your rights.
 
Last edited:
Feb 7, 2007
8,005
625
113
Just to make sure it's clear, that applies in situations of child's dual nationality and traveling on foreign passport. Though I am not traveling in the near future, I will call SD immigration office to reconfirm the policy is still in place.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
3,480
732
113
A similar situation happened to me last year when i was traveling with my daughter to Colombia. What happened to this woman was a carbon copy. Her European passport. Ah overstay fee. No she was born in DR. Shown DR passport. Ah permission letter... * But I knew my rights and the law and insisted that he was wrong. He tried to call supervisor but at 6 am on Sunday morning... (you can imagine). Finally he let us go. Upon return I reconfirmed with supervisor that "my side" was right and that officer was wrong. That was last year June. When I traveled with her in December to Europe I called SD office to reconfirm nothing had changed, and also went to the airport to speak to the supervisor (no need for permission letter if traveling on dual nationality foreign passport, and no overstay fee if dual nationality and DR nationality can be proven). Even got one officer's whatsapp number (quite cute) to contact her if there is a problem and the officer on duty that day would give me a hassle.

The immigration officer was WRONG and she should have known better. The law is on her side, and every time I travel I make sure that I check with immigration in SD the law (or policy) had not changed.

Since this year they again give the blue slips when you enter with the child on foreign passport, so that is again the "security insurance" for cases like this. Blue slip is a get-out-of-jail free card (well, get out of the immigration counter to board the flight) as that one by default removes the need for the Permission letter.

* http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/151404-New-exit-procedure-leaving-with-minors

What you guys need to do in situation like this, is call SD office, reconfirm no need for permission letter, get the name of the person you speak with, write it down along with the extension number, and if faced at the airport with the issue, use this information, insist on speaking with supervisor if necessary, and I am sure the supervisor would not want to be dragged into the office of his boss for not complying with the official rule/procedure. Just be respectful, but insistent on your rights.

Yes it was interesting. Even the Condor handling agents were in the fray arguing on behalf of the Swiss mother. I wonder what kind of redress this woman has against this immigration officer if it the case that he/she was wrong? Could she sue or get compensation?
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
I got the letter of permission, better to be safe than sorry. As I said before though, they haven't asked for it the last couple of times.
 

suarezj519

Member
May 14, 2014
115
1
18
Okay guys so I think I got a good answer to my question, thanks so much. I also went over this with my father who's a Dominican now with us citizenship. He said what he does when he arrives and leaves, he fills out the Dominican forms and that he uses his US passport to get through. He doesn't have or use a Dominican passport anymore because there is basically no point if he has a US one. I will take money just in case. Because I KNOW they will try to give me some hassle. Also, I don't know if I need to start a new thread for this but does anyone here who has gotten Dominican citizenship from a parent or whatever reason had trouble opening bank accounts or putting anything in your name here? SUPPOSEDLY, what they told me at BHD is that my Cedula number does not appear in the system and I have to go to the JCE AND PAY...... almost 2000 pesos. Are you serious? After all I went through to get my citizenship.... :/. Well, I'm stubborn and definitely not going to pay. HR at my job just told me to wait it out.
 

airgordo

Bronze
Jun 24, 2015
750
0
0
An interesting scenario played out at SDQ with a Condor flight to Frankfurt last week. A Swiss mother and her two Dominican born children of a Dominican father.

When at immigration she presented three Swiss passports and one residency card for the mother. The immigration officer noted that there was no entry stamp in the kids passports, even though place of birth stated Dom Rep. The mother was told that there would be an overstay fine. I don't know the exact amount, but it was quite hefty. So the mother produced the kids Dominican passports.

The immigration officer then asked for a letter of authority from the father to allow the children to travel with just one parent. The mother didn't have it. She was refused exit and the plane was delayed while they looked for their luggage!

Just be aware for one thing, Been Born on the DR does not give Citizenship right, however IF the father is Dominican or legal resident then they are Dominicans...in that case they are and should have the letter from the fathers, birth certificates would also help
 

suarezj519

Member
May 14, 2014
115
1
18
Alright, so I can confirm if you just have a Dominican Cedula you're good to go. Just flash your Cedula with your foreign passport and just in case fill out foreigner and Dominican forms and you'll be fine.
 

cavok

Silver
Jun 16, 2014
9,531
4,046
113
Cabarete
Alright, so I can confirm if you just have a Dominican Cedula you're good to go. Just flash your Cedula with your foreign passport and just in case fill out foreigner and Dominican forms and you'll be fine.

Expat Dominican residents do not have to pay an overstay penalty, so I don't understand why you would(?). They just show their cedula.

A US citizen wit h dual citizenship is required to enter(and I believe leave, also)with his/her US passport.
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
When I first left this country with my (double nationality) children I had to pay the fee because they weren't yet registered here (born abroad). Later I had them registered here and got their birth certificates, never had to pay a fee again even though they fly with their European passports, neither the first time after getting their Dominican birth certificate.*