Hello to all. My name is Cynthia Comprés, immigration attorney at Guzmán Ariza.
The National Immigration office has recently started offering the service of Extension of Stay (Prórroga de Estadía in Spanish) for tourist who wish to extend to 120 days their legal stay in the country past the normal 60 days legally allowed.
This process is done online by the Immigration office's web page and has an evaluation period of three (3) business days. The requirements for applying are:
- Copy of the information page of the passport;
- Passport stamp of the last entry;
- Return ticket.
They could ask for further documents like solvency, hotel reservations, etc.
Before, in order to avoid paying penalties, the immigrant could request this extension personally to the Immigration but its approval was up to the Director’s decision. With this new system, the main benefit is that the immigrant will be legal in the country for the time allowed, it will save time and money, and avoid having to pay penalty(ies) at the airport that will stay in their record, which could be legal cause for denying entry to the Dominican Republic in a next trip or be a cause for deportation.
Questions you may have:
1. Is this an extension of the tourist visa or a tourist card?
No, this just legalizes your stay in the country. It will not allow you to enter again with an ‘extended visa’ and will have to be requested again on a next trip.
2. Does a resident have to pay the overstay penalty or request this extension?
This doesn’t apply for legal residents, even if the residency is expired.
3. If I request the extension, will I have to pay penalties?
This doesn’t exempt the immigrant from paying an overstay penalty if they exceed the extension. After the approved period of time, the immigrant will have to pay a penalty according to the following chart:
TIME OF OVERSTAY FEE
30 TO 90 DAYS RD$ 2,500.00
3 TO 9 MONTHS RD$ 4,000.00
9 TO 12 MONTHS RD$ 5,000.00
12 TO 18 MONTHS RD$ 6,500.00
18 TO 24 MONTHS RD$ 8,000.00
24 TO 30 MONTHS RD$ 9,500.00
30 TO 36 MONTHS RD$ 11,000.00
36 TO 48 MONTHS RD$ 16,000.00
48 TO 60 MONTHS RD$ 20,000.00
6 YEARS RD$ 30,000.00
7 YEARS RD$ 40,000.00
8 YEARS RD$ 50,000.00
9 YEARS RD$ 60,000.00
10 YEARS RD$ 70,000.00
*There is an added fee of RD$5,000 per year past the ten-year mark.
4. What document does Immigration gives me?
They will issue a certification approving the extension and uploaded it to your profile. This must be presented at the airport’s immigration once you leave to avoid paying penalty.
5. What protection from the Estate do I have if I overstay in the country, past the time granted by my tourist visa or card?
The Dominican Republic is signatory with different international treaties that protect the immigrant, which have been ratified by the Constitution. For more information, you can read Article 25 and beyond of the Constitution.
Regards,
Cynthia Comprés
ccompres@drlawyer.com
The National Immigration office has recently started offering the service of Extension of Stay (Prórroga de Estadía in Spanish) for tourist who wish to extend to 120 days their legal stay in the country past the normal 60 days legally allowed.
This process is done online by the Immigration office's web page and has an evaluation period of three (3) business days. The requirements for applying are:
- Copy of the information page of the passport;
- Passport stamp of the last entry;
- Return ticket.
They could ask for further documents like solvency, hotel reservations, etc.
Before, in order to avoid paying penalties, the immigrant could request this extension personally to the Immigration but its approval was up to the Director’s decision. With this new system, the main benefit is that the immigrant will be legal in the country for the time allowed, it will save time and money, and avoid having to pay penalty(ies) at the airport that will stay in their record, which could be legal cause for denying entry to the Dominican Republic in a next trip or be a cause for deportation.
Questions you may have:
1. Is this an extension of the tourist visa or a tourist card?
No, this just legalizes your stay in the country. It will not allow you to enter again with an ‘extended visa’ and will have to be requested again on a next trip.
2. Does a resident have to pay the overstay penalty or request this extension?
This doesn’t apply for legal residents, even if the residency is expired.
3. If I request the extension, will I have to pay penalties?
This doesn’t exempt the immigrant from paying an overstay penalty if they exceed the extension. After the approved period of time, the immigrant will have to pay a penalty according to the following chart:
TIME OF OVERSTAY FEE
30 TO 90 DAYS RD$ 2,500.00
3 TO 9 MONTHS RD$ 4,000.00
9 TO 12 MONTHS RD$ 5,000.00
12 TO 18 MONTHS RD$ 6,500.00
18 TO 24 MONTHS RD$ 8,000.00
24 TO 30 MONTHS RD$ 9,500.00
30 TO 36 MONTHS RD$ 11,000.00
36 TO 48 MONTHS RD$ 16,000.00
48 TO 60 MONTHS RD$ 20,000.00
6 YEARS RD$ 30,000.00
7 YEARS RD$ 40,000.00
8 YEARS RD$ 50,000.00
9 YEARS RD$ 60,000.00
10 YEARS RD$ 70,000.00
*There is an added fee of RD$5,000 per year past the ten-year mark.
4. What document does Immigration gives me?
They will issue a certification approving the extension and uploaded it to your profile. This must be presented at the airport’s immigration once you leave to avoid paying penalty.
5. What protection from the Estate do I have if I overstay in the country, past the time granted by my tourist visa or card?
The Dominican Republic is signatory with different international treaties that protect the immigrant, which have been ratified by the Constitution. For more information, you can read Article 25 and beyond of the Constitution.
Regards,
Cynthia Comprés
ccompres@drlawyer.com
