My attempt to get Residencia Definitiva not going well

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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I was in Puerto Plata today. I had sent a letter of request using the format kindly provided by other DR1 posters to request Residencia Definitiva which lasts 10 years before being renewed. The letter was sent via the Puerto Plata Migracion office for me to Santo Domingo during the first week of June and I kept in contact with them weekly to see if I had received a response. Yesterday a response was ready, but they would not tell me the results, stating I had to go to the office. Huge red flag and indeed they had a screw up.

When I got to the office, the letter told me that there were "incongruities" in my temporary residency and that such a problem would prevent me, by law, from getting residency definitiva. It also recommended I start the process of residency from the beginning.

Now, after some words from me to the local director about the sub-human nature of the employees in Santo Domingo, she went into the back room and called and spoke to someone there. Turns out, they have lost the information on when I started residency so they could not confirm that I actually had temporary residency 15 years ago. Those were the incongruities. (Seems I remember posts about data loss at Migracion a number of years ago. This might be the cause of the issue I have now.)

The local director said that I could proceed with a 4 your renewal, yet again, of permanent residency. Or I could try and make my case in Santo Domingo if I had records from 15 years ago when I received my temporary residency to prove I had permanent residency for long enough to proceed with definitiva.

I will proceed with a 4 year renewal. It's like dealing with monkeys in a cage. It really is.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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It reminds me of a time when I went to renew a license that I have. The results came back that I was in jail and the license renewal was not possible. It's not like anyone else in the DR has my name where such an accident would be easy to make.

So I went directly to the office of prisons where the paperwork about who is in and out of prison was kept. I presented myself , assuring them that I was not in prison (and never had been anywhere in the universe) , they went to the back room, came back and agreed that I was indeed not in prison and that I could proceed without issue on the renewal of the license. These guys all had guns, so I held back on my descriptions of their genetic background. And they were actually quite nice about resolving the issue quickly.

When I was in POP today, I also asked about if anything was changing with tourist cards and the like. They told me what was going on, but I will let others find out as time goes by, since everyone will believe what they want to believe about that issue.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
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If you used a lawyer the first time - they should have copies to prove when you started the process.

Matilda
 
Feb 7, 2007
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I heard of cases when a person with 5x them residency going permanent was denied because they did not have all years properly counted. To everyone, make copies of your every residency and cédula card, and store in a safe place.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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If you used a lawyer the first time - they should have copies to prove when you started the process.

Matilda


Certainly a good suggestion to keep copies of all old documents. I was in the US during the time of my first residency and never gave keeping copies a second thought. I was far too involved with selling stuff and my house when I got my first residency, along with buying a house and a car here.. Not a huge issue for me to just renew again for 4 years. Maybe I will just be a citizen next...


I did use a lawyer, just don't have any current info on her. Mylady (Milady?) was her first name and she was very connected in Santo Domingo. Would it be worth the effort? This is going back over 15 years.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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I heard of cases when a person with 5x them residency going permanent was denied because they did not have all years properly counted. To everyone, make copies of your every residency and cédula card, and store in a safe place.

Of course now I understand this particular brand of monkey business. Too little, too late, for me it would seem.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
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Certainly a good suggestion to keep copies of all old documents. I was in the US during the time of my first residency and never gave keeping copies a second thought. I was far too involved with selling stuff and my house when I got my first residency, along with buying a house and a car here.. Not a huge issue for me to just renew again for 4 years. Maybe I will just be a citizen next...


I did use a lawyer, just don't have any current info on her. Mylady (Milady?) was her first name and she was very connected in Santo Domingo. Would it be worth the effort? This is going back over 15 years.

Probably a good idea you can find lists of lawyers in Santo Domingo online. And if you bought a house or a car, or opened a bank account there would be a copy of your then residency and/or cedula with the documents so worth sniffing around.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Probably a good idea you can find lists of lawyers in Santo Domingo online. And if you bought a house or a car, or opened a bank account there would be a copy of your then residency and/or cedula with the documents so worth sniffing around.

Excellent suggestion to.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Good ideas on trying to track down when my initial residency time, by thinking of bank accounts (I think the account was started by my wife and I was added on later, so probably would not help) , house purchase (done well before my residency using a passport and would not help), car purchase (done in my wife's name and would not help). All likely dead ends in my case.

Also in my case, I have a time I want to fly out of the DR and the adding of additional proof and delays will probably delay my renewal even further if I want to try for 10 years, along with going extra times to Santo Domingo.

My current thoughts are to just renew again for 4 years. Monkeys in a cage win again.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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I trust the lessons of the past were learned by DGM and someone is inserting a floppy disk at the end of everyday backing up the days data. Surely this country has by now at least reached the proficiency level of microfiche document storage & retrieval.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Friday the 13th Migracion Dominicano

I trust the lessons of the past were learned by DGM and someone is inserting a floppy disk at the end of everyday backing up the days data. Surely this country has by now at least reached the proficiency level of microfiche document storage & retrieval.

I think they use Commodore computers, don't they? Maybe TRS-80s? Are those 8", 5 1/4" or 3 1/2" floppies? I will endeavor to remember to bring my own floppy for back up of my data when fetching my next 4 year renewal.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Upon considering the excellent suggestions given in case another person faces the situation of lost data at Migracion and they wish to go for residency definitiva at some point I had this thought:

For banking, buying a house or a car, or just about any other legal transaction a Cedula is used if you have one. The only time that I need my residency card is when leaving or entering the DR. So, there could indeed be proof that I have a valid Cedula number from as much as 15 years ago, but unlikely anyone ever took a copy of my residency card at a bank, for a real estate transaction or for buying a car. The JCE should have a record of when I got my first Cedula. Operative word is "should".

That said, in order to have a Cedula, you almost always need a some type of valid Residency. Are you sure that Migracion would be able to conclude that since I had a Cedula X years ago that I also had Residency X years ago? I am not so sure they could.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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So DGM lost their files. Did the files at JCE for the same period disappear as well? Would JCE not be able to give you a letter stating when your first cedula was issued - the number doesn't change right?
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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So DGM lost their files. Did the files at JCE for the same period disappear as well? Would JCE not be able to give you a letter stating when your first cedula was issued - the number doesn't change right?

That would mean DGM would have to understand that if I had a Cedula , I also had Residency. While having some form of Legal Residency (Temporary, Permanent, Definitiva perhaps others of which I am unaware) is a requirement to get a Cedula, I won't take the leap of faith that Migracion would both understand and accept that proof. Perhaps others will attempt to bark up that tree.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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That would mean DGM would have to understand that if I had a Cedula , I also had Residency. While having some form of Legal Residency (Temporary, Permanent, Definitiva perhaps others of which I am unaware) is a requirement to get a Cedula, I won't take the leap of faith that Migracion would both understand and accept that proof. Perhaps others will attempt to bark up that tree.
If you had a cedula when you bought your property, the cedula number may be on the sales contract.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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If you had a cedula when you bought your property, the cedula number may be on the sales contract.

I already mentioned that the property was purchased before I had legal residency. I moved here after my residency was approved into that house.
 

Russell

Well-known member
Jun 17, 2017
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NO wonder I am forgoing the process of Residence in RD.... I could never support such inconsistencies or incompetence.
This is most discouraging.
The real ''problem'' is that RD is loosing serious investment dollars by making immigration/residence/and Citizenship so convoluted through the due process which is fragmented and totally unacceptable procedural inefficiencies.
The theory is excellent; but that is where it stops.
I have been twice offered Citizenship in Costa Rica ; long time ago.... procedure seemed painless. But that is yet another country with different ideals and objectivity.
Too old to care anymore.
MY house guest in Canada is from RD; he applied for extension on his Permanent Residence Visa. by mail and received it in 10 days.
Wishing you all best of luck and a good life.

Russell
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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The D.R. driver's license number is the same as your cedula number also.

Have any "old" copies of them?