- Thread starter Rep Dom
- Start date
getting residency
Mi esposa and I obtained both cards (our first residency cards, and our first cedula cards) in two quick trips to Santo Domingo -- one trip to apply, and one trip to pick up all four cards. Here's what happened:
MAY 18, 2012 -- Mi esposa and I met with our abogado (lawyer) in Santo Domingo to begin our Pensionado Residency application (medical exam, x-rays, etc.). Successfully completed in less than 3 hours. We returned to Bavaro on the 1 PM express bus.
............We knew beforehand to bring the necessary documents with us (passports, birth certificates, police good conduct letters, marriage certificate, and letter from bank proving pension income -- and we did bring them all with us), but what we did NOT know was that all of the documents (except the passports) were required to be Notarized and Apostille'ed by the government jurisdiction where the documents were originated. Oops. Prior to that date, I had never even heard of an "Apostille" and I didn’t know what it was.
............Therefore, during the next several weeks, we requested, and paid for, and then waited for our necessary documents to be Notarized and Apostille'ed in five (5) States of the USA.
JULY 10, 2012 -- We FedEx'ed all of the necessary documents (Notarized and Apostille'ed) to our abogado. (The documents had been collected by a relative in the USA, and then FedEx'ed together in one envelope to our abogado in Santo Domingo when the documents were all assembled.) Our abogado took care of the required Spanish translation procedure for the documents.
JULY 31, 2012 -- Our abogado submitted our Pensionado Residency applications to the DR government.
86 days (or 2 months, 25 days) later ...
OCTOBER 25, 2012 -- We went to Santo Domingo, and our abogado accompanied us to pick up our approved Pensionado Residency cards at the General Direction of Migraci?n, and our new cedula cards at JCE (Junta Central Electoral). Successfully completed in less than 2 hours. We returned to Bavaro on the 1 PM express bus.
BOTTOM LINE: Our abogado in Santo Domingo rocks! I didn’t ask his permission to post his name & phone on this website, but if you send me an email, I will give you his contact information.
He's also taking care of our annual renewal of our residency cards this Fall. The first issue of our Pensionado Residency card expires at one year, because it is a temporary Pensionado Residency card --- its second issue is a permanent Pensionado Residency card, which is good for two years -- that's how I understand it, but I could be wrong about that. The first issue of our cedula expires at two years. I marvel that the DR government set this up so that I have to renew our residency cards and cedula cards in alternating years; in other words, every Fall, I must do one of them.
MAY 18, 2012 -- Mi esposa and I met with our abogado (lawyer) in Santo Domingo to begin our Pensionado Residency application (medical exam, x-rays, etc.). Successfully completed in less than 3 hours. We returned to Bavaro on the 1 PM express bus.
............We knew beforehand to bring the necessary documents with us (passports, birth certificates, police good conduct letters, marriage certificate, and letter from bank proving pension income -- and we did bring them all with us), but what we did NOT know was that all of the documents (except the passports) were required to be Notarized and Apostille'ed by the government jurisdiction where the documents were originated. Oops. Prior to that date, I had never even heard of an "Apostille" and I didn’t know what it was.
............Therefore, during the next several weeks, we requested, and paid for, and then waited for our necessary documents to be Notarized and Apostille'ed in five (5) States of the USA.
JULY 10, 2012 -- We FedEx'ed all of the necessary documents (Notarized and Apostille'ed) to our abogado. (The documents had been collected by a relative in the USA, and then FedEx'ed together in one envelope to our abogado in Santo Domingo when the documents were all assembled.) Our abogado took care of the required Spanish translation procedure for the documents.
JULY 31, 2012 -- Our abogado submitted our Pensionado Residency applications to the DR government.
86 days (or 2 months, 25 days) later ...
OCTOBER 25, 2012 -- We went to Santo Domingo, and our abogado accompanied us to pick up our approved Pensionado Residency cards at the General Direction of Migraci?n, and our new cedula cards at JCE (Junta Central Electoral). Successfully completed in less than 2 hours. We returned to Bavaro on the 1 PM express bus.
BOTTOM LINE: Our abogado in Santo Domingo rocks! I didn’t ask his permission to post his name & phone on this website, but if you send me an email, I will give you his contact information.
He's also taking care of our annual renewal of our residency cards this Fall. The first issue of our Pensionado Residency card expires at one year, because it is a temporary Pensionado Residency card --- its second issue is a permanent Pensionado Residency card, which is good for two years -- that's how I understand it, but I could be wrong about that. The first issue of our cedula expires at two years. I marvel that the DR government set this up so that I have to renew our residency cards and cedula cards in alternating years; in other words, every Fall, I must do one of them.
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