Couple general Questions...Moving to SD in November

rvancil

Member
Feb 2, 2009
31
33
18
Hi everyone,

My name is Ryan and I'll be a new Santo Domingo resident this coming November...I'm moving there from the Los Angeles area with my Dominican(although she's Chinese...haha) wife and have a couple questions that I'm hoping to get answered. First I'd like to say how awesome this board is, I've been spending hours on end reading and learning as much as I can before I get there...So thanks everyone for all the info:D

First off, has anyone recently moved from the States(or specifically LA) and brought their household items with them? I'm in the process of getting shipping quotes from a bunch of people as I just sold my house in Redondo Beach, so any help with suggestions would be much appreciated! As per the suggestions on this board, we're selling our cars before we leave, so its strictly just household stuff...possibly some new appliances depending on what I hear here.

Cell phone providers...We both use the iphone here and of course would like to continue using one there...Are there more than one provider or are you locked in like we are here with AT&T? We plan on selling our current iphones here as I'm pretty sure they are locked to our carrier, so we'll also need to buy new ones there as well. Hows the data service down there? Dare I ask any 3G coverage?

And finally for right now...Anyone have a good Spanish tutor they want to tip me onto? They're going to need patients of steel;)

Thanks in advance for any help!
 

El Vegano

New member
Apr 20, 2006
39
4
0
rvancil:

last things first .. once you are here full time you will learn spanish quickly and you will have no trouble with tutoring ... telecommunications here are at the level of the U.S so that won't be any problem ... you don't say anything about your employment so perhaps you are independently wealthy so you'll be allright .. I have been here since Sept. 95 after 30 years in the States and 4 in Europe and I wouldn't have it any other way .. I am Dominican-born though .. Best of Luck!

EV
 

vivile

New member
Apr 1, 2009
50
0
0
Hi

We moved here in May. To import your household stuff you need to prove your residency paper are in tramit. Those paper required you or your company to have a lawyer in charge of your residency papers. They will ask you several papers, medical analysis to be performed in Sto Dom. If you have the prove that your paper are in process (once you have submited all your documents and medical analysis) then your households import will be "free of duty" however they will charge you a fix fee (I don't know how much is it). If you don't have your residency papers, my moving company told me that customs will charge me around 50% of the total cost of freight. I don't know if it is true.
You can search in the living forum, there are several post regarding moving stuff and some person have good customs agents that can help you with all paper work if your transportation company does not have one.
The good thing is that your wife is dominican, so may be you can use her "one time" household import. In Europe they ask Dominican to go to the Dominican Consultat to have the list of your moving stuff stamp.... But I have to admit that I don't know...
You can also import a car with your stuff which if you have to buy a car, it is better to import it, it so much cheaper.
For celphone provider you have CLARO which have the Iphone. I think they have 3G. I have the blackberry service and it is OK, not as well as in US but OK.
iPhone Claro
You will see that other services such as Internet or TV provider are expensive vs US.

I hope this is usefull and good luck.
A good advice in general is to be patient, in specific with your moving

Vivile