Calling all UK citizens fellow Brit looking for advice.

Caw

Newbie
Aug 1, 2016
4
0
0
Hi,

Firstly thanks for reading. I am moving to the DR on Friday and will be staying in Samana (Las Pascualas) for the first month while I get set up. I am a UK citizen so will be entering on a Tourist Card and then applying for residency in the country. This is what the Dominican Embassy UK website advises, along with every website and forum I have searched including legal ones - that is until finding this well hidden website. Reading posts on here (all from U.S citizens mind) it seems the process is a lot more difficult and way more expensive than the $165 figure that keeps popping up.

Has anyone on here done this themselves recently, if so how did you go about it?

Does anyone have any advice on the procedure. Specifically in finding a guarantor, as I know a grand total of zero people in the DR?

Secondly I will be looking for work, more to have something to do & meet friends than anything as I trade Forex so can make money anywhere with wifi. I am a healthy 24 year old and a SSI qualified scuba instructor. How easy would it be to get a job teaching tourists to dive? or just getting a job in the general tourism market? Preferably something active and sporty like taking tourists whale spotting, or working in a surf camp or kite surf rental place etc...

Last serious question, If residency turns out not to be an option how much is the overstay fee per month overstayed? Does it increase the longer you overstay - 1month, 6months, 1year etc? I cannot find this info anywhere on the web and I have done a lot of research.

Finally, Does anyone know if there are any half decent Boxing/Muay Thai/MMA/Fighting gyms of any kind on the northern coast close to Samana - I assume there are some in Santa Domingo?

Any advice you guys could give would be much appreciated.

Thank you.
 

Caw

Newbie
Aug 1, 2016
4
0
0
I have references incl. the Dominican Embassy UK website and Legal resources but the forum is not allowing me to post links. If anyone could tell me how I would like to include these for your consideration.

Thanks
 

AnnaC

Gold
Jan 2, 2002
16,050
418
83

tunafish

Newbie
Aug 1, 2016
1
0
0
Hi!
We are Dutch/Dominican family moving at the end of this month to Sosua.
In Dominican Consulate in Netherlands it was made very clear to me that OFFICIALLY I HAD to start residence paperwork in country of origin.
So I just completed the paperwork for it here in the Netherlands. Since my wife is Dominican it was not too hard.
I also heard that if you show up as tourist you could still do it locally with a lawyer.
Hope this info is helpful!
 

Expat13

Silver
Jun 7, 2008
3,255
50
48
Hi!
We are Dutch/Dominican family moving at the end of this month to Sosua.
In Dominican Consulate in Netherlands it was made very clear to me that OFFICIALLY I HAD to start residence paperwork in country of origin.
So I just completed the paperwork for it here in the Netherlands. Since my wife is Dominican it was not too hard.
I also heard that if you show up as tourist you could still do it locally with a lawyer.
Hope this info is helpful!

Welcome you are ahead of the curve as they are trying to transform Sosua into a family tourist location. To see more on this just do a forum search for Sosua.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
It is my understanding, as others have stated and posted, that residency must now be started in your home country at the nearest Dominican Republic embassy to where you live.
There seem to be many obsolete web site references that incorrectly state that residency can be started in the DR.

Contact the closest Dominican Republic embassy to your home country to find exactly what really needs to be done, so you don't cost yourself the return trip back to your home country.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
To the OP, I would never recommend anyone come here with the need to work. Teaching tourists to Scuba would mean you have to have the proper residency permit to work. If you go the overstay fee route, you would be illegal. And such jobs, with the possible exception of Kite Surf instructor, usually pay a pittance. Cabarete is the place for Kite Surfing and surfing, by the way.
Good that you have a chance to make money gambling on FOREX rates. Is that a sure thing for you to make money? As for the type of gym you want to find, no idea if there is one near where you will be.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
63
As has been pointed out residency has to be started at the embassy in London in your case, although it makes sense to come here on a tourist card first to see if you want to stay long enough to go through the hassle and expense of residency. Remember there are also a list of qualifications you need to be a resident and working on line with Forex is not one of them. You need to have investments in the country, be married to a Dominican, be a pensioner or in receipt of rental/investment income or have a contract of work here. there are dive schools in Samana and las Terrenas but I think they are PADI and not SSI. Scuba diving instructor salary is not too bad - when I was last an instructor here which was 10 years ago it was around US$1,000 a month or more. If you do get a job then you can apply for a work visa in the country which will mean you can stay legally until and if you decide to go for residency in which case you will have to return to the Uk to begin the process.

Matilda - fellow Brit
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
6,247
113
South Coast
As has been pointed out residency has to be started at the embassy in London in your case, although it makes sense to come here on a tourist card first to see if you want to stay long enough to go through the hassle and expense of residency. Remember there are also a list of qualifications you need to be a resident and working on line with Forex is not one of them. You need to have investments in the country, be married to a Dominican, be a pensioner or in receipt of rental/investment income or have a contract of work here. there are dive schools in Samana and las Terrenas but I think they are PADI and not SSI. Scuba diving instructor salary is not too bad - when I was last an instructor here which was 10 years ago it was around US$1,000 a month or more. If you do get a job then you can apply for a work visa in the country which will mean you can stay legally until and if you decide to go for residency in which case you will have to return to the Uk to begin the process.

Matilda - fellow Brit

Matilda, I think those salaries have plummeted since you were diving. Mr. AE's brother is a master diver, speaks English. He was hired by the people who do the diving instruction in Juan Dolio and Boca Chica, when he actually moved out there to start work the salary magically changed. He said that even a Dominican couldn't live on it, he came back to Santo Domingo and got a 'regular' job.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
113
A simple question for you:

Do you have a 90 day residency visa from a Dominican Consulate/Embassy in the UK, stamped in your passport?

If not, what you have read is incorrect and you will not be permitted to apply for residency after arriving in the Dominican Republic. This residency visa from the UK is required before you may submit an application for Residency with the Immigration dept. here.

If you do not have this, you may still of course come and enter on a tourist visa card, but you may not legally work, legally reside here long term and will have to return to the UK, probably for a protracted period of time, to gather documents and begin the proper Residency process at some point in the future.
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
Hi,

Firstly thanks for reading. I am moving to the DR on Friday and will be staying in Samana (Las Pascualas) for the first month while I get set up. I am a UK citizen so will be entering on a Tourist Card and then applying for residency in the country. This is what the Dominican Embassy UK website advises, along with every website and forum I have searched including legal ones - that is until finding this well hidden website. Reading posts on here (all from U.S citizens mind) it seems the process is a lot more difficult and way more expensive than the $165 figure that keeps popping up.

Has anyone on here done this themselves recently, if so how did you go about it?

Does anyone have any advice on the procedure. Specifically in finding a guarantor, as I know a grand total of zero people in the DR?

Secondly I will be looking for work, more to have something to do & meet friends than anything as I trade Forex so can make money anywhere with wifi. I am a healthy 24 year old and a SSI qualified scuba instructor. How easy would it be to get a job teaching tourists to dive? or just getting a job in the general tourism market? Preferably something active and sporty like taking tourists whale spotting, or working in a surf camp or kite surf rental place etc...

Last serious question, If residency turns out not to be an option how much is the overstay fee per month overstayed? Does it increase the longer you overstay - 1month, 6months, 1year etc? I cannot find this info anywhere on the web and I have done a lot of research.

Finally, Does anyone know if there are any half decent Boxing/Muay Thai/MMA/Fighting gyms of any kind on the northern coast close to Samana - I assume there are some in Santa Domingo?

Any advice you guys could give would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

WOW! Sorry, but you don't seem to have a solid idea of how things work in the DR. First, if you are leaving Friday and do not have your required documents stamped and approved and translated into Spanish you may want to reconsider your departure date. If you don't have these documents and plan on getting residency to work than I would not plan on leaving on Friday. Secondly you will also need a set a fingerprints done and a criminal record report done in your home country. You will not be able to work legally without residency. Do you have any Spanish language skills? It will be difficult to get any job if you are not bi-lingual. The $165usd probably refers to the cost of filing fee at the DR Consulate for your documents. It will cost you between $1000-1500usds to hire an attorney in Santo Domingo and walk your paperwork through the system. You will not be able to do it without one. Any particular reason you are staying in Samana City vs. Las Terrenas. Las Terrenas has many more European ex-pats and a lot more tourist activity. As far as getting a job it will be difficult for a Gringo unless you know someone from Great Britian or France or Germany to hire you. Unless you own a business employees are mainly Domincian or Haitian. The average Domincian worker makes $300usd per month. Not much. Sorry to burst your bubble but without more knowledge of what to expect you will be fighting a long learning curve and a difficult transition to island life. Good luck and good travels.
 

KateP

Silver
May 28, 2004
2,845
6
38
Looks like the DR Embassy in the UK's website hasn't been updated in a few years. The only website I trust to be up to date (give or take a few days) is www.migracion.gob.do .
 

KITTU

Member
May 13, 2015
212
9
18
Hi,

Firstly thanks for reading. I am moving to the DR on Friday and will be staying in Samana (Las Pascualas) for the first month while I get set up. I am a UK citizen so will be entering on a Tourist Card and then applying for residency in the country. This is what the Dominican Embassy UK website advises, along with every website and forum I have searched including legal ones - that is until finding this well hidden website. Reading posts on here (all from U.S citizens mind) it seems the process is a lot more difficult and way more expensive than the $165 figure that keeps popping up.

Has anyone on here done this themselves recently, if so how did you go about it?

Does anyone have any advice on the procedure. Specifically in finding a guarantor, as I know a grand total of zero people in the DR?

Secondly I will be looking for work, more to have something to do & meet friends than anything as I trade Forex so can make money anywhere with wifi. I am a healthy 24 year old and a SSI qualified scuba instructor. How easy would it be to get a job teaching tourists to dive? or just getting a job in the general tourism market? Preferably something active and sporty like taking tourists whale spotting, or working in a surf camp or kite surf rental place etc...

Last serious question, If residency turns out not to be an option how much is the overstay fee per month overstayed? Does it increase the longer you overstay - 1month, 6months, 1year etc? I cannot find this info anywhere on the web and I have done a lot of research.

Finally, Does anyone know if there are any half decent Boxing/Muay Thai/MMA/Fighting gyms of any kind on the northern coast close to Samana - I assume there are some in Santa Domingo?

Any advice you guys could give would be much appreciated.

Thank you.


Hiii,
You have to start the process of resideny in UK itself... Wait Belgium, of what i heard recently cos the dominican embassy in UK is moving to Belgium. An english friend of mine went back to London to get her dominican resiency in order and she had to go to belgium to apply for the process as the embassy for UK has been moved to Brussels. Please verify this information anyways.
good luck.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
113
Moving to another country in 5 days and just now asking for additional info? Doesn't smell right to me. Could be a Meemselle type procrastinator...

Either the OP is not gong to be happy with the info and we'll never hear from them again or we've been had...
 

Expat13

Silver
Jun 7, 2008
3,255
50
48
Moving to another country in 5 days and just now asking for additional info? Doesn't smell right to me. Could be a Meemselle type procrastinator...

Either the OP is not gong to be happy with the info and we'll never hear from them again or we've been had...

I think we have been had... and i just spoke to a Dominican lawyer who says I have a case here. She quoted me $1500 and she feels she will be able to return me the 5 minutes of my life I wasted reading these posts. Of course there is no guarantee and i must pay up front.
 

Stefan1983

New member
Nov 6, 2013
77
0
0
Hey bud,

As you have that freedom of working online it doesn't seem that you have to get your papers done right away. Come here, live for a couple of months, see if you like and if you do you go back to your country, pay the exit fee and do your papers then.
We had a young Brit in our hotel the last months who bought land in El Limon and is opening an Ecolodge. He started building 2 weeks ago, he is on facebook search for Samana Eco Lodge.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
63
Matilda, I think those salaries have plummeted since you were diving. Mr. AE's brother is a master diver, speaks English. He was hired by the people who do the diving instruction in Juan Dolio and Boca Chica, when he actually moved out there to start work the salary magically changed. He said that even a Dominican couldn't live on it, he came back to Santo Domingo and got a 'regular' job.

Dive masters' salaries are not in the same league as Instructors - whether you are Dominican or a foreigner. Dive masters do not teach people to dive but they may assist an instructor or take qualified divers on a dive. Most Divemasters get paid around RD$10,000 at most and some much less plus commission.
 
Jan 7, 2016
827
2
0
Sounds like the OP has gotten some very outdated and bad information about the process of obtaining Residency in the D.R. The $165 dollar cost he quotes, is only the cost of an individual Residency Application Visa, not including translations, apostiles, criminal background checks from Interpol, etc. The process is cumbersome, long, and frustrating to many who try it, especially without the help of a lawyer, such as Guzman Ariza, here in the D.R. The process HAS to be STARTED in the HOME COUNTRY of the individual seeking Residency.
 

drstock

Silver
Oct 29, 2010
4,502
2,086
113
Cabarete
I'm a UK citizen, started the Residency process last year and have now completed it. Don't worry about the fact that you are arriving here without having started the process, because it is too late now and you will just have to go back to start it when you can. I stayed quite a long time before starting the process but really wanted to get a DR driving licence, for which you need Residency. Before getting Residency you just have to pay overstay fines when you leave the country.

What I did, and what I advise you to do, is to contact a recommended lawyer here, such as Guzman Ariza, and let them tell you what to do. They will probably agree to act as guarantors - my lawyer here (not GA) did.

The bad news is that the process is quite expensive - about $1,000 lawyers fee for me, plus air fares etc.

When I did it last year, the Dominican embassy in London was open, so I don't know if it is true that it has been closed and the nearest is in Belgium. It could be another bad result of the dreaded Brexit.