A Residency/Citizenship Legal Path Diagram

[MoJoInDR]

We're from KCMO. We used the nearest Dominican consulate in Chicago. Very helpful staff. On their website we chose the retirement visa. 15 requirements on their checklist. Application and other requirements all spelled out. Can't recommend enough to start the process in your home country. There are many documents to gather. It will take you weeks if not months. An easy one for example: birth certificate. Send your $$ to your state with your request. Then more money and get an apostile seal on it. Same with marriage license and other documents. All will depend on your state's efficiency at getting these turned around. One of the more complicated is your FBI rap sheet. Go to their website and read and follow the directions. Fingerprints at local PD. Then notarized. then apostilized. Then and only then send it to the FBI with $$ of course. Any deviation in that order sends you back to go. You'll have income and medical info to collect. How soon can you get a simple doctor's appointment these days? Ugh. On that to do list is send your current passport to Chicago with all of the above 15 items that pertain to you. Whoops! Can you be without your passport for what could be a few months? When the consulate gets all your stuff they start using your $550/per application to translate all these documents into Spanish. This is all time consuming but no attorney is ever needed. Then they send it all back to you in the stamped, pre-paid envelope you provided them. Don't sit on it. The meter starts running. That stuff needs to get to Immigration there on the Malecon Luperon office within about 60 days. Then you get to start "el proceso" here. It will likely take more months of waiting. Ours has. However, we have our interviews and Dominican medical exams next Tuesday. Yeehaw! I think we're about finished with this phase of visa pursuit. Then if we want to lose the temporary word from our visa we will start the multi-year process of annual renewals. Good luck and be patient. Farmer

Great detailed info path... Very helpful... Thanks.

What immediately stood out for me is the "...Don't sit on it. The meter starts running. That stuff needs to get to Immigration there on the Malecon Luperon office within about 60 days..." aspect.

Why did it stick out to me?

Because this seems directly related to the decision of when one is ready to make the move to the DR (not just thinking about it, learning what it takes, and preparing what needs to be prepared). It's almost as if there is a pre-60-day-meter-running aspect and a post-60-day-meter-running aspect... Kind of what separates the "...start the process in your home country..." part from the "...start "el proceso" here..." part.

This is very useful to see/know, and it provides a clear point in the process around which things need to be done.

Have I got this correct, Farmer?

 

[william webster]

Home country always..... not here

Get nit done early then you are comfortable any time..... no penalty for being early !!!

 

[MoJoInDR]

Just a word of warning...

If you read various threads about obtaining and or renewing residency you will find that requirements are fluid - that is, the government tends to change regulations without notice. You can try to design a flowchart, but six months from now it could well be incorrect.

Perhaps starting at migración.gob.do as was suggested earlier might be wise.

Got it, absolutely... Which is why I thought of creating a type of timeline diagram... But it won't be saying what to do, in the context of details, but rather be a layout of things that need to be considered in a general sense as related to the process timing (hope that makes sense, sometimes I've got it more clear in my mind that in my words).

What I may be able to do is provide links to more details info, which could be changed as things change. Kind of like a Wikipedia for the DR residency/citizenship legal path... Only in a kind of diagram form.

And yes, the migracion.gob.do is a very useful reference resource.

Thanks

 

[cavok]

are buy property here

As far as I know, that is not the case, otherwise, just about every gringo that has a condo or house here could get citizenship instead of mucking around with residency. I posted a list awhile ago on another thread of what investments the government will accept towards citizenship. If I find it, I'll post it again. Otherwise, you post a link that shows all you have to do is buy property here.

 

[Farmer]

The only book you need is called DR1.com. It gets edited more frequently than any outdated book. Policies are tweaked all the time. My source as I said was the Dominican consulate in Chicago. consuladordchicago.com. On the top banner is the little word Servicios. Then choose Visa and you'll see a long list of the possible visas available. In English and Spanish. My choice was the retirement visa and it had 15 requirements. Each is slightly different in requirements and cost. No need for a spread sheet. Work off the list under the visa you choose. All the above posts are correct because we all came with different purposes and chose a visa to match our needs.

 

[MoJoInDR]

The only book you need is called DR1.com. It gets edited more frequently than any outdated book. Policies are tweaked all the time. My source as I said was the Dominican consulate in Chicago. consuladordchicago.com. On the top banner is the little word Servicios. Then choose Visa and you'll see a long list of the possible visas available. In English and Spanish. My choice was the retirement visa and it had 15 requirements. Each is slightly different in requirements and cost. No need for a spread sheet. Work off the list under the visa you choose. All the above posts are correct because we all came with different purposes and chose a visa to match our needs.

If I may ask... There must have been a point when you began considering moving to the DR... How long did it take you to actually decide to make the move and begin the process?

 

[cavok]

I have heard several stories where the consulates do not always have the most up-to-date information. Requirements can and do change at any time w/o notice. A typical case of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing here. Also, the OP is looking for info on citizenship. I only saw info on visas on that site(?).

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

... Also, the OP is looking for info on citizenship. I only saw info on visas on that site(?).

Residency is step 1 for getting citizenship. The additional requirements and time frame for citizenship depend which residency one procures.

 

[keepcoming]

I am confused OP, as this is the Legal Forum...are you asking what the process is for doing residency? Or are you giving your opinion? This forum is for Legal questions...

 

[MoJoInDR]

I am confused OP, as this is the Legal Forum...are you asking what the process is for doing residency? Or are you giving your opinion? This forum is for Legal questions...

I have no real knowledge of the residency/citizenship process for the DR, so I have no opinion on it... I'm just trying to gain a clear view of what the stages of the process are so I'll be able to make a plan to follow... To this end, I'm here to ask questions and learn from the answers/comments... And, for me, instead of just leaving the answers in individual comments, I thought that I would compile them into a type of timeline graph... First step... Second step... Third step... And so on.

Based on some of the threads I went through on this Legal Forum category I thought this was the correct place to create this thread.

My above comments, where I shared my thoughts on some of what was said in the comments in this thread and in other threads were simply my kind of thinking aloud regarding what I think I've seen/learned.

For example, my thoughts regarding the 60-day period... That's not an opinion, it's a fact of the process that stood out to me... And in a timeline, it would be something that is crucial to be clear about and plan for, just as Farmer said.

I'm just trying to gain a clear overarching view of what the entire process includes and relate it all to a timeline of actions that need to be taken in relation to each other. Farmer actually laid out a lot of it in his comment, which was very helpful... I'm simply going to translate it into a type of timeline graph that can be looked at and used to quickly identify where in the process I am.

Hope that makes sense... And if this isn't the correct forum then please move it to the correct one.

Thanks.

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

I have no real knowledge of the residency/citizenship process for the DR, so I have no opinion on it... I'm just trying to gain a clear view of what the stages of the process are so I'll be able to make a plan to follow... To this end, I'm here to ask questions and learn from the answers/comments... And, for me, instead of just leaving the answers in individual comments, I thought that I would compile them into a type of timeline graph... First step... Second step... Third step... And so on.

Based on some of the threads I went through on this Legal Forum category I thought this was the correct place to create this thread.

My above comments, where I shared my thoughts on some of what was said in the comments in this thread and in other threads were simply my kind of thinking aloud regarding what I think I've seen/learned.

For example, my thoughts regarding the 60-day period... That's not an opinion, it's a fact of the process that stood out to me... And in a timeline, it would be something that is crucial to be clear about and plan for, just as Farmer said.

I'm just trying to gain a clear overarching view of what the entire process includes and relate it all to a timeline of actions that need to be taken in relation to each other. Farmer actually laid out a lot of it in his comment, which was very helpful... I'm simply going to translate it into a type of timeline graph that can be looked at and used to quickly identify where in the process I am.

Hope that makes sense... And if this isn't the correct forum then please move it to the correct one.

Thanks.

Mojo, I sure do like the idea of a visual in this, as you've suggested many times now. I think the community here would love to see your presentation when it's completed. Sounds like you'll be putting together a most informative breakdown of the process, its timeline and collateral workflows!

 

[Farmer]

Ok. I guess I read residency/citizenship as either/or not one leading into the other. Good catch cavok. And thanks to Cdn_Gringo for also letting me know one leads to the other. Good for the OP to learn that too. Never wanted to be a citizen. My personal experience with the Consulate was Google 5 star review material. Daiana Paredes the Assistant Consule is on my Christmas card list. I still think that a timeline is wrong. Yes you begin with an application you download and send off with the corresponding cash for your particular visa. Then you whip out the shotgun and blast away. One letter for your marriage license. One for your birth certificate. Downloading 3 months of banking records. Letters to any source you receive income from. The FBI Identity History Records Check. Get a medical exam. Passport and passport pictures, etc. Collate everything on your visa requirement list, drop it and a return envelope in the mail to the Consulate and wait. There's no order to any of those. Get them all started at once. All agencies have different time tables. You're gonna have to plan a trip down here then when you receive all of that back in Spanish. Down here you'll enter the Inmigracion website and set up an account with which you and immigration will communicate. At the Direccion General de Migracion on the Malecon don't be freaked out by the lines to the doors on the southwest corner. If you're American they'll send you around back where you and Haitians and Venezolanos are all processed. ?? Try to get Gabriel on your case. He's good. When you get down here you're gonna also need two more things real quick. Go to Claro and get a local phone number. Go to Banreservas and open a bank account. It will be a nightmare. Lousy customer service, long lines. One peso account and one dollar account. The reason I mention Banreservas is that they handle all the payments you'll get nickel and dimed for, for everything. Whether its your immigration fees, auto insurance, any customs fees if you ship something down, a local driver's license, etc. Immigration will require the phone and bank account day one. You can always switch later. So if this helps you timeline good. I just didn't want you thinking the actual visa requirements could be placed in any order. Start 'em all as soon as you decide to come. I wish you luck. Be patient and resolved. Farmer

 

[Jan]

Wow. So much stuff needed these days. If I needed all that 21, almost 22, years ago I could have never became a resident when my dog and I came to live here. I got a note from my little town police department saying I was a good human. Never needed bank info just said where I worked. A sponsor (later sponsor and 3 Dominicans saying they knew me). Birth certificate translated to Spanish. Marriage-divorce-name change stuff. Good conduct certificate from here. Medical here. And that's all I remember. Everytime I renewed they seemed to change something. The last renewal this year is good for 10 years.

 

[AlterEgo]

Since there is no legal question involved here, I’m moving this thread to Government forum.

 

[cavok]

I think the government still offers a citizenship by investment program where you can skip all the visa and residency hassle. You're basically buying your citizenship. It used to cost round $100K USD.

 

[JD Jones]

I think the government still offers a citizenship by investment program where you can skip all the visa and residency hassle. You're basically buying your citizenship. It used to cost round $100K USD.

That sounds about right. Many years ago we paid a group price for 8 managers and only had to get photos taken.

But like I said, many years ago. Early 80's.

 

[keepcoming]

Wow. So much stuff needed these days. If I needed all that 21, almost 22, years ago I could have never became a resident when my dog and I came to live here. I got a note from my little town police department saying I was a good human. Never needed bank info just said where I worked. A sponsor (later sponsor and 3 Dominicans saying they knew me). Birth certificate translated to Spanish. Marriage-divorce-name change stuff. Good conduct certificate from here. Medical here. And that's all I remember. Everytime I renewed they seemed to change something. The last renewal this year is good for 10 years.

I got citizenship years ago..very simple process. Like you, if it was as complicated as it is today I doubt I would do it.

 

[cavok]

That sounds about right. Many years ago we paid a group price for 8 managers and only had to get photos taken.

But like I said, many years ago. Early 80's.

There are many islands in the Caribbean where you can just buy your citizenship and passport. It's not that unusual of a program.

When I came here 17 years ago, Guzman Ariza who handled the purchase of my condo recommended I get residency and citizenship because they said it was going to get harder and more expensive in the future. I should have listened to them. It was much faster, easier, and cheaper back then. At least I saw the writing on the wall and got residency before it became required to start the process in the US.

 

[MoJoInDR]

Ok. I guess I read residency/citizenship as either/or not one leading into the other. Good catch cavok. And thanks to Cdn_Gringo for also letting me know one leads to the other. Good for the OP to learn that too. Never wanted to be a citizen. My personal experience with the Consulate was Google 5 star review material. Daiana Paredes the Assistant Consule is on my Christmas card list. I still think that a timeline is wrong. Yes you begin with an application you download and send off with the corresponding cash for your particular visa. Then you whip out the shotgun and blast away. One letter for your marriage license. One for your birth certificate. Downloading 3 months of banking records. Letters to any source you receive income from. The FBI Identity History Records Check. Get a medical exam. Passport and passport pictures, etc. Collate everything on your visa requirement list, drop it and a return envelope in the mail to the Consulate and wait. There's no order to any of those. Get them all started at once. All agencies have different time tables. You're gonna have to plan a trip down here then when you receive all of that back in Spanish. Down here you'll enter the Inmigracion website and set up an account with which you and immigration will communicate. At the Direccion General de Migracion on the Malecon don't be freaked out by the lines to the doors on the southwest corner. If you're American they'll send you around back where you and Haitians and Venezolanos are all processed. ?? Try to get Gabriel on your case. He's good. When you get down here you're gonna also need two more things real quick. Go to Claro and get a local phone number. Go to Banreservas and open a bank account. It will be a nightmare. Lousy customer service, long lines. One peso account and one dollar account. The reason I mention Banreservas is that they handle all the payments you'll get nickel and dimed for, for everything. Whether its your immigration fees, auto insurance, any customs fees if you ship something down, a local driver's license, etc. Immigration will require the phone and bank account day one. You can always switch later. So if this helps you timeline good. I just didn't want you thinking the actual visa requirements could be placed in any order. Start 'em all as soon as you decide to come. I wish you luck. Be patient and resolved. Farmer

Thanks, Farmer, your layout of the process is very helpful. Appreciate you taking the time to put it in writing for us.

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

Thanks, Farmer, your layout of the process is very helpful. Appreciate you taking the time to put it in writing for us.

How is the presentation coming. There has been a wealth of data in this thread and on these boards in general to have filled in quite a few steps and timelines thus far.