Citizenship Oath Ceremony

Taylor

Buy the ticket, take the ride
Jan 28, 2005
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I made the mistake of taking the milk run bus back to the NC so I thought I would write out the naturalization ceremony for anyone who's taking it in the future.


After you clear the Interpol hurtle and the presidential decree, you're approved for naturalization (citizenship). You book a time to take your oath, and it's available only on the last Thursday of each month.

The dress code is formal (jacket and tie), however there were a couple people not in either.

Everyone meets on the second floor of the Ministry of Interior and Police, just off Ave. Mexico, about 20 min from the zona colonial during rush hour. Everyone is hanging out there are 8:45 am, waiting for all relevant people to arrive - big players like the Minister of Immigration (or a representative) and a bunch of other Licenciados and Dr's with big titles.

Then the parade heads up to the 6th floor, jamming the elevators in the process.

Everyone blows through the security without a second thought, and into a room with a podium at the front and a desk at the back. You have to sign in at the desk in the back (right by the entrance) where they pull up a photo copy of your certificate and you have to show your passport and sign it with your cedula number.

You're then handed a lapel pin and a copy of the constitution with a program of what's going on that has a list of everyone and the words to the National Anthem.

All the people being sworn in sit in the front and the supporters sit in the back. At the front on to the side of the podium is a table where all the Ministers (or important people) sit.

The ceremony begins around 10 am, and a well spoken master of the ceremony takes over and starts with the National Anthem.

After a few speeches on what it means to be a Dominican, the master of ceremony calls out everyone's name, one by one and you raise your hand to say that you are present. After that, all stand as the master of ceremony says the oath and at the end we all shout 'I swear' - and voila, you're a Dominican.

The last part is the presentation of the cirtificate and a photo op with the Ministers, that is all published on Facebook.

One last singing of the anthem, and we are all on our merry way. Out by 11 am, with the documents in hand.

Of all the steps at immigration, this one was by far the easiest and rather pleasant.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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Good Info..
when did you pass the exam?

I am waiting for the Decree signature... my test was mid-December...
so I was caught in the Christmas shutdowns...missing the January/February ceremony
 

Taylor

Buy the ticket, take the ride
Jan 28, 2005
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For me the hold up (2 years) was the Interpol clearance - I did my exam in 2016 -

Someone at the ceremony told me that this process will change you. If you're an anxious person, you will learn to be patient. If you're a patient person, then you will learn to be anxious. At the time I laughed, but in hindsight, he was right.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
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I have all my clearances....
I had a Cdn clearance -- RCMP stuff

My lawyer expects me to go soon... we'll see !!!
She pushes my file along.....
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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I too was held up for nearly 3 years waiting for Interpol and gave them UK police clearance eventually and then all was done in a week. I found the ceremony to be incredibly professional which was a very pleasant surprise, plus the organisation of different envelopes to give to passport and to get birth cert which you need for your cedula. Cedula was also very easy, would have been 5 minutes had the system been working - as it was it was 5 minutes the following day when it was working.

Matilda
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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dr1.com
Mine was held on the bottom floor in the auditorium, but otherwise was the same. My group was large , well over a hundred people, with people from 27 countries.