If you are a foreign woman married to a Dominican man, the following documents have to be handed in at the Ministry of Interior and Police in the capital to start the citizenship process.
1. 4 2x2 photos: Easy to do, cost RD$100
2. The application form. Download off the internet, easy to complete, and then pay RD$1500 when you hand it in.
3. Letter asking to be a citizen in Spanish. Easy to do, cost 0.
4. Copies of husband?s birth certificate ? has to be an inextensa version, not just an extracta de acta. Cost around RD$700. No older than 6 months.
5. Copy of marriage certificate ? inextensa RD$700. No older than 6 months.
6. Colour copy of first 3 pages of passport and colour copy of husband?s cedula.
7. Copy of birth certificate, apostilled and translated. Cost of apostilled birth cert from England and getting it sent here was around RD$4500. Please note, this must not be more than 6 months old. I had to do mine twice. I used a fabulous lady for translation, Olga, vinasolga@hotmail.com. I scanned the certificate and apostille, she translated and stamped it and then I met her in the capital and we went to the Procuraduria for the official legalized stamp, Cost RD$330 for the stamp, she didn?t charge me for translation as loves the blog, but I think is usually RD$800 a page ? mine was two pages.
8. Receipt from national newspaper for announcement of citizenship. I did mine at Listin Diario office near Caribe Tour in the capital. They are very efficient, answer emails and open till 8pm at night. Cost was RD$1804 pesos.
Four copies of everything plus the original, cost of copying around RD$300.
So we went to Procuraduria to have the translation stamped, having paid at Ban Reservas, that took no time at all as Olga ?knows? people so we queue jumped. Then off to the Ministry of Interior and Police in the Huacalito. Remember to wear closed shoes and short or long sleeves ? not sleeveless. Sometimes they ignore the rules but who knows. Went to 13th floor, check each lift before you enter as they all go to different floors. Then into naturalization where man checked paperwork ? and everything came to a grinding halt. I thought it was all too easy. My name on my birth certificate is not the same as the name on my marriage certificate as I was married and divorced before marrying present husband ? as I am sure were many. Now, before marrying, I had to provide original marriage certificate and divorce certificate, and also when getting residency. Both the Junta Central Electoral and Migracion were happy enough and I have residency and a marriage certificate to prove it. But Mr Jobsworth at Interior and Police insisted I provide an apostilled copy of my previous marriage certificate and my divorce papers. I have the originals and he told me just to go to the British embassy and get them to authenticate them. I told him they wouldn?t and tried to explain Hague convention and apostilles to him but he wasn?t having it. Off to British Embassy who of course said it had to be apostilled in the UK so back to the drawing board. Hopefully I will get the apostilled version of old marriage cert in the new year, we will then have to redo my husband?s birth cert and our marriage cert as they will be over 6 months old by then, and then I will try again.
Mr Jobsworth made a point of telling me that my naturalization will be in the name on my birth certificate, which begs the question why the hell they proof as to why my name changed, so they take no notice of the fact I am married to a Dominican and have been using his name for 10 years. It is also the name on my residency and my UK passport. I decided not to argue the point, as once I am Dominican it is easy to change, you just change it like every Dominican who marries does.
So cost so far is around RD$9,000. I haven?t paid the RD$1500 yet as papers not deposited. You can add on cost of Caribe tours to capital to that and the odd taxi.
Recommendations so far:
1. You do not need a lawyer however Olga was great at translating and useful as knew where all the places were. Fluent in English and Spanish and expedited things at the Procuraduria.
2. It doesn?t take much time to get the paperwork together, but remember the 6 month rule.
3. Wear the right clothes to the Ministry in case there is a Jobsworth on the door.
4. If the name on your marriage cert is different to the name on your birth cert then take reasons why, apostilled and translated.
5. If you can?t sort the national paper announcement where you are, then go to Listin Diario behind Caribe tours.
1. 4 2x2 photos: Easy to do, cost RD$100
2. The application form. Download off the internet, easy to complete, and then pay RD$1500 when you hand it in.
3. Letter asking to be a citizen in Spanish. Easy to do, cost 0.
4. Copies of husband?s birth certificate ? has to be an inextensa version, not just an extracta de acta. Cost around RD$700. No older than 6 months.
5. Copy of marriage certificate ? inextensa RD$700. No older than 6 months.
6. Colour copy of first 3 pages of passport and colour copy of husband?s cedula.
7. Copy of birth certificate, apostilled and translated. Cost of apostilled birth cert from England and getting it sent here was around RD$4500. Please note, this must not be more than 6 months old. I had to do mine twice. I used a fabulous lady for translation, Olga, vinasolga@hotmail.com. I scanned the certificate and apostille, she translated and stamped it and then I met her in the capital and we went to the Procuraduria for the official legalized stamp, Cost RD$330 for the stamp, she didn?t charge me for translation as loves the blog, but I think is usually RD$800 a page ? mine was two pages.
8. Receipt from national newspaper for announcement of citizenship. I did mine at Listin Diario office near Caribe Tour in the capital. They are very efficient, answer emails and open till 8pm at night. Cost was RD$1804 pesos.
Four copies of everything plus the original, cost of copying around RD$300.
So we went to Procuraduria to have the translation stamped, having paid at Ban Reservas, that took no time at all as Olga ?knows? people so we queue jumped. Then off to the Ministry of Interior and Police in the Huacalito. Remember to wear closed shoes and short or long sleeves ? not sleeveless. Sometimes they ignore the rules but who knows. Went to 13th floor, check each lift before you enter as they all go to different floors. Then into naturalization where man checked paperwork ? and everything came to a grinding halt. I thought it was all too easy. My name on my birth certificate is not the same as the name on my marriage certificate as I was married and divorced before marrying present husband ? as I am sure were many. Now, before marrying, I had to provide original marriage certificate and divorce certificate, and also when getting residency. Both the Junta Central Electoral and Migracion were happy enough and I have residency and a marriage certificate to prove it. But Mr Jobsworth at Interior and Police insisted I provide an apostilled copy of my previous marriage certificate and my divorce papers. I have the originals and he told me just to go to the British embassy and get them to authenticate them. I told him they wouldn?t and tried to explain Hague convention and apostilles to him but he wasn?t having it. Off to British Embassy who of course said it had to be apostilled in the UK so back to the drawing board. Hopefully I will get the apostilled version of old marriage cert in the new year, we will then have to redo my husband?s birth cert and our marriage cert as they will be over 6 months old by then, and then I will try again.
Mr Jobsworth made a point of telling me that my naturalization will be in the name on my birth certificate, which begs the question why the hell they proof as to why my name changed, so they take no notice of the fact I am married to a Dominican and have been using his name for 10 years. It is also the name on my residency and my UK passport. I decided not to argue the point, as once I am Dominican it is easy to change, you just change it like every Dominican who marries does.
So cost so far is around RD$9,000. I haven?t paid the RD$1500 yet as papers not deposited. You can add on cost of Caribe tours to capital to that and the odd taxi.
Recommendations so far:
1. You do not need a lawyer however Olga was great at translating and useful as knew where all the places were. Fluent in English and Spanish and expedited things at the Procuraduria.
2. It doesn?t take much time to get the paperwork together, but remember the 6 month rule.
3. Wear the right clothes to the Ministry in case there is a Jobsworth on the door.
4. If the name on your marriage cert is different to the name on your birth cert then take reasons why, apostilled and translated.
5. If you can?t sort the national paper announcement where you are, then go to Listin Diario behind Caribe tours.