Some of you might remember the saga of Mi hijo - el ilegal and the subsequent El ilegal - an update.
The story has finally come to a satisfactory conclusion, but not without pain.
To refresh memories and for the benefit of recent arrivals, my son (who is now almost six) is in the unusual but not unique situation of having been born to a Dominican parent outside DR territory. As we live in Santo Domingo, he has to enter the country as a tourist (paying the $10 airport tax) when we come back from our annual holiday, and always overstays his permitted amount of time here (the overstay fee is something over RD$2,000).
The process of getting him registered as a Dominican was unclear and far from a smooth ride, but late last year, with the help of a lawyer, we finally got his 'acta' from the JCE which is the legal equivalent of a Dominican birth certificate, and opens the way for him getting a DR passport.
This week, we finally applied for his passport. We took the VIP (same day service, RD$2,700) option but we may as well not have bothered. There were a couple of delays that meant that although we applied on Tuesday, we didn't actually get it until today, and had to spend the best part of the day sitting on our arses in the company of a lot of ****ed off people waiting for it at the passport office.
The six-year passport cost us just a little more than as one year's worth of tourist card and exit penalty fees, so financially it made sense.
The stress, frustration and days lost in getting the damn thing made me wonder whether it was really worth it.
Having a son who is no longer an outlaw... priceless.
The story has finally come to a satisfactory conclusion, but not without pain.
To refresh memories and for the benefit of recent arrivals, my son (who is now almost six) is in the unusual but not unique situation of having been born to a Dominican parent outside DR territory. As we live in Santo Domingo, he has to enter the country as a tourist (paying the $10 airport tax) when we come back from our annual holiday, and always overstays his permitted amount of time here (the overstay fee is something over RD$2,000).
The process of getting him registered as a Dominican was unclear and far from a smooth ride, but late last year, with the help of a lawyer, we finally got his 'acta' from the JCE which is the legal equivalent of a Dominican birth certificate, and opens the way for him getting a DR passport.
This week, we finally applied for his passport. We took the VIP (same day service, RD$2,700) option but we may as well not have bothered. There were a couple of delays that meant that although we applied on Tuesday, we didn't actually get it until today, and had to spend the best part of the day sitting on our arses in the company of a lot of ****ed off people waiting for it at the passport office.
The six-year passport cost us just a little more than as one year's worth of tourist card and exit penalty fees, so financially it made sense.
The stress, frustration and days lost in getting the damn thing made me wonder whether it was really worth it.
Having a son who is no longer an outlaw... priceless.