checking account

Passport, picture ID. A letter from you bank might be nice..

Most banks here will tak a long time to process offshore checks. As long as 30 working days or more! So, you might want to open the account with cash drawn from your debit card....

HB

Also check for minimum account balance requirements to avoid monthly service charges

The only document required from the US besides your passport is a letter from your bank, preferable addressed to the specific bank here you will be banking with, stating how long you have been a customer and that your account is in good standing. Scotia BAnk, for some reason, also requests that the bank includes in the letter, your profession in the states... but it's not necessary. Definitely check on the minimum balance and the number of checks allowed per month, and whether they offer bill pay and other online services. It varies from bank to bank. Other than that, it's pretty straight-forward. Just be prepared for pretty much any transaction, even a simple deposit, taking at least 15 minutes at the teller window!

I just opened two checking accounts in the DR last week.

First I went to Scotiabank and since I didn't have the 'original' letter from my bank they wouldn't open an account for me. Make sure that if you go to Scotia that the letter you have from your bank is the original with a stamp. For some reason the Dominican's love things stamped.

Since I had bought a property from Century 21, the lawyer there was able to act as a reference for me at Banco Leon. Very nice people and they give you your debit cards right there while you're opening the account.

The DR is a cash kind of place so don't count on using checks. If you do there're fees associated to these checks and it seems to be a real pain in the AX.

To open the account you're probably best to carry travelers checks.

Hope this helps.

Jack