best documents for 2-3 month annual visit

[MikeFisher]

ww,
where is that rule/law written?
i would not know of any written passage in the law books, that allows driving under non-legal immigrations status with a foreign drivers license, doesn't matter how long or short the stay is.
of course there are visitors who can legally stay longer than the 30 days of a tourist card, without obtaining any residency.
for example the Visitor Visa is issued for 2 months/60 days.
work Visas can be issued for a leghtier period of time, here the drivers license is valid for the first 90 days, later on a dr license would be necessary.
according to the lady at the Banco de reservas office, where i have my insurances for the cars and boats and the biz-reliability insurances etc, my car insurance would be valid for a driver on a foreign drivers license for 90 days, starting with the date of entry to the country, for a foreign driver using my car free of charge(i would not be allowed to "rent" my private car under that insurance policy for money) IF that person is legally in the country. according to her (that's from a direct conversation in person, nothing in written words nor a link or such) the insurance not cover any costs if the car was driven by a illegal, as the drivers license of such would not be valid.
reading my own lines brings a new question, which i did not ask her:
does the DR license valid in case a resident let's his/her residency expire?

Mike

 

[MikeFisher]

i want to add to my above posting, that i received that info a couple years ago, the reason i asked those questions been that my baby sis and hubby visit us frequently for usually 3-5 weeks stays which they spend with us at our places, using our cars. mostly they are not even overstaying the tourist card 30 days, sometimes they stay a bit longer.

Mike

 

[Harleysrock]

Option 1!!!!!

 

[william webster]

Mike, I can't point to a specific law but we have said here for a long time that after 90 days a foreign license is no longer valid.

As Ban Reservas told you - 90 days for a visitor to drive your car seems to support the 90 day idea..

Maybe somebody who visits regularly for 2-3 months (and there a plenty) can fill us in on their experience.

It may (someday ) become a big issue as people visit for beyond 30 days...... along with many other issues.

In Fact, beyond leaving, there is no solution.... a cedula is needed for a license.
What do residency applicants do while they are in RD waiting for approval?

A morass is what this is !!!

 

[MikeFisher]

Mike, I can't point to a specific law but we have said here for a long time that after 90 days a foreign license is no longer valid.

As Ban Reservas told you - 90 days for a visitor to drive your car seems to support the 90 day idea..

Maybe somebody who visits regularly for 2-3 months (and there a plenty) can fill us in on their experience.

It may (someday ) become a big issue as people visit for beyond 30 days...... along with many other issues.

In Fact, beyond leaving, there is no solution.... a cedula is needed for a license.
What do residency applicants do while they are in RD waiting for approval?

A morass is what this is !!!

yes, ww, that 90 days rule exists, according to the insurance girlie, BUT only for persons which are legally here. no legal status no insurance, she was clear on that point. that means visitors on a Tourist Card can drive only the 30 days til expiration of the tourist card.
they def need a additional solution, like the often mentioned snowbird visa. such could even be combined by offering a "extended" Tourist card. the existing 30 days card for the normal tourists for the usual $10.- per piece, and give the option to extend it upon arrival for let's say additional $100.- or $150.- dollars to be valid a 4 months total. easy to obtain for snowbirds/mid term length visitors, easy administration as it can be done at the existing airport offices, by the same staff which cashes the overstay fees upon departure, just that it has to be done upon arrival, so the visitor moves on a legal immigrations status during all his/her stay. such would cover the vast mayority of visitors who stay for more than 30 days at a time.
and name the overstay "fees" what they really are, a Fine/punishment for violating the Immigrations Law. push it up starting with $500.- for the first few weeks of overstaying and take violations of several months or even years as a serious Law Violation with no easy fee purchase offered at all. give such extended tourist cards/visas the easy way without allowing any other activities than beeing a tourist visitor.

Mike

 

[malko]

Mike, I can't point to a specific law but we have said here for a long time that after 90 days a foreign license is no longer valid.

As Ban Reservas told you - 90 days for a visitor to drive your car seems to support the 90 day idea..

Maybe somebody who visits regularly for 2-3 months (and there a plenty) can fill us in on their experience.

It may (someday ) become a big issue as people visit for beyond 30 days...... along with many other issues.

In Fact, beyond leaving, there is no solution.... a cedula is needed for a license.
What do residency applicants do while they are in RD waiting for approval?

A morass is what this is !!!

Same as me, for years !!!! Just drive !!!
Nobody ever called me out when stopped, on my foreign DL....... only once, but he wanted a propina......

And insurance, always said they would cover me, and I was quite clear about the DL...... but I wouldnt bet my life on it......or my car.
BTW, my wife has never had a DL, dr or foreign, has always owned a jeeepeta in the dr, and has had a couple of claims ( they bought her a new jeepeta, even.....). Same as everything here. The law and light years apart, the application of said law.

 

[william webster]

It's a real tough one..... being called illegal after 30 days..... hard to make that stick, IMO

Look at Malko's wife --- NO LICENSE!! and she drives around....
how many of those moto boys are legal?

What's legal ??
That's the real question.
I don't buy the 30 day + rule..... just me

For sure they need clarification on the idea of the +30 day visitor..... who may even be a property owner !

 

[Adrian]

Regarding the validity of driving after 30 days when a tourist card has expired, this is the reply from Fabio Guzman in 2013.

1. How long is one permitted to drive on an international driving license?

Pursuant to Article 30.b of the Transit Law No. 241, foreigners in the Dominican Republic are allowed to drive with their international driver?s license for the first 90 days after their arrival. After that, they?d be subject to a 1000 peso fine.

2. Is it legal to drive on a foreign driving license for 90 days if the license holder's tourist card has expired?

The courts have not decided this issue. However, for practical purposes the answer is yes, since it is a known fact that the transportation authorities do not enforce immigration laws.

3. Might an insurance company have the legal right to refuse an insurance claim if the driver's tourist card has expired?

This does not usually happen. It depends on the terms of the insurance policy.


I am not able to create create a link to the whole thread but if you use the advanced search with the keywords "driving licence' and User Name "Adrian" you should find it.

Adrian

 

[AlterEgo]

Hopefully they honor foreign drivers licenses that Dominicans use. My husband's DR license expired in 1976 [what a hoot, it's paper with a small 1"x1" real photo glued on it] so he uses his NJ one.

A Dominican friend of his here in NJ was recently in DR, and tried to renew his old DR license. They told him that he had to start all over again with a learner's permit, and put him through the wringer running from building to building until he finally told them what they could do with their license.

I guess the moral is not to let anything expire in DR.

 

[william webster]

Thank you Adrian

we talk and talk about the 90 day 'rumor'..... glad to see it from a credible source

There you go, Mike..... your sister is safe.

And to the OP - you seem to be safe too.

Happy Motoring............

 

[ju10prd]

Thank you Adrian

we talk and talk about the 90 day 'rumor'..... glad to see it from a credible source

There you go, Mike..... your sister is safe.

And to the OP - you seem to be safe too.

Happy Motoring............

Remember OP driving on a foreign license needs to ensure his insurance cover includes "casa de conductore".

In the event of a significant accident involving third parties it is better to have the option to spend time in a hotel rather than local jail awaiting investigation of the said accident.

 

[william webster]

Before you buy that coverage, we should point out that only Sto Domingo and Santiago offer that service

No availability outside those major centers.............last I heard

 

[Harleysrock]

Before you buy that coverage, we should point out that only Sto Domingo and Santiago offer that service

No availability outside those major centers.............last I heard

They will come pick you up where you have an accident and take you to either Santiago or SD, so the service is still there you just have to travel.

 

[william webster]

I don't want to find out...... big trips for me.

Use the premium $$ to give to the local officer -- he might take me home.

 

[MikeFisher]

ww,
absolutely NOT.
Sis is not safe.
that topic above states clearly that all is UNCLEAR.
not ruled by a court.
"may need to check Insurance Policies" .....
nothing of that is a clear statement, nothing of this states it is allowed or not allowed.
and a insurance will sure run thru their fineprint(which i never read, honestly).
AE, i don't know about Dominican Nationals and driving on a foreign license, according to my lawyer a Resident is obliged to hold a DR license, the foreign license is not valid for a resident, not even 1 days after a newly arrival.
but such of course is always to be seen how authorities would handle a case, lol.
as for insurances, during all my life i learned to not mess with those gangsters, to not give them a chance for a loophole, as they would use it with a big smile telling you "sorry Sir".
as for "casa de conductor", the most important point for a foreigner driving here is to have the "Fianza/Bail" covered for 1.000.000.- Pesos, because according to a ex-judge(now lawyer) a judge will always set the bail for a foreigner on the maximum, which is 1.000.000.- Pesos, in case somebody got hurt in an accident. i know as hasslesome fact that for example the AVIS Full Coverage for the Touroperator's Representatvie Cars do only include a Fianza of 300.000.- pesos, so you have the cash to cover the missing 600K's or you stay in custody. a friend of mine had to find it out that way, he was under the impression that full insurance means "full/everything" on a company car. i had to sign a check to bring him home from the courthouse. that was already a few years ago, but i am not aware of significant changes on that theme the last years.

Mike

 

[william webster]

I think you're right... the statements are not totally supportive, but I think - as a practical matter- I would trust the statement.

Each of us has our own tolerance level/ comfort level of how we deal with whatever laws exist (or may exist)

As Buster Blowhard said a while back -- construct your day in a manner that will avoid confrontation or problems ( sumpin like that)

I do that, subconsciously, even choosing words to make sense of my feeble vocabulary.

Conduct yourself in a manner to 'stay clean'

Me? I'd go the 90 days and feel OK
Others? maybe not be so comfortable

As I said above... it's a morass.

tread carefully..........

 

[william webster]

OH, thanks for the 'Bail' comment....

Getting out of jail is better than being kept in a better jail..........IMO

 

[MikeFisher]

OH, thanks for the 'Bail' comment....

Getting out of jail is better than being kept in a better jail..........IMO

yep,
that's the important point.
and that preventional/investigational(whatsoevernamed) custody is not just some 48hrs thingy and all is done.
usual is, as it also happened in my buddy's case, that 6 months of such time frame is set by the judge. we had to ride for 6 months once per month to higuey to sign the book to proof that he is still in the country.
what happened as a accident could have happened to anybody:
he was at my place for dinner. on the short 15 minutes ride home(i live in Cabeza de Toro, he lived at that time in Pueblo Bavaro/Punta Cana) he stopped his AVIS rental car correctly on the right side(separate lane for parking, NOT in the middle of the road), it was somewhere shortly after 9:30PM if i remember correctly. he stopped the car, left the engine running, of course all lights front and tail been on and working. and the moment he opens the door it makes a big bang as a Motoconcho hit into the rear of the car, exactly in the middle, on high speed. according to other traffic the Bike had no light of any kind. the 16 year ole kid driving the bike went for a flight over the car and hit da road. luckily he went completely over the car and did not smash his Nuthead into the rear window or such. cops been called, Kid in hospital, so we went to the police station up in Veron. as i am well known there and drove there just in case with the DNCD head in town, they let my buddy drive home with us(saturday evening) under the promise to show up for the monday morning ride to higuey to appear in front of a judge. came out the kid lives in Veron nearby, mother been at Police right away to file a thousand complaints, 2 other car drivers also been there as whitnesses and stated that the bike had zero lights on and smashed without any reason into the correctly parked and well lighten car. monday morning we show up at the Police, load a guard with us in the Jeepeta and drive to the hearing in higuey. judge been convinced that my buddy is not at fault, good, but as a injured person was involved under medical attention(mother brought a paper which stated the son is in hospital, still, later that day i found out that he left the hospital after less than 45 minutes, the injuries been minor, no broken bones, just peeled off the skin all around), the judge ordered 6 !!!! months of investigational/preventive prison to give the "investigators" time to find out what happened, once the kid would be "out of hospital" and to give the Kid time to show up and file charges.
well, he set the bail to 1.000.000.- pesos, the AVIS Full Coverage insurance card showed Fianza de 300.000.- pesos, i signed a check for the missing 600.000.-(i got that one back in my hand under the table, different story for an other time) and it been ordered that my buddy had to sign the "book" at the courthouse every month(date been around the 15th). judge also ordered the passport to be taken(didn't happen at the end), not allowed to leave the country for 6 months.
what a fukcing mess for nothing bad done. park your car correctly and go to jail for that?
meanless to mention that kid and mother or whom ever from the family never showed up to claim anything. bike was nearly brand new, Mommie bought it so the son could make money as Motoconcho. no license plate, sure no insurance.
luckily the AVIS insurance did not care about such or who's fault it was, the damaged car been paid for, as the company has so many AVIS cars running, they would not mess with such deal.
we made it once a month a fun ride to higuey around the 15th, did for our both households some shopping loading up the car, and say hello to sign the book at the courthouse.
if my buddy would have had a travel planned for the next 6 months, that would have been canceled.
if he would not have had the full insurance, well, a new car costs some money.
without the 2 whitnesses and the Gringo without anybody well known in lil town, well, such nothing could have become costy and end ugly.
btw, nobody cared about any drivers license. from the police side it was all fine once they saw the full insurance card(sure thinking the family could make money for the messed up bike and would pass on a share of it, bad thought, nothing paid for the bike). but that was some years ago, before we had todays numbers of AMET at every corner.
the moral of the story:
always take your car insurance with the maximum available Fianza of actually 1.000.000.- pesos, as for a Gringo a judge will always agree to set the maximum of flightrisk.
that was all with o.k. papers and insurance etc etc. i would not wanna risk that some fidiot on a bike smashes his head into my car and due missing drivers license or such paperthingy they would put me on fault for someone else's stupidity.
the license is cheap and easy to get, renewal only every 4 years and easy to do, the 1.000.000.- Fianza is available even on cheap car insurances even for old cars, i have it also on my old 2001 Truck included in the US$200.- per year total insurance cost with Flight Ambulance, Tow Truck, Casa de Conductor and the Mil Fianza all in. such things cost nothing compared to the normal annual costs of driving a car, and they are easy and hasslefree to get. i don't get the lame excuses of some who are here permanently or often and for extended times, there is zero reason not to have such simple stuff in order.
but thats just me of course, each can run and risk teh daily stuff as wished.

Mike

 

[william webster]

I think I'll add that to my policy today.... policy renews in June.

Good advice.

I was turning left once --- turn signal on and I checked in the mirror.... nothing.
This was in town, not on a highway - at night

As I was making the turn, a blur on a moto blew by me...
he had appeared at full speed from behind
He was forced to the left , across the oncoming lane and flew up onto the opposite sidewalk... into the air
Like Evel Kneivel

He just kept going but it could have been a disaster

Maybe he had a light, maybe not... I never saw.... but there were lots of witnesses talking about it the next day.

Lucky me.

 

[MikeFisher]

the small Motobikes and Pasolas are a mayor P.I.T.Azz all around.
no lights, no driving experience, no insurance, no drivers license, No Rules!
they appear on all sides of your car and usually on full speed.
Fidiots, yes, as it is Their Body which is the crash zone to attack your car's body,
but when they get hurt(as so often) the outcome depends on many lucky factors, like whitness's who tel the truth instead of helping out their Moto Buddy etc etc etc. and in any way, a Bike without Insurance and the Driver without any Assetts, who finally pay's for your damage is yourself, or Your full insurance if you have a newer car.
either way, the important preparation for the Gringo is, to get everything possible which keeps ya sleeping at home instead of those luxury vacation holes, without putting hundreds of thousands pesos on the table.
Malko mentioned that his dominican wife drives without a license all the time. that's nothing new, many drivers in the country never asked for a license. BUT, if such person without a license or insurance hits here in my town's perimeters into my Truck, that person will not sleep at home before the money, to bring my Truck back to a new look, is on the table. Gringo or Dominican, Male or Female, doesn't matter.
of course she may drive her long and healthy life without any incident, and in case something happens she may get lucky to solve with the opponent easy and acceptable, I wish her to ride safe for ever, but just because some come luckily away, doesn't mean i would recommend to anybody that way of ride. drivers licenses are a easy and cheap thingy. who can afford to own and maintain a car, can easily afford a license.

Mike