Please recommend a honest lawyer/notary to help us obtain Residency? Price??

wilywes

Member
Feb 4, 2008
84
5
8
My wife and I will be in Puerto Plata next month. Can any recommend a legal aid to help us obtain our residency? They would need to speak english. Also what sort of fees do the lawyers expect to help with this? Thankyou.:cheeky:
 

Ringo

On Vacation!
Mar 6, 2003
2,823
41
0
My wife and I have used Jordi, an immigration atty in Santo Domingo. Funny that I do not know his last name or Corp. We take the bus from Sosua and are met and get things done. 809-350-0098. He speaks english.

The DR1 recommended atty is at the top of the list. See his ad on the "home page". We have used this firm for other legal issues.

Regards, Ringo
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
Use the same law firm many people on this message board have used.
Fabio Guzmans office has a great track record, honest and speak English.
They did my residency and also plenty of other DR1'ers.

Go to http://drlawyer.com

Tell them you came via DR1, they will look after you.
 

megabiteme

[ - Mute Button -] Click!
Jan 9, 2008
123
0
0
Thank you for your interest in our services. We would be more than happy to assist you in obtaining your Dominican residency. Obtaining residency is a two-step procedure. First, the foreign applicant must obtain provisional resident status; then, after a year as a provisional resident, he may apply for permanent resident status. Requirements for residency are easily met by anybody in good health and with a clean police record. The time involved is usually six months from the time the application is filed for the provisional residency (same time frame applies to the permanent residency). This time estimates assume that all required documents have been provided and that applicants submit their application while in the Dominican Republic with a tourist card or tourist visa. Because of the deficiencies in our Consular Services abroad, applying from outside the Dominican Republic is not practical. The applicant does not need to stay in the Dominican Republic during the residency process, he would only need to travel down twice: first, for the medical check-ups, and second, to get his or her picture taken to obtain the final documentation.


I have copied your message to Mrs. Binell Roa (broa@drlawyer.com), associate attorney at our Santo Domingo office, who will be assisting you in obtaining your Dominican Residency. Mrs. Roa will contact you shortly in order to go over the details of the residency process and schedule an initial telephone conference if required.

Fees and expenses for the residency process are as follows: $1000 for provisional residency and $800 for permanent residency, payable, in both instances, 60% in advance and the balance upon obtaining the applied-for status. Legal fees in the Dominican Republic are subject to a 16% service tax.

Newly enforced administrative measures at the Dominican Immigration Department are now requiring all medical exams for residency purposes to be pre-authorized. To obtain the authorization for the medical exams you should provide us the following documentation:

a) copy of the first page of your passport (page with picture).
b) copy of the page of the passport that has the stamp of the entrance to the Dominican Republic.
c) copy of the page of the passport that has the stamp of the visa (if applies).
d) Document showing a connection with the Dominican Republic, such as a letter from a local bank stating that the applicant has opened an account (you would need to come down personally to the DR an open the account with your passport), a letter from an actual or potential employer, proof of ownership of property (a car or real estate), etc.

We will set your medical exam appointment once said authorization has been obtained. The documents you need to bring down to the Dominican Republic for the first appointment are:

(a) original of the birth certificate, authenticated at the nearest Dominican Consulate,
(b) original of your marriage certificate, if the spouses are applying together; authenticated at the nearest Dominican Consulate.
(c) passport and
(d) pictures (2" x 2": 4 front and 4 profile, white background required, accessories such as earrings or sunglasses not allowed).

We provide for you the rest of the required documents. It should be noted that all originals filed with the application may become part of the government file and may not be returned to the applicant.

All residency applications are done directly through our Santo Domingo office since the immigration authorities are based there. Once the medical test authorization has been obtained the application process takes only one morning. You should meet one of our attorneys at our Santo Domingo office at 8:30 am sharp with the documentation described above. He will receive your documents and take you to the Immigration Department and the government clinic for your medical tests, consisting of a blood sample, a urine sample and chest x-rays. Usually, the process will be over by noon.

Once the application is approved, you must return personally to Santo Domingo to receive your residency card and c?dula (a national I.D. card). Upon obtaining the provisional residency, you will have a 6-month period during which you can bring into the country your household goods without having to pay any duty.


We look forward to the opportunity to be of service.

Kind Regards,


Alfredo A. Guzman, Esq., MBA.
Guzman Ariza, Attorneys-at-Law
Dominican Republic
info@DRLawyer.com
Guzman Ariza Law Firm in the Dominican Republic

This is Crazy!!! Way too much money and I'm assmuming its in dollars not pesos. I guess this is something that i will do on my own over time because its very easy to do. I once did a visa for my ex Indonesian wife with no help from anyone. it took 6 months to get her into the states, so that being said, this looks real easy just a lot of time going to the police, doctor, etc. Great post though and info from other members, so i hope my post helps the creator of this thread some. Good Luck! Anthony

P.S great info from this email about the non-fee of duty when you move from the states to here. I have seen many posts asking about this. So please mods, copy and paste about the non-fee duty in the proper fourum or make a sticky so others will know, looks like we have 6 months to get it all here....
 

BushBaby

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
3,829
329
0
79
www.casabush.org
This is Crazy!!! Way too much money and I'm assmuming its in dollars not pesos. I guess this is something that i will do on my own over time because its very easy to do. I once did a visa for my ex Indonesian wife with no help from anyone. it took 6 months to get her into the states, so that being said, this looks real easy just a lot of time going to the police, doctor, etc. Great post though and info from other members, so i hope my post helps the creator of this thread some. Good Luck! Anthony

P.S great info from this email about the non-fee of duty when you move from the states to here. I have seen many posts asking about this. So please mods, copy and paste about the non-fee duty in the proper fourum or make a sticky so others will know, looks like we have 6 months to get it all here....
Actually Anthony this is NOT a crazy price as far as other lawyers are concerned, it is quite competitive. Bear in mind this company is offering both Residencia Provisional AND Residencia Permenete! Quotes from alternative lawyers will probably equate to US $1,200.00 - US $1,500.00 for EACH.

You are right of course - you can do it far cheaper yourself ESPECIALLY as you live in Santo Domingo. I look forward to reading of your endeavours over the forthcoming months/years! ~ Grahame.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
megabiteme - price quoted is good. some lawyers will ask more or less $1.500, and yes, it's american dollars.
you can only do it alone if you speak perfect spanish and live in SD (or have plenty of time and money to go there god knows how many times).
bear in mind that lawyers price often includes a little propina for ppl in migracion so that clients do not have to spend hours in the waiting room.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
megabiteme - price quoted is good. some lawyers will ask more or less $1.500, and yes, it's american dollars.
you can only do it alone if you speak perfect spanish and live in SD (or have plenty of time and money to go there god knows how many times).
bear in mind that lawyers price often includes a little propina for ppl in migracion so that clients do not have to spend hours in the waiting room.

Getting a provisional visa here in the DR can be done from anywhere, as long as one is able to travel to the capital and there is a courthouse nearby to legalize the necessary documents. If one is married to a Domincan, the price to do one yourself is around US250, including the gas and food for a day trip to the capital. Two trips are needed and it will take 4 months or so to be approved. I just submitted my stuff last week.
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
I once did a visa for my ex Indonesian wife with no help from anyone. it took 6 months to get her into the states, so that being said, this looks real easy just a lot of time going to the police, doctor, etc.

What does that have to do with anything? This is the DR. Don't assume that the process is anything like what happens in the USA ;)

If you have the time, can speak Spanish, do it yourself, you will save a few hundred dollars in the long run. If you value your time and sanity, pay a lawyer :)

I guess I spent a total of an hour doing my residency 5-6 years ago, Guzman took care of the rest. I never had to wait and they made the process very easy. Plus they take care of the economic solvency requirement.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
Getting a provisional visa here in the DR can be done from anywhere, as long as one is able to travel to the capital and there is a courthouse nearby to legalize the necessary documents. If one is married to a Domincan, the price to do one yourself is around US250, including the gas and food for a day trip to the capital. Two trips are needed and it will take 4 months or so to be approved. I just submitted my stuff last week.

chip, you speak spanish...
when i had my residency done i was totally overwhelmed with migracion and chaos in there. thanks god for my lawyer who took care of everything, otherwise i'd just turn around and go home! :cheeky:
even to go to pick up the cedula i need to take a whole day off work (as i live in POP and i need to take metro). and time is money, quite literally, with DR holiday allowance. :tired:
i would not recommend doing residency yourself to anyone who speaks no spanish and cannot spend time travelling to SD. plus, man, one needs quite some patience to deal with bureaucracy! ;)
 

megabiteme

[ - Mute Button -] Click!
Jan 9, 2008
123
0
0
Getting a provisional visa here in the DR can be done from anywhere, as long as one is able to travel to the capital and there is a courthouse nearby to legalize the necessary documents. If one is married to a Domincan, the price to do one yourself is around US250, including the gas and food for a day trip to the capital. Two trips are needed and it will take 4 months or so to be approved. I just submitted my stuff last week.


Hey chip! thats great news that i was not aware of being married to a dominican as you know that i am would be of help. Now am i off track or is this called a cedula as well? I would like to just obtain this so i can try to get a loan from a bank,it seems that this is my issue since i have proof of my income. [what little it is] I had 2 banks ask my wife if i had this ID and therefore could not apply for a loan. please fill me in on my error, thanks!
 

megabiteme

[ - Mute Button -] Click!
Jan 9, 2008
123
0
0
What does that have to do with anything? This is the DR. Don't assume that the process is anything like what happens in the USA ;)

If you have the time, can speak Spanish, do it yourself, you will save a few hundred dollars in the long run. If you value your time and sanity, pay a lawyer :)

I guess I spent a total of an hour doing my residency 5-6 years ago, Guzman took care of the rest. I never had to wait and they made the process very easy. Plus they take care of the economic solvency requirement.

everything! It seems to be the same process without doing the online or immergration forms yes? yes! but robert, its good to know that the mentioned lawyer is a good one. So perhaps if i need to go that way, maybe in 10 years when i can pay him/her--lol I'll do it...
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
You need a cedula to establish credit in the DR. The credit checking services use this as an ID. You will be issued a cedula after you have obtained your temporary residency, currently 3-6 months.

If your looking for a loan, then I'm sure you will need some local financial history or collateral to secure the loan.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
Hey chip! thats great news that i was not aware of being married to a dominican as you know that i am would be of help. Now am i off track or is this called a cedula as well? I would like to just obtain this so i can try to get a loan from a bank,it seems that this is my issue since i have proof of my income. [what little it is] I had 2 banks ask my wife if i had this ID and therefore could not apply for a loan. please fill me in on my error, thanks!

The provisional residency will get you a cedula in about 4 months.

However, a cedula is not needed to get a loan here in the DR if your wife is Doiminican and has one and you have tax records that show your income. This is standard at all of the larger banks, Banco Popular, Banreservas, Scotiabank, etc.
 

corsair74

Bronze
Jul 3, 2006
1,330
116
0
Wow! That's a bargain.

Actually Anthony this is NOT a crazy price as far as other lawyers are concerned, it is quite competitive. Bear in mind this company is offering both Residencia Provisional AND Residencia Permenete! Quotes from alternative lawyers will probably equate to US $1,200.00 - US $1,500.00 for EACH.

You are right of course - you can do it far cheaper yourself ESPECIALLY as you live in Santo Domingo. I look forward to reading of your endeavours over the forthcoming months/years! ~ Grahame.

Don't know if it will help you make a decision. But I'd like to give you another frame of reference. The above quoted price is less than half what I'd charge you to obtain an equivalent visa here in the states. Though I know that U.S. Immigration laws are more complex than those in the DR, I can't imagine that there aren't a few factors that could affect the process there as well. Whereas a trained and experience attorney will know to look for those factors, a layman might make a mistake that could prove to be costly in both time and money. I'm a big fan of biting the bullet and paying professionals to do what they are trained to do. Especially with such an important thing.

Just try and look at it as just another expense of relocating to another country.

Good luck.

And to the gentleman who related his experience with his ex-wife, the Immigration laws here in the U.S. have changed substantially in the past six or seven years. I assure that it's nowhere near that easy to get a visa anymore. Now there are at least three government agencies that you have to deal with. And the law changes constantly.

Vince.
 

megabiteme

[ - Mute Button -] Click!
Jan 9, 2008
123
0
0
The provisional residency will get you a cedula in about 4 months.

However, a cedula is not needed to get a loan here in the DR if your wife is Doiminican and has one and you have tax records that show your income. This is standard at all of the larger banks, Banco Popular, Banreservas, Scotiabank, etc.

Chip, tell me more about this perhaps in a pm or just call me if you still have my number. I tried like crazy with my wife and they said that I need to have a job here for a year... my wife told them that I am getting disability and they still said no even after i provided income statements from my bank in the US as well as deposits to the bank that we tried to borrow from here in the DR. I'm at a loss..... what gives than chip?

P.S they also will take a passport so I don't need the ID to borrow from popular, and they would not grant me anything....rolling eyes, scratching head!
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
Chip, tell me more about this perhaps in a pm or just call me if you still have my number. I tried like crazy with my wife and they said that I need to have a job here for a year... my wife told them that I am getting disability and they still said no even after i provided income statements from my bank in the US as well as deposits to the bank that we tried to borrow from here in the DR. I'm at a loss..... what gives than chip?

P.S they also will take a passport so I don't need the ID to borrow from popular, and they would not grant me anything....rolling eyes, scratching head!

This sounds odd that they won't even consider you for a loan without a cedula? Is this for a home? If it is all I can tell you is keep on trying and maybe try a couple of cooperativas. The most important thing they are looking for is the income by far.