I just renewed my temporary residency for the first time by myself yesterday, Thursday. I have always used a lawyer, but was tired of paying out the money. Believe it or not, I was less stressed doing it myself and finished quicker than with my lawyer (usually because they are late meeting me there and they are sometimes working with not only me but others as well.)
I used the sticky thread from here as my guide. Its the do it yourself temporary residency renewal sticky.
The directions were fantastic. I will just go through the few little changes. I made 4 copies of my originals, but they must only need 2 sets, as she gave me back 2 of my sets. And, yes they have a numbering system, where you are given a number and then you are told which window you need to go to.
First, I collected all the papers as listed on the sticky note. I went to Mega Centro mall to the GOB.DO office and got my letter of good conduct. you had to go first to Banco Reservas and pay the $330 Rd fee for a letter of good conduct and take that ticket to the GOB.DO office with a copy of your cedula front and back. I then used a lawyer to draw up a letter of guarantee for me using a friend of mine as my guarantor. They notarized it and also had their messenger take it to the Procuradaria General to be legalized. My friend also went to their bank to get a certified reference letter which they had ready for her later that afternoon. The notarized letter cost me $100 USD which I think I may have been ripped off, but maybe not. Anyway, I gladly paid it thinking of all the money I was saving doing it myself. If you have $100,000 RD in a Dominican bank or a recent model car, you don't even need to worry with a guarantor. Just take your own banks certified reference letter or a copy of the title of your car. All the other things in the sticky are pretty easy to do or get.
Ok, so this is how my day went. I wanted to get there when it opened but I didn't get there until 9am. I took all my documents, the originals and my 4 sets in a file folder (again, I only needed 2 copies in the end). I walked up to the migration information and told them I wanted to renew my temporary residency. He asked if I had all my documents. I said yes and he told me to enter and make an immediate left to a little ticketing counter to get a ticket to buy the temporary residence form. Two friendly faces met me. The lady gave me a ticket once I told her I needed to purchase the temporary residence renewal form. I waited about 5 minutes to be called to a Caja to pay $100 pesos for the form and prevent my IDs. She gave me a form and told me to fill it out and then to go back to the ticketing counter to be given another number. I had forgotten a pen and she was nice enough to lend me one. After filling it out, I went back to the two friendly faces and told them I had finished filling the form. They gave me another ticket (I used this 2nd ticket number for all the rest of my transactions. I never had to go back to the friendly faces for a different number again) and told me to wait to be called to a Ventana. My number was already on the screen when I turned around, telling me which Ventana (window) to go to. There she had me fingerprint the form and told me to wait to be called (BUT I should have gone at this point and made two copies of the fingerprinted form at the copy station which is right next to the two friendly faces). So I was called within 2 minutes to a different window using the same number that I just been given and was asked to hand over my folder and documents, the form and its copies. Well I didn't have the copies yet, but she was nice and told me to go make the copies and come back. When I came back she gave me back the 2 extra sets of documents and told me to take a seat and wait to be called. (FYI in my set of documents, I incuded a copy of my back and front of my cedula, the face page of my passport, and the page of the passport with my last entry--I just wanted to tell you this as the sticky says take your cedula and passport but did not really mention the copies, but I had read this on the migracion's website..It seemed a lot of lawyers were being sent back to make copies of their clients' passports, but what I had copied must have been fine as they never asked me for anything additional. My originals as well as each additional set had its own copies of my passport info and cedula.) Ok, after the lady briefly checked everything, she told me to take a seat and wait for my number to be called again. I waited about 30 minutes and then they called me to a Caja. I was asked did I want VIP (same day service), Yes I said. $4000 RD please. Paid the money, got my receipt and told to sit and wait for the same number to be called again. Ok, about 15 minutes later my number flashes up to go to Foto 1. I go up to the guard at the glass doors between the cajas and ventanas with my number and receipt and tell him I've been called for my Foto. he opens the door for me. I never got a VIP badge. Some people had VIP badges and were going in and out. Not sure who that is for...and if I needed one, but I seemed not to need one...as others too going for fotos were going in without VIP badges too. So I didn't need a VIP badge. I went in and took my foto and was told to go sit in front of Ventana 9 and wait for my name to be called out. About 10 minutes later, a girl from behind window 9 made eye contact with me and fingered me to come up. "Sign here" and slid me my residency card. It was 10:15 when I walked to the cafeteria to get me a juice and then I hopped a car over to the JCE on Luperon. I was at the JCE for about 45 minutes and I was handed my new cedula.
I just kept thinking why hadn't I done this myself before. But I have to say, the headache of years back was knowing which window to go to and what papers you needed, etc. But now with the computer ticketing system, you don't really feel lost and if you can read your number and letters up on the big screen tvs, it would really be hard to get lost now, especially if you know a little Spanish. I just couldn't believe how so much smoother things went this year.
Usually my lawyer tells me to be there at 9. She arrives at 10:30 or so...we usually are there all day until 2 or 3 until she rushes me to the JCE to get my cedula. And I get home at 4 or 5 exhausted and drained and hangry...yes that's a new word my sister just taught me...hungry and angry together. Today I was there at 9 am and home by 11:30 am. I will never use a lawyer again for my residency renewal.
Hope this helps and encourages.
Sheri