citizenship

Colombianonrd said:

ok I was unaware of that thank you..

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CAP?TULO V

DE LA POBLACI?N

SECCI?N I

DE LA NACIONALIDAD

Art?culo 18.- Nacionalidad. Son dominicanas y dominicanos:

5) Quienes contraigan matrimonio con un dominicano o dominicana, siempre que opten por la nacionalidad de su c?nyuge y cumplan con los requisitos establecidos por la ley;

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AlterEgo said:

Yes, the law changed recently.

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ricky11 said:

please explain to me why a person in their right mind would want to be a citizen of this god forsaken country?

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david_ said:

AlterEgo

If possible could you please put up a link to the change in law? Or were you told that directly from the law firm. I was unaware of the change also, but had found an older post by the attorney asking for anyone (foreign male married to a Dominicana) willing to let the firm represent them for free so they could challenge the courts previous interpretation of the statute, which was that this law did not apply for foreign men, only foreign women. Do you know if there has been a successful case regarding this or some rewording of an existing statute. Thanks in advance for anymore information you may be able to provide

Edit: posted this and noticed someone put up a link, still would like to hear from anyone who has done this or personally knows someone who has done this

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Fabio J. Guzman said:

At Guzman Ariza we believe that under the Constitution of 2010 the husband of a Dominican citizen has the same rights to a quick naturalization as the wife of a Dominican. Since the Ministry of the Interior is not admitting this, we are looking for a foreign husband of a Dominican citizen willing to serve as a client in a test case, free of charge. The process could be lengthy. Those interested, please write an email to info@drlawyer.com putting "test case" on the subject line. Applicants must have been married to a Dominican for more than six months and speak Spanish.

By the way, our standard fees for the naturalization of a spouse are $800.

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Dear Mr. ?????:



My name is ?? ????????? ????????, associate attorney at Guzm?n Ariza. We thank you for your continued interest in our services and the trust in our firm. We'd be more than happy to assist you in obtaining Dominican Residency and Citizenship.



In connection to your message below, and given I notice your first intention was to obtain citizenship, please be advised that, there are 2 posibilities:



1) request your provisional residency and 6 months past obtaining it, request your Dominican Citizenship given your marriage to a Dominican national.

2) request your permanent residency directly if you meet one of the following criterias:



* Ever made and investment or plan to invest a minimum of US$200,000 in the Dominican Republic. This could be in a real estate transaction, dominican company formation, certificate of investment at any local bank, stocks in the Dominican Republic, etc. Past the first 6 months of having obtained your residency because investment, you may apply for Dominican citizenship.



* Have rental incomes of at least US$2,000 derived from a property owned abroad. Rental most be for at least 5 years forward from the application date.



* Are retired and/or have a monthly pension of at least US$1,500 from any government or private entity abroad.



Please confirm which of the options provided below you'd like pursue and I'll gladly return with details regarding costs, expenses and requirements.



Regards,



??? ?.



?? ????????? ????????, , Esq.
Attorney
Guzm?n Ariza, Attorneys-at-Law
A State Capital Group Law Firm
35 Ernesto de la Maza St.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Tel.: (809) 255-0980 | Fax.: (809) 255-0940

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Thank you for your quick response. We'd be more than happy to assist you in obtaining your Dominican provisional residency and 6 months later, your Dominican citizenship. For better detail and understanding I'll provide separate information for each procedure.



1.- PROVISIONAL RESIDENCY.-



The application process is essentially the same for both temporary and permanent residency, except for some additional documents required in permanent residency applications. The first step is to apply for a residency visa at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the applicant?s domicile. This requirement of filing abroad can be avoided in the cases of spouses and parents of Dominican nationals living in DR before June 1st 2012. However, regardless of this provision, the admision and granting of the visa from within the Dominican Republic is completely discretional to the Immigration Department. Therefore, regardless of meeting te criterias, applicant may asked to file for the visa from abroad.



Requirements for the visa application may vary depending on the particular Consulate where the visa application is filed. The following are the documents usually required:



1) Pictures of the applicant

2) Original passport valid for at least 18 months.

3) Documents justifying the granting of the visa. For example, work contract with a Dominican company.

4) Medical certificate from the health authorities of the country of domicile of the applicant.

5) Criminal record certificate from the authorities of the country of domicile of the applicant.

6) Photocopy of the national I.D. of the applicant, and, if the applicant resides in a third country, photocopy of his/her residency card in the third country.

7) Birth certificate.

8) Marriage certificate, if applicable.

9) Letter of guarantee signed by a Dominican or a permanent resident of the DR -or firm will provide.

10) Documents justifying the applicant?s solvency.



Note: you must verify with the Consulate to be used on the need for any additional document and/or requirement.



Once the visa is granted To begin the residency process, the applicant must travel to the Dominican Republic with the following documents:



1) Residency Visa, issued by the Dominican Consulate of your country of origin or from the closest country with a Dominican Consulate. You can't apply for this from the Dominican Republic. If you are already in the Dominican Republic without this Residency Visa, you will have to fly back before you can apply for residency.

2) Original of the applicant's birth certificate, apostilled in the country where it was issued or authenticated at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the place of issue of the document. If such country is a party of the Hague Convention, the authentication with the Apostille is mandatory.

3) Original of the marriage certificate, apostilled in the country where it was issued or authenticated at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the place of issue of the document, if two spouses are applying together. If such country is a party of the Hague Convention, the authentication with the Apostille is mandatory.

4) Passport of the applicant (with the visa stamp, when applicable, and the stamp of his entrance into the Dominican Republic).

5) A certificate of no criminal record from the authorities in the applicant's country of origin or, if the applicant has been residing outside his country of origin for five years or more, from the authorities in the applicant's country of residence. The certificate should be Apostilled in the country where it was issued or authenticated at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the place of issue of the document. If such country is a party of the Hague Convention, the authentication with the Apostille is mandatory.

6) Eight pictures (2" by 2"), four front and four profile, white background required, accessories such as earrings or sunglasses not allowed.



All residency applications are done through our Santo Domingo office since the immigration authorities are based there. At your first meeting in our office, you will provide our attorney or paralegal with the documents listed above. The passport will be returned to you immediately after being photocopied.



The first phase of the provisional residency consists of medical tests (blood sample, urine sample and chest x-rays) at a government-designated location. The Immigration Department requires that these tests be preauthorized. Once the authorization has been granted, our firm will schedule your medical appointment for the following business day, when you will meet a paralegal at our firm who will take you personally to the location where the tests are performed. The appointment time for residencies at our office is 8:30 a.m. At that time you will meet a paralegal who will review your file with you. At approximately 9:00 a.m. you will depart with the paralegal for the medical tests, which take approximately three to four hours, including waiting and travel time.



As a part of these medical tests preauthorization, the same day scheduled we must provide the Immigration Department with the applicant's original birth certificate duly translated to Spanish and legalized. If the translation was completed by you, then it must be Apostilled in the country where it was translated or authenticated at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the place where the document was translated. If such country is a party of the Hague Convention, the authentication with the Apostille is mandatory. On the other hand, if you request the translation from us, we will need approximately 5 working days (before the medical tests) to complete the translation and the required legalization of our translation.



After the medical tests, we will prepare the documentation to submit your application to the Immigration Department. This phase normally takes ten to fifteen days. In addition to documents (a) to (e) listed above, we will file in your behalf:



1) A notarized letter of guarantee from a Dominican person or corporation.

2) A Power of Attorney.

3) An affidavit regarding the solvency of the guarantor backed by evidence of solvency such as bank deposits, property titles, etc.

4) A certificate of good behavior from the Dominican authorities.

5) Completed application forms.



It should be noted that all originals filed with the application become part of the government file and will not be returned to the applicant.



Once the application is filed, attorneys have no knowledge of the internal processing at the Immigration Department or at other entities (such as Interpol), unless the application has been approved or rejected, or more information is required on the applicant (for example, when an individual with the same name appears on a international criminal records database).



We will contact you promptly when a decision has been made on your application. If approved, your presence will be required in Santo Domingo in order to receive your residency card and c?dula (the Dominican national I.D. card). Upon obtaining the provisional residency, you will have a 6-month period during which you can bring your household goods into the Dominican Republic duty free.



Fees and expenses involved will be as follows:



US$850.- legal fees for representation and assistance during residency procedure

US$153.- 18% service tax

US$1,003.- sub total

US$735.- procedure expenses

US$1,738.- total fees and expenses for obtaining Dominican provisional residency



The above fees and expenses can be paid via wire transfer as per the instructions at the end of this message; or, directly in our office using cash or cheque.



Note: filing for the residency visa from within the Dominican Republic adds an additional US$1,200 to the above requested fees.



2.- DOMINICAN CITIZENSHIP.-



As per article 11 of the Constitution of the Dominican Republic, and article 1 of Law No. 1683 of 1948, the husbands of female Dominican citizens may apply for citizenship 6 months after the date of marriage.



The petition must be done via de "Ministerio de Interior y Polic?a de la Rep?blica Dominicana", signed by both spouses and accompanied with the following documents:



1) Original marriage certificate duly legalized by the Junta Central Electoral, if the marriage was celebrated in the Dominican Republic; or duly translated and apostilled with the stamp of the Hague Convention, if the marriage was celebrated outside the Dominican Republic.



2) Original birth certificate of the husband duly translated into Spanish by a certified translator and both, English original and Spanish translation, apostilled with the Stamp of the Hague Convention.



3) Original birth certificate of the wife duly legalized by the Junta Central Electoral.



4) 3 pictures size 2 x 2 of the husband, with white background.



5) Copy of the wife's Dominican c?dula.



6) Copy of the husband's Passport.



Once the above documents are submitted to the Ministerio de Interior y Policia, the applicant must personally appear at least 2 times: a) interview with the competent oficial in charge of the file; y, b) induction ceremony.



Fees and expenses for representation and assistance will be as follows:



US$700.- legal fees for representation and assistance

US$126.- 18% service tax

US$826.- sub total

US$488.- procedure expenses

US$1,314.- total fees and expenses



The above fees and expenses will include: a) government fees; b) preparation of the petition documents -excluding those that must be provided by the client; c) filling and follow-up of the petition until obtaining of the citizenship documents -Dominican birth certificate and c?dula. Not included are Passport expenses.



Payments can be done via wire transfer as per the instructions at the end of this message or directly in any of our offices using chash or cheque.



I hope the above information is of help. However, please do not hesitate contacting me shall you require any further assistance or clarification.



Regards,

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In connection to my message below and just for clarification sakes, please know that a pre-requisit for obtaining Dominican citizenship when married to a female Dominican national, is being a resident. From the reading of your initial message to Ms. ???????, I understand that you are already a permanent resident and so, the information provided has been on the basis of you being a resident.



In the event that you are not a resident, please confirm and I'll gladly provide information.



Regards,

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Thank you for the clarification. Below the information on the procedure and expenses involved up until obtaining your Dominican citizenship. As told, you need to first become a provisional resident and 6 months after, requested your citizenship. I've therefore detailed each procedure separately.



1.- PROVISIONAL RESIDENCY.-



The application process is essentially the same for both temporary and permanent residency, except for some additional documents required in permanent residency applications. The first step is to apply for a residency visa at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the applicant?s domicile. This requirement of filing abroad can be avoided in the cases of spouses and parents of Dominican nationals living in DR before June 1st 2012. However, regardless of this provision, the admision and granting of the visa from within the Dominican Republic is completely discretional to the Immigration Department. Therefore, regardless of meeting te criterias, applicant may asked to file for the visa from abroad.



Requirements for the visa application may vary depending on the particular Consulate where the visa application is filed. The following are the documents usually required:



1) Pictures of the applicant

2) Original passport valid for at least 18 months.

3) Documents justifying the granting of the visa. For example, work contract with a Dominican company.

4) Medical certificate from the health authorities of the country of domicile of the applicant.

5) Criminal record certificate from the authorities of the country of domicile of the applicant.

6) Photocopy of the national I.D. of the applicant, and, if the applicant resides in a third country, photocopy of his/her residency card in the third country.

7) Birth certificate.

8) Marriage certificate, if applicable.

9) Letter of guarantee signed by a Dominican or a permanent resident of the DR -or firm will provide.

10) Documents justifying the applicant?s solvency.



Note: you must verify with the Consulate to be used on the need for any additional document and/or requirement.



Once the visa is granted To begin the residency process, the applicant must travel to the Dominican Republic with the following documents:



1) Residency Visa, issued by the Dominican Consulate of your country of origin or from the closest country with a Dominican Consulate. You can't apply for this from the Dominican Republic. If you are already in the Dominican Republic without this Residency Visa, you will have to fly back before you can apply for residency.

2) Original of the applicant's birth certificate, apostilled in the country where it was issued or authenticated at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the place of issue of the document. If such country is a party of the Hague Convention, the authentication with the Apostille is mandatory.

3) Original of the marriage certificate, apostilled in the country where it was issued or authenticated at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the place of issue of the document, if two spouses are applying together. If such country is a party of the Hague Convention, the authentication with the Apostille is mandatory.

4) Passport of the applicant (with the visa stamp, when applicable, and the stamp of his entrance into the Dominican Republic).

5) A certificate of no criminal record from the authorities in the applicant's country of origin or, if the applicant has been residing outside his country of origin for five years or more, from the authorities in the applicant's country of residence. The certificate should be Apostilled in the country where it was issued or authenticated at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the place of issue of the document. If such country is a party of the Hague Convention, the authentication with the Apostille is mandatory.

6) Eight pictures (2" by 2"), four front and four profile, white background required, accessories such as earrings or sunglasses not allowed.



All residency applications are done through our Santo Domingo office since the immigration authorities are based there. At your first meeting in our office, you will provide our attorney or paralegal with the documents listed above. The passport will be returned to you immediately after being photocopied.



The first phase of the provisional residency consists of medical tests (blood sample, urine sample and chest x-rays) at a government-designated location. The Immigration Department requires that these tests be preauthorized. Once the authorization has been granted, our firm will schedule your medical appointment for the following business day, when you will meet a paralegal at our firm who will take you personally to the location where the tests are performed. The appointment time for residencies at our office is 8:30 a.m. At that time you will meet a paralegal who will review your file with you. At approximately 9:00 a.m. you will depart with the paralegal for the medical tests, which take approximately three to four hours, including waiting and travel time.



As a part of these medical tests preauthorization, the same day scheduled we must provide the Immigration Department with the applicant's original birth certificate duly translated to Spanish and legalized. If the translation was completed by you, then it must be Apostilled in the country where it was translated or authenticated at the Dominican Consulate nearest to the place where the document was translated. If such country is a party of the Hague Convention, the authentication with the Apostille is mandatory. On the other hand, if you request the translation from us, we will need approximately 5 working days (before the medical tests) to complete the translation and the required legalization of our translation.



After the medical tests, we will prepare the documentation to submit your application to the Immigration Department. This phase normally takes ten to fifteen days. In addition to documents (a) to (e) listed above, we will file in your behalf:



1) A notarized letter of guarantee from a Dominican person or corporation.

2) A Power of Attorney.

3) An affidavit regarding the solvency of the guarantor backed by evidence of solvency such as bank deposits, property titles, etc.

4) A certificate of good behavior from the Dominican authorities.

5) Completed application forms.



It should be noted that all originals filed with the application become part of the government file and will not be returned to the applicant.



Once the application is filed, attorneys have no knowledge of the internal processing at the Immigration Department or at other entities (such as Interpol), unless the application has been approved or rejected, or more information is required on the applicant (for example, when an individual with the same name appears on a international criminal records database).



We will contact you promptly when a decision has been made on your application. If approved, your presence will be required in Santo Domingo in order to receive your residency card and c?dula (the Dominican national I.D. card). Upon obtaining the provisional residency, you will have a 6-month period during which you can bring your household goods into the Dominican Republic duty free.



Fees and expenses involved will be as follows:



US$850.- legal fees for representation and assistance during residency procedure

US$153.- 18% service tax

US$1,003.- sub total

US$735.- procedure expenses

US$1,738.- total fees and expenses for obtaining Dominican provisional residency



The above fees and expenses can be paid via wire transfer as per the instructions at the end of this message; or, directly in our office using cash or cheque.



Note: filing for the residency visa from within the Dominican Republic adds an additional US$1,200 to the above requested fees.



2.- DOMINICAN CITIZENSHIP.-



As per article 11 of the Constitution of the Dominican Republic, and article 1 of Law No. 1683 of 1948, the husbands of female Dominican citizens may apply for citizenship 6 months after the date of marriage.



The petition must be done via de "Ministerio de Interior y Polic?a de la Rep?blica Dominicana", signed by both spouses and accompanied with the following documents:



1) Original marriage certificate duly legalized by the Junta Central Electoral, if the marriage was celebrated in the Dominican Republic; or duly translated and apostilled with the stamp of the Hague Convention, if the marriage was celebrated outside the Dominican Republic.



2) Original birth certificate of the husband duly translated into Spanish by a certified translator and both, English original and Spanish translation, apostilled with the Stamp of the Hague Convention.



3) Original birth certificate of the wife duly legalized by the Junta Central Electoral.



4) 3 pictures size 2 x 2 of the husband, with white background.



5) Copy of the wife's Dominican c?dula.



6) Copy of the husband's Passport.



Once the above documents are submitted to the Ministerio de Interior y Policia, the applicant must personally appear at least 2 times: a) interview with the competent oficial in charge of the file; y, b) induction ceremony.



Fees and expenses for representation and assistance will be as follows:



US$700.- legal fees for representation and assistance

US$126.- 18% service tax

US$826.- sub total

US$488.- procedure expenses

US$1,314.- total fees and expenses



The above fees and expenses will include: a) government fees; b) preparation of the petition documents -excluding those that must be provided by the client; c) filling and follow-up of the petition until obtaining of the citizenship documents -Dominican birth certificate and c?dula. Not included are Passport expenses.



Payments can be done via wire transfer as per the instructions at the end of this message or directly in any of our offices using chash or cheque.



Please feel free to contact me anytime shall you require any further clarification.



Regards,

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AlterEgo said:

Okay, after reading all this.....

A foreign woman married to a Dominican man can go straight for citizenship, bypassing residency.

A foreign man married to a Dominican woman must do residency first, then apply for citizenship.

Do I have that right??????

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