Legalization process improved

GringoCArlos

Retired Ussername
Jan 9, 2002
1,416
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Having just gone through the process of getting official documents and then getting them "legalized", I wanted to let DR1 readers know that they have improved the process (but not perfected it yet).

First, I still had to go to el campo to get the original documents. Waaay out there. I think their offices were last painted during Guzman's or Balaguer's presidency. The furniture may have been from Trujillo's times.

It took the little old man about 30 minutes to get to us and then find the proper book with the original documents. The documents are now RD$200 each copy. (When I first did this about 5 years ago it was $20 a page.) Then he said "Come back tomorrow for your papers." I walked out to the car immediately, as I expected this answer - after all, I remember where I am.

The process of issuing a birth certificate or marriage certificate involves someone manually typing (on a non-electric typewriter) a new document from the original found inside their bound book.

My wife stayed and talked to the old guy, and after another 10 minutes she came out and said they would get them done today, and she said "I think they want some more money too". As if I didn't know that answer too.

Sure enough, when we came back 3 hours later, the documents were done. I just said "sorry, I just gave my mother-in-law all of my money for the family" and walked out with the documents. First stage complete.

I went today to the Junta Central office in Santo Domingo to get the documents legalized (which is another set of stamps on the reverse side telling whomever that yes, the people who did the front side weren't lying and this IS an official document).

Again, this cost RD$200 for each document (and used to be $20 per page). Now, however, the Junta has placed a nice roof over the waiting area, added several benches for the folks waiting, and now they have 3 windows to accept and hand out the completed documents.

Last time, I was in line at 6 am, they opened at 8, and I had my completed documents by 9 am. This time, I went there at 8:30, there were already about 300 people there, but I had my finished documents back in hand in about 45 minutes. Much more efficient with 3 windows, and obviously more people inside working on the process.

NOW, if they could only magically figure out a way to have all of the information in a computerized system, so that one could go to ANY office ANYWHERE inthe country and in 5 minutes, get your document issued in a legal fashion.

I, for one, would pay more per document to do this, as opposed to spending a day of my life going first to the country, and then somewhere else, standing in line, etc. But then again, no one in government respects the time of their constituency, and they don't want to end the jobs of buscones either. And some dominicano will always think they are sneaky, and do something stupid to ruin it for the rest of us by doing something trying to get illegal documents for whatever reason.