Thank you Dolores....do you have any idea of how much the whole process cost? do you think it would be possible to do it thru the dominican consulate in nyc?
You should spend around US$250 for the whole process, including the passport. From memory getting the birth certificate and legalizing it here is about RD$500, the first cedula is free, the passport with VIP (same day) I recall is about RD$6,000. I don't recall if the Ministry of Interior and Police charges, but it musn't be much. Adding to the cost is the translation by a judicial translator (one authorized by the Supreme Court of Justice), that could cost about RD$3,000, and then to have that legalized at the Procuraduria. Getting the full version of the birth certificate and the Apostille should be about US$20 in the US. If you get a power of attorney then it will cost you more because the lawyer can charge US$100, but it would save you a trip here.
You need to get the Apostille, or the certification of the birth certificate, from the corresponding authority for your state in the US.
Do not go through the Dominican consulate in NYC because that will just be an additional unnecessary cost.
It would be interesting to latter come up with actual recent costs of doing this whole procedure.