DGM Migration deports undocumented aliens from 13 countries

OK Roper

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Nov 1, 2015
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You obviously haven't kept up. It's no longer possible to go over to Haiti and 10 mins later return with a new card. Keep up. :)

Really? I was planning to do this next week (not ten minutes but about 8 hours). Can you say why please? Thanks!
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Really? I was planning to do this next week (not ten minutes but about 8 hours). Can you say why please? Thanks!

I do recall reading this was no longer possible as well. I cannot imagine why 8 hours would be any different than 10 minutes for this purpose.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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The tourist card gives a foreigner the right to be in the DR for 30 consecutive days without the need of a visa. Anyone that stays beyond the amount of days the law grants them for touristic purposes is not a tourist, IMO.

In fact, by law the moment the tourist card expires, if a new one isn't purchased prior to expiration, the tourist becomes an illegal immigrant.

True about the illegal immigrant status, but people are still allowed to pay the overstay fee upon exiting so where is the motivation to extend the tourist card?

Dominican authorities have all the right to deport illegal immigrants, no exceptions. 


 

Its not as if getting a new tourist card is a hard thing to do. If its impossible to just buy a new one, all a tourist has to do is head for the border and cross into Haiti. 10 minutes later re-enter the DR and buy a new tourist card, done.

If that's too bothersome during your vacation, then prior to visiting the DR apply for a tourist visa. You don't need to buy a tourist card if you have the visa, and I think the visa allows a greater amount of days.

For how long is a tourist visa valid?
 

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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For how long is a tourist visa valid?

60 or 90 days depending on which website you choose to visit. One of those durations would probably be confirmed by someone at the embassy where one was applying for the tourist visa.  

I'm weary of hearing how it is unfair that there is no easy snowbird type visa available in the DR. It doesn't exist so get over it. Just because someone wishes the situation was difference isn't justification to break the rules and do what they want anyway (prevalent Dominican attitude especially among self-entitled foreigners). Don't like the current situation, spend your winters or reside legally somewhere else. Seems pretty straight forward to me, which is why I had residency from day 1. When I move on, I'll secure residency in the next country too.
 

OK Roper

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Nov 1, 2015
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I do recall reading this was no longer possible as well. I cannot imagine why 8 hours would be any different than 10 minutes for this purpose.

Hmmm. Putting aside motives for a minute, what if I decide that after 40 days in the D.R., I want to see Haiti for a day or two. As I leave the D.R. my passport will be stamped with an exit, and presumably any overstay fee is collected, right? The next day, I decide to return to the DR to resume the remainder of my stay. Am I not going to be allowed back in? If not, why?
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Hmmm. Putting aside motives for a minute, what if I decide that after 40 days in the D.R., I want to see Haiti for a day or two. As I leave the D.R. my passport will be stamped with an exit, and presumably any overstay fee is collected, right? The next day, I decide to return to the DR to resume the remainder of my stay. Am I not going to be allowed back in? If not, why?

It is my understanding you will be allowed back in, but it supposedly will not "reset" your legal time in the DR. Now that may sound odd to ludicrous, but the DR still does not have it's "stuff" together on this issue.
 

drstock

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Oct 29, 2010
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Cabarete
Bottom line if you want to stay in DR get your residency and then you dont have to worry about it. Im all for it. Love Trump getting illegals out of USA and Danilo cleaning up DR. A Country without borders is no longer a Country.

The difference is that a large number of "snowbirds" come to the DR every year for several months. For years they have just paid the "fine" when they leave. There is no way they will jump through all the hoops and incur all the costs of getting Residency, which is now more difficult than ever. They will just go elsewhere and the DR will lose all the money they bring in. Places like Cabarete and the Dominicans who live here survive on this income. They must introduce some kind of long term visitor visa to cater for these people.
 

lifeisgreat

Enjoying Life
May 7, 2016
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Bottom line is nothing has changed from 2 yrs ago 5 yrs ago 7 yrs ago ..except new thread with same chit... pay when you leave enjoy the solar and presidente ...these round ups are totally different then what happened by mistake in Sosua... undocumented deportations happen all time in DR ..enjoy the merry go round I'm out! Peace out!
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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The difference is that a large number of "snowbirds" come to the DR every year for several months. For years they have just paid the "fine" when they leave. There is no way they will jump through all the hoops and incur all the costs of getting Residency, which is now more difficult than ever. They will just go elsewhere and the DR will lose all the money they bring in. Places like Cabarete and the Dominicans who live here survive on this income. They must introduce some kind of long term visitor visa to cater for these people.

Of course snowbirds won't go through such a procedure. It is illogical to think they would. Of course a 6 month visitor's visa is the correct answer to all of this quite obvious situation.
 

AnnaC

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Jan 2, 2002
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60 or 90 days depending on which website you choose to visit. One of those durations would probably be confirmed by someone at the embassy where one was applying for the tourist visa.  

I'm weary of hearing how it is unfair that there is no easy snowbird type visa available in the DR. It doesn't exist so get over it. Just because someone wishes the situation was difference isn't justification to break the rules and do what they want anyway (prevalent Dominican attitude especially among self-entitled foreigners). Don't like the current situation, spend your winters or reside legally somewhere else. Seems pretty straight forward to me, which is why I had residency from day 1. When I move on, I'll secure residency in the next country too.


I'm over it alright. I'm not returning next winter. There is absolutely nothing straight forward for snowbirds so I wish you and others that LIVE there would stop telling us that. I'm weary of hearing that BS as well.
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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I agree that those who want to live in the DR need to follow the process to obtain residency. If you want to live in the DR then you need to adhere to the laws that are in place. However there needs to be an established process for true snowbirds. A simple process that can be done upon arrival. Clearly paying the "overstay fine" is no issue for the snowbirds so instead of losing them it would make much more sense to accommodate them with some type of "snowbird visa" Payment on arrival and then a stamp in their passport showing the time allowed, 3 mos. 6 mos.... I do believe in the future there will be a process problem is when...
 

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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The Govt seems to have been able to create and manage a tourist card and a tourist visa. There must be a reason why there is no extended stay snowbird visa. By all indications the Govt would get at least as much as the overstay fees and potentially more money, in advance even, if they chose to go this route. Blaming the Haitians for the lack of this visa doesn't strike me as particularly sound reasoning, so I have to assume there are other factors at play. Maybe the authorities like the idea of being able to easily send troublesome nonresident foreigners home should they ever decide they want to. 
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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I'm over it alright. I'm not returning next winter. There is absolutely nothing straight forward for snowbirds so I wish you and others that LIVE there would stop telling us that. I'm weary of hearing that BS as well.

I suspect you aren't the only one Anna, I'll bet it will be even more obvious on the north coast.

We're putting our house up for sale the minute we get the deslinde papers, promised for this month. I don't live here enough months to qualify for residency.
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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I suspect you aren't the only one Anna, I'll bet it will be even more obvious on the north coast.

We're putting our house up for sale the minute we get the deslinde papers, promised for this month. I don't live here enough months to qualify for residency.

You should give residency a shot anyhow, no1 asked me how long i live/lived/plan on living here.
As i had posted previously i have renewed residency and only stayed a couple of weeks in the dr, once.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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The Govt seems to have been able to create and manage a tourist card and a tourist visa. There must be a reason why there is no extended stay snowbird visa. By all indications the Govt would get at least as much as the overstay fees and potentially more money, in advance even, if they chose to go this route. Blaming the Haitians for the lack of this visa doesn't strike me as particularly sound reasoning, so I have to assume there are other factors at play. Maybe the authorities like the idea of being able to easily send troublesome nonresident foreigners home should they ever decide they want to. 

After 14 years of living here I understand that sound reasoning is not something to expect.

The "pay on exit" fee strategy is what has no sound reasoning when you are trying to keep illegal aliens out of your country.
 

OK Roper

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Nov 1, 2015
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Probably the very last thing this Board needs is another post on the subject of tourist cards, snowbirds, and overstay fees, BUT, for what it is worth I thought that I would share our latest experience last week at trying to gain "legal status". We have been here this time for about 100 days. Last week we went to the DGM Migration Office in Puerto Plata and asked to pay our overstay fee so that we could become legal. They asked to see our passports and tickets out of the DR. We showed them both our U.S. passports and our tickets for a June flight out. (At that point we will have been here a little less than six months). Two DGM employees consulted and eventually told us that it was impossible for us to pay the overstay fee until we were within "a few" days of our scheduled departure. I replied that we might as well just wait and pay at the airport on the day we depart. They shrugged their shoulders. :rolleyes:
 

LTSteve

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Jul 9, 2010
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The Govt seems to have been able to create and manage a tourist card and a tourist visa. There must be a reason why there is no extended stay snowbird visa. By all indications the Govt would get at least as much as the overstay fees and potentially more money, in advance even, if they chose to go this route. Blaming the Haitians for the lack of this visa doesn't strike me as particularly sound reasoning, so I have to assume there are other factors at play. Maybe the authorities like the idea of being able to easily send troublesome nonresident foreigners home should they ever decide they want to. 

I think the discussion has past the point of paranoia. The people that are being rounded up and deported are not "gringos". They are primarily those that have been in the country illegally with NO documentation. Do I have to names names? I really doubt that a typical snowbird has any real worries about being in the DR for a few months. The intense scrutiny with regards to immigration is happening all around the world. Many on DR1 seem to be fanning the flames of these deportations. You can easily renew your tourist visa so why are you making it sound like the DR Gov is combing the beaches for tourists to haul them away to the deportation terminal. Come on people you sound so silly and a bit over the top. Extended stay for tourists is like the speed limit. If they list it at 55 most police will give you a reasonable amount over that limit before you are pulled over for speeding. The DR Gov will give those who are in the country for a few months to avoid the Winter the same courtesy. They don't want to necessarily have to create new immigration laws to accomplish this. Again they are primarily looking for those who have NO real documentation and are trying to live off the backs of others. If you are living in the DR seasonally for 4 months or more than with the immigration climate it would make sense to apply for residency but I wouldn't get wrapped up in thoughts of deportation unless you are hanging around with those on shaky ground to begin with. A little common sense here goes a long way.
 
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Ecoman1949

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Oct 17, 2015
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Really? I was planning to do this next week (not ten minutes but about 8 hours). Can you say why please? Thanks!

Go to the nearest marina with a Commandante and pay for your extension there. Luperon has a marina with an immigration service to assist sailors arriving at all hours of the day. Friends of mine do this all the time. 
 

sanpedrogringo

I love infractions!
Sep 2, 2011
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Go to the nearest marina with a Commandante and pay for your extension there. Luperon has a marina with an immigration service to assist sailors arriving at all hours of the day. Friends of mine do this all the time. 
........and wrap the day up with a nice lunch, a few cold ones, or a bottle of wine overlooking the water. Multitasking at it's best.