Why Expats leaving Dominican Republic??

young seniors

Bronze
Feb 1, 2012
559
0
0
[h=2]6 Main Reasons why Expats are selling up and leaving the Dominican Republic[/h]
?Everything is for sale!?
Reasons for leaving:
1) To renew either their temporary or permanent residency?s, has become a big dirty let-down by the government, as they are now going back on their past promises of supplying Gringo?s either their up-coming ?permanent residency? or to renew actual permanent residency?s without too much hassle or lawyers involvement. Gringo?s are now asked to re-supply all their documents as a ?cover-up? by the Governments immigration, who?s lost thousands of foreigners records both on their PC?s and papers I.e. birth certificates, police records etc? and everyone is now being kicked back to zero, having to prove clean police record, re-do all the medicals, find witnesses of good character and supply proof of financial independence ? and some would even have to travel back to their home country to receive new birth certificates (I.e. Russia, Ukraine etc?) ? in other words a lot hassle, unfair expenses, frustration and life interrupting nonsense!
2) They are sick of being manipulated by the Government Owned power company, who especially with property owners, can use their monopoly position to violate customers in every nasty way possible. If you have been to pay your power bill a few times, then you would be sure to hear higly upset customers who have suddenly received some ridiculously high power bill or business owners being victims of ridiculous ongoing charges (and law suits if they don?t keep paying!). According to some locals latest frustrations, the power company is now getting really sophisticated in ripping us all off, as they are now replacing our existing ?meters? with some new ones that effect our power bill in such a way that customers bills are tripling. In other words, brace yourself for their new sophisticated rip-off scheme! (They probably hired some scumbag who knows how to make the meters run faster based on the same electricity consumption ? rat bags!).
3) Especially Expats who work or run businesses here on the North Coast, have over the past few years noticed how the Government, local Mayors and their armed forces, have gradually killed off business, Tourism and foreign investment. Most of the business focused expats are realizing, that if they took a couple of steps back and moved onto a country with stable rules and a healthy economy, then even with working less hours and applying the same skills, they could fairly quickly bounce back and start earning 5-10+ times as much as they currently earn in this pathetic economy. Leaving expats also miss the ability to afford relaxed time out with their kids and family, to dine out and to buy/repair stuff when needed and not when the purse allows it! Just because there is sun and beaches nearby, doesn?t necessarily mean that everyone has the ability to kick back and enjoy it all, as now that earnings are getting smaller and the cost of living is simultaneously increasing, then pampering oneself and one?s family, becomes a hard to reach luxury. They are also sick of experiencing or seeing Police extort money and their continued harassment of Girls walking between bars and the rough treatment of Haitians.
4) Leaving Expats also voice that they are sick of Dominicans, local traders and a large percentage of shifty fellow expats ripping them off. Unfortunately a lot of traders and businesses on the North Coast, seem to think that survival in business is only possible if they engage in Lying, cheating, stealing and letting people down! These culprits are found from the motorconcho driver, right through to the Government. This region especially is known globally by many as the ?pit? for many national and international scumbags ? what a shame!
5) Daily there?s Racism and clasism being displayed by Dominicans on foreigners, especially by the various Police forces, Fiscal offices and even the courts. Examples of this ranges from traffic Police targeting ?Gringo?s? over laws that often don?t exist, or for laws that they don?t pull Dominicans over for. Others find that if they counter sue after having won their freedom from a Malicious criminal or civil legal attack, then the sentence never comes through, especially if the Gringo is up against a Dominican. Police and a list of self-proclaimed inspectors will harass Gringo business owners for large sums of money, or they will use their connections to get them shut down! Many Expats have found themselves being locked up for the most pathetic or unfair things I.e. Bringing a person they saw in a traffic accident to the hospital, only to be withheld for paying the bill and then the police arrests them till they clear up what actually happened (keep driving fellow Gringo!). The fact is, that pretty much anything you get involved with, you always have to fight to get equal treatment or the same price as your Dominican neighbor ? and that sucks! ?When it?s rotten from bottom to top, then it?s game over for the Gringo!?.
6) Expats who are leaving also voice that they miss the abundance of cultural initiatives, watching skilled street performers in action, whether musicians, jugglers, clowns, artists, stunts, motor-animal or sports races. Also they miss theatre, cinema?s, abundance of choices in sports and watching skilled artists in action. Also the urge is strong to return to a society where honor, productivity, long-term business mentality, sucess, love and law has a meaning to a much larger percentage of people in society. Many insist to find a new country that still offers all year round sun and clear water but this time a place that offers a lot more of the initiatives mentioned earlier in ?point 6″.
?Life is short even at it?s longest!? ?Only the dreamers are awake, the rest are sleeping!? - Happy travels fellow Gringo?s!!

Author: Anonymous. Found this article in People networking. Comments??
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
I do not find what you copied and posted to be inaccurate. I will wait for those with rose colored glasses on to say "this happens everywhere". That said, there is no nirvana. Those that survive here learn to live with and despite of the issues.
 

pelaut

Bronze
Aug 5, 2007
1,089
33
48
www.ThornlessPath.com
Nor do I find it largely inaccurate. But I wonder where the writer is returning to, what with street performers, etc., etc.
Is it Soho, Greenwich Village, Dock-o-the-Bay, Bourbon Street? Which can be fun for a while. as a tourist.
Or is it London, NYC, SanFan, N.O.? Which are expensive, dirty, noisy and vexatious to live in.

I too want to go. I just want the fellow to tell me where it's so much better.
 

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
6,942
178
0
No Secure Future

The six reasons given above can all be summarized in one:

A gringo has little protection of the law in this country.

The offices of thousands of "lawyers" are concentrated where gringos preferably live and they pray that their prey falls into one of the many traps which are set by crooks of all sorts (not excluding fellow nationals, police, DA's, judges, government departments, lawyers, etc.), hoping to fleece the victims.

IMO, a place without legal security is not worth living in, however beautiful the place might be.

donP
 
Last edited:
Jan 22, 2010
378
6
18
in other countries foreigners are respected and get everything easier then locals

here you just have to struggle daily

arguing, fighting and always trying to make profit of poor gringoes

T.E.
 

waytogo

Moderator - North Coast Forum
Apr 3, 2009
6,407
580
113
Santiago DR
young seniors, you just made a very impressive listing of all the good points here...............
Now........please make a list of the bad things..........lol

B in Santiago
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
Those that come here hoping to make money on a business have a tough time. Most don't last long.

Those that come here and enjoy the more laid back lifestyle, the avoidance of winter, the friendliness of the people, etc., have a pretty good life.

Not everyone is suited for life as an expat.

The ones I feel sorry for are those who came here to get away from the rules and regulations, etc., of their own country only to find there were also issues here. I wonder where they go when they leave here?

As far as the list is concerned, I think #1 is premature and very possibly overstated. Must have been written by someone reading the threads on DR1. Those who don't are not likely to have that on their list
 

DOC1727

New member
Aug 30, 2011
285
0
0
Some things never really change in the dr. These were the same issues an expat went through when I lived in the dr in the 1990s and the country still is the same after all these years that I left and they still even have power outages lol. You all should do yourselfs a big favor and accepts that you are never going to change this country no matter what you do. This is there country learn to enjoy it for what it is and not for what you want to be. There is really not much you can do but, rant and let is affect your health.
 

latitude19

Active member
May 29, 2011
419
5
38
I'm about to leave to head back to Wisconsin with my fiancee. I'm really not looking forward to the colder temperatures or the seasons where there is no snow and it is too wet to mountain bike. There are about four months of the year where I live in which the weather really is miserable, 7-8 if you don't like winter. I have a cross-country ski resort, so winters are not all so bad. Even so, I don't have to think long or hard to remember the times stepping outside to frigid cold and wishing snow was a summer thing.

I LOVE being able to walk outside at any time of day or night with just a t-shirt. Love to be able to paddleboard my favorite river Yasica any day of the year- never too cold or too hot.

Lately I have started to think about buying 300 acres or so on a river to construct mountain bike trails (and a house) and live here year round. Land is cheap, especially away from tourist areas, where I would not build.

However, any person who has lived here and pays attention to what is going on, studied a bit, knows that building a house anywhere in the country really is a risky proposition in a myriad of ways. One has to plan that at some point they WILL run into problems and corruption and be ready to deal with it.

At this moment, I could not build a house here due to all the risk I see. It's unfortunate, as the country is spectacular, most of the people are extremely nice, especially in the campo away from tourist areas, and the weather is perfect.

It's unfortunate that the government can't get their act together.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
113
Those that come here hoping to make money on a business have a tough time. Most don't last long.

Those that come here and enjoy the more laid back lifestyle, the avoidance of winter, the friendliness of the people, etc., have a pretty good life.

Not everyone is suited for life as an expat.

The ones I feel sorry for are those who came here to get away from the rules and regulations, etc., of their own country only to find there were also issues here. I wonder where they go when they leave here?

As far as the list is concerned, I think #1 is premature and very possibly overstated. Must have been written by someone reading the threads on DR1. Those who don't are not likely to have that on their list
A lot of truth ^^^there^^^.

It has to do with expectations vs. reality.

If you expect nothing, you won't be disappointed.

I've also found interestingly that folks come here for a short period, see friendly, naive third-world peasants, and think "I'm so smart, these people are so simple, I can teach them a few things" and proceed to try opening a business or other endeavor....only to find that "naive" really means "lack of resources to give the appearance of sophistication."

Some people are just better off living a low-key island life than try to replicate what they had/did/fantasized about at home...

(Also: living away from the major tourist/expat areas can make life immeasurably less complicated...)
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
i said this in some other thread that what keeps people here is love.no, no, guys, i am not thinking romance, sentiment and warm glassy eyed looks.

gringos come here for various reasons from business to cheap juicy toto. but they will only stay if something else catches their heart. they certainly love their parejas (i am not going anywhere without miesposo and that's a fact) but they love the country too: warm climate, happy autochthons, freedom, business opportunities and so on.

it is a fact that DR is difficult to deal with at times. it regularly slaps you in a face with ripe wet noni (anyone who's ever smelled noni fruit knows what i'm talking about): power, police, water, theft, manana. even one of those factor separately can seriously ruin your life, let alone all of them together, day in, day out. yet people stay...

and those, who leave? they are tired. they lost all their patience. they cannot take anymore.
they get older and sicker, they mistrust dominican health services, they leave to be treated and die in their home countries.
their GF/BF is cheating on them, robs them of all monies, gets them into trouble, they run away from that.
they got robbed/cheated one time too many, they get very, very pi**ed, they lose the sense of security, they want out.
their business failed, dream hotel/restaurant went bankrupt, they have no more money, they need government help and support, they go back.
 

CocoBoy

New member
Feb 23, 2012
217
0
0
There are so many variables I think making generalizations is as always prone to a considerable amount of inaccuracy.

1. With respect to residency, it has always been technically illegal to stay longer than a tourist visa and work here without residency. While we went ahead and secured our permanent residency immediately upon relocation, many other expats we knew saw no reason to do so. I really don't think it's fair to criticize a government for enforcing immigration regulations that are still much more lenient than elsewhere in the world.

2. The power company is certainly not without problems, but it is far from a situation that is not manageable. It just takes some effort to do so.

3. Economies are pathetic in many countries throughout the world these days and making a living anywhere as an entrepreneur is going to be difficult. Harassment by the government, police, etc. can frequently be tied to a business owner's attitudes and actions.

4. The most salient point of all is regarding the "large percentage of shifty fellow expats ripping them off". I find this to be much worse than navigating the waters of dealing with Dominican business people.

5. Permanent resident or not, I will always view myself as a guest in the Dominican Republic. As such, There is a need for a certain understanding and respect for a system that has existed for decades and is unlikely to change. Certainly not the only country in the region or world where these disparities exist and in other countries may even be worse.

6. Not much to comment on from my perspective here.

The bottom line is that nowhere in the world is perfect for everyone. I feel many people come here with completely unrealistic expectations. Over time, they get a good dose of reality, realize they can't or don't want to make the effort to live here when they though it would be effortless and then want to leave. Rather than shouldering the responsibility themselves for the failed experience, they need someone or something to blame.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
CocoBoy, good post. I would shorten one of your sentences to, "The bottom line is that nowhere in the world is perfect."
 

bermyboy

Bronze
Dec 13, 2007
775
1
0
It comes down to eothert you adapt or you do not the DR is not going to change for you you have to change to make it! In saying that I do not see things getting better here mind you i had 24 houres electricity here at my house all weekend I thought it was Xmas but its gone now foe how long who knows? I see the impact of the quantity of drug money flowing in this country making barrio boys into hard core gun toting gansters with nothing too lose and in the and this is what imho will destroy what little reputation the DR has there is just too much money in the drug trade here and if you got the balls you can make money very fast and lots of it !!! Yes I still love the country and want to build a house here one day but as for making any real money here I do not think so Ill gladly go back home or anywhere else in the world work for 6 months or more and come back to me thats the only way I see to make it here. I have never been in a country where I distrust the police as much as I do here I can handle gansters and thugs on the steet but the police here have power that imo is something you can not overcome and no amount of new vehicles or uniforms or new recruits will fix this. We will see what the future has in store for the country but i have adapted and i am content but I too will be moving on soon but just to work and make real money.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
listen, it is easy for the expats, i think. we are much better off than average dominican, we have generators, inversors; we can buy a truck of water any day; we have mail accounts and we can bring many things from abroad; we can travel anywhere we want without visas and we can actually afford tickets; we have education and knowledge so we can sieve the truth from non-truths easier than many dominicans; we can buy services of a good lawyer; we can have nice cars and BJs from nice girls.

how much easier do you want to have it?
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
I often think of that - what you say - dv8... not the BJ part, but about how stifling it must be to be 'trapped' here.
Requiring an unobtainable visa to travel...... anywhere !!

Like a prison, really. Very sad.

To me, it explains much of the behavior that people complain about here.

Try to contain an American or any other nationality and just listen for the screaming..:dead:
 

bermyboy

Bronze
Dec 13, 2007
775
1
0
Yea I am so grateful to be able to travel where ever I want visa free no hassles!!! That is why alot of Domincans do what ever they can to get out of here! Once you adapt to this country and just go with the flow things are easy frustrating sometimes but easy its when you try to swim against the flow when things get hard. Also I think alot of expats do not take time out to learn decent spanish to have a conversation(at the minimum) and a bit about the culture. While I enjoy conversing in english I love to sit of with older Domincans and talk to them about times past and how things where different most of my Domincan friends can speak english but we mainly converse in spanish. All in all I still think its a great country your still prettu much free to do what you want here but I see that coming to an end we will see.
 

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
2,528
829
113
Hit the nail on the head

The six reasons given above can all be summarized in one:

A gringo has little protection of the law in this country.

The offices of thousands of "lawyers" are concentrated where gringos preferably live and they pray that their prey falls into one of the many traps which are set by crooks of all sorts (not excluding fellow nationals, police, DA's, judges, government departments, lawyers, etc.), hoping to fleece the victims.

IMO, a place without legal security is not worth living in, however beautiful the place might be.

donP

YES you are correct and although I love my life here in the DR , I get very tired of having to watch out for all the traps here ...paying the police, AMET , money for nothing , dealing with lawyers , maintenance men and construction people always seeking to grossly overcharge and nearly all my friends forever putting their hands out either in a subtle or very open way ..I would hate to have a serious accident here or injure a Dominican or even their dog and to have to appear in court ,,,no matter how innocent I was . It is a tragedy that the law is not evenly handled .
 

Expat13

Silver
Jun 7, 2008
3,255
50
48
Lack of law!

YES you are correct and although I love my life here in the DR , I get very tired of having to watch out for all the traps here ...paying the police, AMET , money for nothing , dealing with lawyers , maintenance men and construction people always seeking to grossly overcharge and nearly all my friends forever putting their hands out either in a subtle or very open way ..I would hate to have a serious accident here or injure a Dominican or even their dog and to have to appear in court ,,,no matter how innocent I was . It is a tragedy that the law is not evenly handled .

I started a thread earlier about the DR inability to develop outside of the 3rd world category, due to this lawless society.
Instead i was reminded by wiki definitions of what the term "3rd world" actually meant, and blasted by fotos of malls and infrastructure projects, somehow trying to argue its position as a thriving, developing metropolis. But can all this happen in the absence of law??? I think not!! You cannot continue to fill the toilet with warm **** and expect it to flush!