Canadian Family Planning a move to the DR

[Rainwater]

Welcome, Bienvenidos!

I thought of the things that I brought with me, and the one thing I really appreciate having are my good quality bed linens, which are very $$ here. High thread count cotton stands up to the bright hot sunshine and only gets better. Toys are also expensive, as are baby/toddler clothes. Don't laugh, but quality bras C and up are hard to find. One good quality deep saut? pan and good set of kitchen knives, these I'm also grateful for. I'm not saying you won't find all that here. The Sirena stores are well stocked with household items. I've become a big fan of informal "thrifties" (random used or new stuff, it's like a mystery box), sometimes in a small store, a marquesina or a sidewalk...they're fun. For example, I found a piece of marble for 100 pesos that I used as a tabletop (got the table made in wrought iron).

I wish you and your family all the best, you'll be an asset to any community you choose. ...~shalom~

I started another post looking for advice on what to bring for our small family (especially the two kids), it was suggested that I close it to avoid confusion. I have included my post:

"Hello all, just looking for some advice from young families already living in the DR on what to bring with us when we move there later this year. We will have a 2.5 year old and a baby and with us. We will be in the Puerto Plata area to start and then may move as we get to know the country better. Past experience living in other Latin American countries has shown us that you can get anything you need as long as you are willing to pay the price. Should we bring nothing and buy there? Can we expect reasonable prices or should we budget for prices higher than in Canada? Also where are good places to find baby items, i.e. cribs, clothes, toys?"

@ Lobo Tropical, no indecision, it’s just that from experience we've learned that every country has its own idiosyncrasies and are trying to plan carefully before we come. Nothing more than prudence.

Thanks,

MJP35

 

[windeguy]

personally humanitarian workers here are entrepreneurs

i would skip all the legal stuff and just set aside money for the exit fee .. see if you want to be here after 8 months.

No one is gonna deport you assuming you are not breaking the laws

Keep in mind that after what I think is 90 days, your driver's licenses will no longer be valid here.

 

[mountainannie]

I don't think you need one for an ATV??

 

[mountainannie]

I know at least two American women here who have gone ahead and bought cars and been driving for months on an invalid license.....but some of us Yanks like living on the edge.

 

[Criss Colon]

I have no DR license,I'm thinking about getting one someday.
But after 17 years here without one, maybe NOT!!!!
I think that 15,000 peso fine for a 6 month "overstay" is not correct!
Could someone with a brain, post the "Fine Chart"?????
I think you should visit "Bayaibe" on the south coast, between Juan Dolio, and "Places East"!
About an hour east of Santo Domingo.
Anybody from DR1 live there?
If so, post more about this lovely,quiet community.
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You may not need a license for an "ATV", but you need a big life insurense policy!
Your "next-of-kin" if any survive, will thank you!

 

[Koreano]

Now that I read this post, I think it's wise to find a apartment or house that is furnished and once you decide to stay longer then months and get residencia, Than you can [FONT=arial, sans-serif]decide to[/FONT] ship everything or buy them here. But I stand by bringing in essential baby items n [FONT=arial, sans-serif]luggage,[/FONT] I am not talking about diapers or lotions but other essential items that your kids will need in short distant future.

 

[drstock]

I would think it would be a bit of an ordeal travelling longish distances with a young family if you are just using the regular gua-guas (mini-busses) and carros publicos (regular cars), as they are usually very crowded. For example, a typical carro publico would be a Toyota Corrolla five seater with up to eight on board. There is a bus service that goes all the way from Puerto Plata to Samana which is more comfortable but it only runs once or twice a day, I think. You can look up driving times from Puerto Plata/Nagua/Las Terrenas yourself on Google Maps, but the roads are pretty good and I would think the entire journey would be five hours or less.
You can buy a car and drive it on your Canadian licence until the tourist visa expires and many continue to do so afterwards, but there are issues with insurance etc. Hiring a driver would be an option as labour is relatively cheap here and there are plenty of people who would want to do the job on a part-time basis. However, you need to find someone who is trustworthy and doesn't drive as if he is taking part in a demolition derby, so it could be a good idea to ask on this site for recommendations.

 

[philosopher]

I have no DR license,I'm thinking about getting one someday.
But after 17 years here without one, maybe NOT!!!!
I think that 15,000 peso fine for a 6 month "overstay" is not correct!
Could someone with a brain, post the "Fine Chart"?????
I think you should visit "Bayaibe" on the south coast, between Juan Dolio, and "Places East"!
About an hour east of Santo Domingo.
Anybody from DR1 live there?
If so, post more about this lovely,quiet community.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
You may not need a license for an "ATV", but you need a big life insurense policy!
Your "next-of-kin" if any survive, will thank you!

15,000 pesos for six months is factualy incorrect. Here is the link which describes the overstay fees...http://www.migracion.gov.do/servtarifas.html

 

[MJP35]

How long do you have to be out of the country before your tourist visa 'resets' where I can re enter and get another. For example what if I where to get one upon arrival valid for 60 days then get the one time renewal for another 60 days and then after that take a side trip to Puerto Rico or Haiti and re enter the DR. We have plans to visit those countries anyway. In Belize many people do this, right before their 90 day tourist visa expires they go to Mexico or Guatemala for a day and come back only to receive a new tourist visa for another 90 days. Some have been doing it for years.

 

[MJP35]

I did check the website describing the overstay fees and they are very minimal for the length of time we will be there. Thanks for the clarification

 

[william webster]

Keep in mind that after what I think is 90 days, your driver's licenses will no longer be valid here.

Follow the 'leave and re-enter' strategy for this too...... overstay fees and driving..... renew every 90 days.

What's hard about that??

 

[windeguy]

How long do you have to be out of the country before your tourist visa 'resets' where I can re enter and get another. For example what if I where to get one upon arrival valid for 60 days then get the one time renewal for another 60 days and then after that take a side trip to Puerto Rico or Haiti and re enter the DR. We have plans to visit those countries anyway. In Belize many people do this, right before their 90 day tourist visa expires they go to Mexico or Guatemala for a day and come back only to receive a new tourist visa for another 90 days. Some have been doing it for years.

I don't think you can do the "reset" by going to Haiti. Can anyone confirm that?

 

[william webster]

should be able to..... but maybe not.... an exit is an exit

 

[mountainannie]

I think I rescued the last Yank in Bayahibe. He had gone through all his money for the month and was trying to get out of the grasp of two local girlfriends.. who naturally did not charge him a DIME for cleaning and cooking

Now it seems a toss up between the Russian drug lord in place.. who shot his brother, the other Russian drug lord, and the local Mafia who have had it for years. And the local tigres.The tiny beach in the village is full of fishing boats and the other tiny beach is packed in between two All inclusives.. most of the sand taken up by tatched little poles in the sand that you have to pay two hundred pesos for.

My friend moved to Juan Dolio. He had been there about a year.

ok for a visit but... aside from the reputed great diving and snorkeling. it did not seem to be much. One great restaurant overlooking the sea. One small non inclusive by the beach side. The hotels in town were done in the italian style.. all pavement and one tree in a pot. I heard that Italy has the same tree cover now as Haiti.. do not have any idea if that is true. But the Italians seem to like their interior courtyards paved.

I found the place very enclosed.

nevertheless I am writing home about it.

 

[LTSteve]

They are expats. It is comforting to be around other expats that have a common ground. Also there are French and English Schools in LT. It didn't sound like to me that they wanted to be in a one horse town with nothing for their kids to do. Maybe you enjoy that but most foreigners want a choice of goods and services.

LTSteve

 

[DRob]

To the OP,

As you can see, there are many options, and many opinions. I'd encourage you to start out with a short term rental, and then get out and explore different areas. LT/Samana are amazing locations, but there are gems all along the North Coast (I like Cabrera), and Santiago is my favorite of the "big" cities.

Look around, you'll really enjoy it. Best of luck!

 

[MikeFisher]

Some of us don't have an extra $500 every 90 days. Do you know a cheaper way to leave and reenter?
Der Fish

and $500.- is not enough for a roundtrip flight to PR per person.
my last 4 flights for the 35 minutes short hopp on american eagle been all a bit over $800.- per roundtrip flight per person.
that's fine to renew the visa time if you want to visit there anyways, but just for the purcpose of renewing the Visa time it is a expensive idea, specially when a family of 4 needs seats on da plane.
the family of the OP is used to travel Latin styled, so they will be very fine using the available public transportations in the DR.
the PoP Area is a good starting point, don't miss to check out Santiago from there, experienced to travel latin styled and fluent in the languages spoken in DR they will come around very fine and adopt quick to find out what and where will suit best for them.
Toys and clothes for Babies i find here on the Island much cheaper than back home in Europe, very much cheaper, as long as you are not set on specific extra expensive Brands of Toys or Babyclothes, srf the small local markets for such, not the big supermarkets/toystores, and you will find it all and cheap, used and new ones alike.

good luck to the family and welcome to da Isle

Mike

 

[Criss Colon]

Jetblue has "RT" to San Juan PR from SD for $350 US all the time.
Which is still a LOT of money!
I suggest to just stay, and pay the fines when you leave.
That's what I have done for the last 17 years!
Cris Colon

 

[william webster]

Some of us don't have an extra $500 every 90 days. Do you know a cheaper way to leave and reenter?
Der Fish

Agreed it's costly if no seat sale can be found.

The most recent deal we had here was JetBlue R/T NYC-AZS was $208..... a great price.

 

[VJS]

Keep in mind that after what I think is 90 days, your driver's licenses will no longer be valid here.

Does it actually matter? - has anyone ever been penalized for driving on a foreign driving license beyond the 90 days period? You can only get full insurance with a DR license anyway so it doesn't matter how "expired" the foreign license is, to them your canadian license is invalid from day one, - just get la ley insurance with casa de conductor and drive carefully. If you are using a foreign insurance somehow, they aren't going to care about the 90 days either. One time I was driving a car rental (about 4 months into my stay in DR), had the insurance via my credit card and had an accident (100% the other guys' fault but what does it matter in DR). Neither the police nor my insurance company (TD Insurance) had the slightest interest in how long I had been in the country.

I don't see how keeping the license "current" by re-entering the country is going to make anyone's life easier - better to save the flight costs and use it towards the car repair for if/when you need them.