First Time Temporary Residency with New Rules

D

Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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Hi all,

Couldn?t find my original post but wanted to complete my process. You may recall I began it in the states with a temporary visa and 60 days to begin the process in Santo Domingo.

Today, six months later, we took the 3:30 am bus from Charamico to Santo Domingo and was at immigration at 8 am.

There is a new procedure now for first time temporary residency only.
First we gave in my receipt (for the RD$9000 paid 10 days previous at which time they said to return in 10 days for residency); and they gave us an envelope with my paperwork in it, sealed, stapled and said to go to the junta (where you get your cedula).

Went there and another form was filled out, asking me questions like my address, my mother and father?s names, etc. I was fingerprinted, this time with the machine not ink pad. Then I had to pay RD$3000 (thought it was going to be RD$7000 ? I am told that?s for renewals) and immediately sent to get my picture taken in another room. 10 minutes later I had my first cedula.

Took a taxi from immigration to cedula, had him wait and bring us back (400 pesos round trip) to immigration. With a copy of my cedula and my receipt back at immigration, I was given a number for photograph taking, and after that was taken, my name was called in about 10 minutes.

I now have both my residency and cedula, both are due on the same date May 10, 2014. Cedulas are no longer due on birth dates. I asked and was told I need 4 temporaries before I can get a permanent.

So I got the cedula first, then residency.

By the way I was told for renewals it's the way it was.

Anyone wants more information or detail, just ask or PM me.
I?m delighted with the person who helped me ? the total process was completed in 6 months.

Regards
Ro
 
cobraboy

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Congrats! Same exact process for me earlier this week...
 
R

rubio_higuey

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Feb 7, 2007
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Cobra, were you the client Doctora had on Monday? She mentioned somebody was coming in from the interior. I did my "process" on Tuesday, residency and cedula in hand now...
 
cobraboy

cobraboy

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rubio_higuey said:
Cobra, were you the client Doctora had on Monday? She mentioned somebody was coming in from the interior. I did my "process" on Tuesday, residency and cedula in hand now...
Click to expand...
Yep, Monday.

She's terrific!

Congrats, George! :classic:
 
P

Pansy

Banned
Apr 14, 2009
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Congratulations. You obviously have a significantly better lawyer than I do.

Is it against the rules to post details of both efficient and inefficient lawyers? They all charge much the same and the process is difficult enough without having a lawyer who makes it last months longer.

I think you said that under the "new rules" you were hoping to get immediate "permanent" residency because you met the retirement and income/capital requirements. Do you know why this didn't happen? Have they withdrawn this option without anyone knowing?
 
Robert

Robert

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Pansy said:
Congratulations. You obviously have a significantly better lawyer than I do.

Is it against the rules to post details of both efficient and inefficient lawyers?
Click to expand...

Nope. But if you intend to slander someone on the board, then you will need to post your full contact details. Name, email, contact number etc.
 
D

Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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Pansy, if you're asking me...I do qualify for permanent, however, as of this moment the procedure is 4 temporaries prior to permanent. I asked if there were any exceptions and was told no.

If anyone knows of any exceptions being made please let me know.

And thanks for all the congrats. I t was an arduous, expensive process, but if you follow the instructions and rules it works.
 
bob saunders

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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Drro said:
Pansy, if you're asking me...I do qualify for permanent, however, as of this moment the procedure is 4 temporaries prior to permanent. I asked if there were any exceptions and was told no.

If anyone knows of any exceptions being made please let me know.

And thanks for all the congrats. I t was an arduous, expensive process, but if you follow the instructions and rules it works.
Click to expand...

according to my lawyer the only way you can go from Temporary is to get your citizenship, which you can get if you are married to a Dominican.
 
D

Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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Having received some PMs with questions as well as other people's experience, I wanted to point out two things.

If someone tells you they can handle the entire thing for you, regardless of price, it is not true.

#1 your first time you must be at immigration in person, as you are fingerprinted (the old way with ink) and require a medical exam
#2 to receive your temporary residency when it's ready, you must be present at immigration b/c you have to sign the master book two times, first when you receive the paperwork to take to the cedula people, and the second time is when you actually receive your card itself, and you have to be photographed at immigration
#3 for the cedula you have to be present to be photographed and fingerprinted (the electronic way).

Hope this helps those of you who have been offered an easy way to do it. Don't. One of my friends who paid their money and was told it would all be handled, and were actually given plastic cards - when they went to renew, they weren't in the system because what they had received was not real.

Good luck - don't want to scare anyone, only to suggest being cautious, following the rules and be patient. Remember this is the DR.
 
Abuela

Abuela

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May 13, 2006
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Excellent update to your posting.This should be a sticky for all to reference.
 
D

Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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Thanks, Abuela, for your post. I realize I'm more used to the judgmental ones! How refreshing to receive your feedback.
 
D

Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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Update: I flew out of Puerto Plata to Miami yesterday for the first time using my cedula, etc.

Maybe you know this but I didn't. You need not fill out (again this is for entry into the US), the narrow blue card for passport control. As a resident, you now fill out this smaller (the size of a bill at a restaurant in town) white paper. Then the white paper, the cedula and the passport and you are golden.

As an aside I always print out my boarding pass prior to arriving at airport, and usually arrive the 2 hrs before flight time. Well I did this yesterday and there had to be 100 + people in line at American.

I went right to the entry with my paper print outs, avoided the line, and with ease got through. Highly recommend printing out your boarding passes prior to flights, regardless if international or domestic.

If there were no line I would have gone to the ticket counter b/c I always like to see if there is a seat closer to the front than what I picked - usually there is and so they can change it for me.

Hope this is useful.

Regards
 
I

InsanelyOne

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Oct 21, 2008
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Drro, I use my yellow and white residency card to enter the country, not my cedula. I thought that was the requirement.
 
D

Drro

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Mar 22, 2006
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My mistake, you're absolutely right. They wanted my residency card, my passport, and the white paper...not the cedula.

Thanks for correcting that.
 
M

mike l

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Sep 4, 2007
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Drro said:
Update: I flew out of Puerto Plata to Miami yesterday for the first time using my cedula, etc.

Maybe you know this but I didn't. You need not fill out (again this is for entry into the US), the narrow blue card for passport control. As a resident, you now fill out this smaller (the size of a bill at a restaurant in town) white paper. Then the white paper, the cedula and the passport and you are golden.

As an aside I always print out my boarding pass prior to arriving at airport, and usually arrive the 2 hrs before flight time. Well I did this yesterday and there had to be 100 + people in line at American.

I went right to the entry with my paper print outs, avoided the line, and with ease got through. Highly recommend printing out your boarding passes prior to flights, regardless if international or domestic.

If there were no line I would have gone to the ticket counter b/c I always like to see if there is a seat closer to the front than what I picked - usually there is and so they can change it for me.

Hope this is useful.

Regards
Click to expand...

When there's a big line at the airport I get a wheel chair and go to the front of the line just like Disneyland ( power wheel chair / scooter for disneyland )

I'm in Santo Domingo tonight and picking up my cedula tomorrow thanks for the info
 
P

Pansy

Banned
Apr 14, 2009
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Following the comments above my husband went back to the lawyer who is (theoretically) acting for me. After many emails he told us my Residency was available for collection. When we tried to get a date to collect it his contact in Santo Domingo suddenly came back with the fact that Interpol had made a mistake on my name and it would be another four or five weeks before the Residency was ready! Ironically we leave at the end of the week for England and will be away for five weeks!

So almost a year after I got permission to apply for Residency from the London Consulate I am no further forward. Well I do have an out of date permission to apply, several hundred dollars less in my bank account, and undoubtedly higher blood pressure.

We have said we will deduct the fine and my tourist card from the final lawyers bill. What is upsetting is that we have used this firm for many years and now I will never use him again. I wonder if he would have such faith in his inefficient colleague if he knew she had offered to charge less if we went directly to her!
 
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