It's official. We're residents!

InsanelyOne

Bronze
Oct 21, 2008
895
28
28
Well...almost. My partner and I travel next week to do the final paperwork and pick up our cedulas. With all of the uncertainty around immigration law recently, I wasn't sure how our applications would fare. We submitted them in January (with the help of the good folks at Guzm?n Ariza). Mine was approved in mid-September and my partner's about 2 weeks later. So it took about 8 months to process. I guess that's about the norm. Now we just need to get driver's licenses. (Haven't done much research on that yet. Hoping it can all be taken care of here in B?varo.)

And if I understand everything correctly, we will have to go through the entire process again in 1 year. Damn this stuff is costly. And no, I wouldn't dream of doing it myself. After 30 minutes in the immigration office I'd be reaching across the desks and strangling those people.... don't need to get myself deported.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
Congratulations. Thanks for making the report.

Fyi, the card you get from immigration is not the cedula. It is the residency carnet. You will need to get your cedula from the office for foreigners operated by the Junta Central Electoral in Santo Domingo.
 
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KateP

Silver
May 28, 2004
2,845
6
38
For your driver's license, you unfortunately won't be able to get it done in Bavaro. The closest place if I remember correctly is La Romana or try to get that done while you're in Santo Domingo picking up your residency and cedula... Do a search here to see what documentation you'll need for that.
 

InsanelyOne

Bronze
Oct 21, 2008
895
28
28
Congratulations. Thanks for making the report.

Fyi, the card you get from immigration is not the cedula. It is the residency carnet. You will need to get your cedula from the office for foreigners operated by the Junta Central Electoral in Santo Domingo.

Which is why I'm relying on Guzm?n. I just hop in the car and the paralegal does the rest...LOL.
 

InsanelyOne

Bronze
Oct 21, 2008
895
28
28
For your driver's license, you unfortunately won't be able to get it done in Bavaro. The closest place if I remember correctly is La Romana or try to get that done while you're in Santo Domingo picking up your residency and cedula... Do a search here to see what documentation you'll need for that.

Figures as much.

Oh... does anybody know what happened to the supposed immigration office that was opening up here in the East? I think it was in Friusa.
 

Expat13

Silver
Jun 7, 2008
3,255
50
48
Well...almost. My partner and I travel next week to do the final paperwork and pick up our cedulas. With all of the uncertainty around immigration law recently, I wasn't sure how our applications would fare. We submitted them in January (with the help of the good folks at Guzm?n Ariza). Mine was approved in mid-September and my partner's about 2 weeks later. So it took about 8 months to process. I guess that's about the norm. Now we just need to get driver's licenses. (Haven't done much research on that yet. Hoping it can all be taken care of here in B?varo.)

And if I understand everything correctly, we will have to go through the entire process again in 1 year. Damn this stuff is costly. And no, I wouldn't dream of doing it myself. After 30 minutes in the immigration office I'd be reaching across the desks and strangling those people.... don't need to get myself deported.

Back when you started the process, I believe the law was, once you receive temp res. the following year you can apply for perm res. Now the rules have changed and you must renew your temp for 4 consecutive years before you can apply for permanent. Did you get any clarity on this? I received my temp res this past March before any rule changes and I am still unclear whether I will be grand fathered on this as my lawyer says.
 

KateP

Silver
May 28, 2004
2,845
6
38
Figures as much.

Oh... does anybody know what happened to the supposed immigration office that was opening up here in the East? I think it was in Friusa.

It's open and according to 2 of my friends the service is surprisingly good. It's located in Plaza Velero in the cruce de Veron.
 

judypdr

Active member
Jul 23, 2011
558
1
38
73
Costambar
Back when you started the process, I believe the law was, once you receive temp res. the following year you can apply for perm res. Now the rules have changed and you must renew your temp for 4 consecutive years before you can apply for permanent. Did you get any clarity on this? I received my temp res this past March before any rule changes and I am still unclear whether I will be grand fathered on this as my lawyer says.

I received my temporary residency card and cedular on Dec 6 2011. Guzman's firm tells me that I have to renew that temporary residency (not grandfathered and thus cannot go directly for permanent). I'll have to do this a total of four times over four years. Fortunately,the cost is less than the original time, and I was told the only new paperwork I needed was an affadavid, which Guzman will create, based on information povided by my bank(s). I must apply within 30 days of my current temp residency expiration, with means Nov 7 or so. No more medical for now, they said. Also, they will obtain a police report showing good conduct from Puerto Plata, as I live in Costambar. I'll report back in December when all has been filed. I will have to go to Santo Domingo (but just once). The other paperwork can ben handled at the Sousa office.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
well, i am glad you have it all done ;)
driving license is a piece of cake, you pay taxes, take the exam (or not, there is always a bribe) and voila, you are done. very easy.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
dude, 8 months is nada. back in the day i knew people who chose a crook lawyer and waited over a year with nada results. that was back when i had my residency done in under 3 months....
 

Man?el

Member
Jul 22, 2012
222
8
18
8 months isn't bad! Can you still drive a car during that time with a foreign license? Does it have to be a rental? A friend's?
 

pdmlynek

Member
Sep 27, 2012
119
0
16
Well...almost. My partner and I travel next week to do the final paperwork and pick up our cedulas. With all of the uncertainty around immigration law recently, I wasn't sure how our applications would fare. We submitted them in January (with the help of the good folks at Guzm?n Ariza). Mine was approved in mid-September and my partner's about 2 weeks later. So it took about 8 months to process. I guess that's about the norm. Now we just need to get driver's licenses. (Haven't done much research on that yet. Hoping it can all be taken care of here in B?varo.)

And if I understand everything correctly, we will have to go through the entire process again in 1 year. Damn this stuff is costly. And no, I wouldn't dream of doing it myself. After 30 minutes in the immigration office I'd be reaching across the desks and strangling those people.... don't need to get myself deported.

Congratulations! I hope that every will work out.
 

arrugala

Bronze
Nov 7, 2010
967
2
0
dont Bet on it ! lol just be prepared 4 the unexpected .occasionaly this h.....appens however good job !
 

yopote

New member
Jan 22, 2012
39
0
0
and?

Well...almost. My partner and I travel next week to do the final paperwork and pick up our cedulas. With all of the uncertainty around immigration law recently, I wasn't sure how our applications would fare. We submitted them in January (with the help of the good folks at Guzm?n Ariza). Mine was approved in mid-September and my partner's about 2 weeks later. So it took about 8 months to process. I guess that's about the norm. Now we just need to get driver's licenses. (Haven't done much research on that yet. Hoping it can all be taken care of here in B?varo.)

And if I understand everything correctly, we will have to go through the entire process again in 1 year. Damn this stuff is costly. And no, I wouldn't dream of doing it myself. After 30 minutes in the immigration office I'd be reaching across the desks and strangling those people.... don't need to get myself deported.[/QUOTE
 

InsanelyOne

Bronze
Oct 21, 2008
895
28
28
I received my temporary residency card and cedular on Dec 6 2011. Guzman's firm tells me that I have to renew that temporary residency (not grandfathered and thus cannot go directly for permanent). I'll have to do this a total of four times over four years. Fortunately,the cost is less than the original time, and I was told the only new paperwork I needed was an affadavid, which Guzman will create, based on information povided by my bank(s). I must apply within 30 days of my current temp residency expiration, with means Nov 7 or so. No more medical for now, they said. Also, they will obtain a police report showing good conduct from Puerto Plata, as I live in Costambar. I'll report back in December when all has been filed. I will have to go to Santo Domingo (but just once). The other paperwork can ben handled at the Sousa office.

Interesting. I seem to remember lots of talk about "grandfathering" people into the old rules. I'll definitely get clarification on that.
 

InsanelyOne

Bronze
Oct 21, 2008
895
28
28
Congratulations! I hope that every will work out.

Thanks!

i thought you wanted to leave

I do. I've just decided I was doing myself no good by fighting my situation. Lots of activity in the US right now with regard to same-sex marriage and the repeal of DOMA (which is what prevents us from moving to the States). May as well embrace the DR for what it is and move on with my life. At this point, we hope to get out of here within 2-3 years. What's most frustrating for me is that I'm 49 years old and still want to start a family. If we could have stayed in the States (we left over 7 years ago) we'd be well on our way by now. My partner talks about adopting here in the DR but I'm highly skeptical a single male can adopt a child (certainly can't lead on that we are a couple).