Banking

flopsy

New member
Jul 6, 2010
149
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Can you tell me if I need cedular or will just passport do to open an account with Banco Leon. Thanks in advance
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
21,843
191
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yahoomail.com
You will never know, until you actually arrive at the bank.
Every bank "Expereince" in unique!
Even at the same bank!
You can be told one thing here on "Dr1", and learn something totally different at the bank.
You can call the bank and be told one thing, and when you actually get in the bank, total change of story.
You really must go and see what the bank's "POLICY" is on "That Day", with "That Teller/Officer".
Welcome to "Paradise"!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
"LOST"!
"Cedular"???????????????????????????/
Are you from Boston???:laugh::laugh:
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
21,843
191
0
38
yahoomail.com
"Insane", lucky you, you now have over 500 DR1 posts!
You can now see the "Off Topic" thread.
"Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter, THERE"!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 

Alltimegreat

Member
Nov 16, 2012
604
1
18
If you show up to a branch with a reputable Dominican lawyer, Banco Leon will take 24 hours to verify this information and will allow you (an American citizen) to open a bank account there with either your cedula or passport (with no other documents needed). I know of several instances of this at Banco Leon in Santo Domingo.
 

Omar_NYC

New member
Mar 22, 2013
297
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You don't need a reference letter from the bank of your home country?

I had someone in downtown Santo Domingo check for me sometime ago. Requirement was passport and bank letter.
 

InsanelyOne

Bronze
Oct 21, 2008
895
28
28
You don't need a reference letter from the bank of your home country?

I had someone in downtown Santo Domingo check for me sometime ago. Requirement was passport and bank letter.

As CC said, the rules change with every person you ask and even the same person can give you different answers each time you ask.
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,450
3,590
113
Just to be safe type up a letter of recommendation from a Bank in your home country to yourself. They never check because it costs money for the phone call and it is work.
 

Chicagoan

New member
May 27, 2011
367
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Can you open an account with a certified check, rather than carrying a large amount of cash?
 
The Banking thing here is horrific from my experience, I would rather poke a fork in my eye than go through that again.
Passport, drivers license, Original letter of reference from bank at home. A letter stating how long you were at that bank and if in good standing and how much you got in the bank. Letter of reference from a professional in the DR, land ownership details, why we are in the DR and for how long. also a letter of reference from anyone in the DR. Statement of last tax return and last job stub.
We had all of this and it took 3 diff times to go back to the bank to just get the card. Then getting money wired here was a whole other experience that took over a month.
ScotiaBank Cabarete.
Just writing this is getting me mad.
They change the rules every time you go back.

Good luck with your experience, I know all do not experience what we did!!!!
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,328
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ScotiaBank Sto Domingo, 2008 - January.

Had asked the details in advance, had all the requirements ands an appointment w/ the person who gave me that list.
One last snag - needed 2 reference letters from lawyer./ acct/etc.
One quick phone call - 2 letters faxed in ..... done.

Deposited $5,000US into the account.

Next day, took that account statement and applied - was granted residency/cedula --- all before noon.

That account ($5K) was proof of my presence in the country -- all that needed for the application.

Couldn't have been easier - how she forgot to tell me about the ref letters is odd.... but

Those were the good old days... I understand today is a different process.

Sorry to hear yours wasn't so easy.
I had ScotiaBank Canada help w/ the setup but they are only affiliated - each country is freestanding and independent.
 
Feb 7, 2007
8,005
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You people must live in a different DR than I do. Oh no...that's what we use to tell Pichardo. Anyway, I opened and hold both personal and business accounts with several Dominican banks, the first one (Leon) only wanted Passport and opened account on the spot. Granted, times changed since I opened that account, and now they take your info and do a quick check (24-48 hours) and open you a provisional account, which they can cancel within 30 days (they tell you that during those 30 days they do Interpol and DEA checks, yeah right). Other banks (Progreso, Santa Cruz) only require one letter of reference from a Dominican or foreign bank, nothing else. If you have cedula, nothing but a cedula should be required. And it's cedula, not cedular nor cellular nor anything similar, CEDULA. Also depends how fluid you are in Spanish. If your Spanish is decent you will have less problems opening account up than with English only. You will be treated more as a "national" than "foreigner" meaning less hassle opening that account.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,328
113
Right Rubio,
subsequently, I have opened an account at Progreso.... my cedula and a ref letter from Scotia Canada did the trick.

I tried to do another account at Scotia but the requirements were too cumbersome for me.... I walked out - and I was an existing account holder just wanting to open a US$ account.

BP did 2 accounts - RD and US - in a flash

As CCologne says --- they're all different on different days