Can exchange my USA Drivers License for a DR one?

Boowow

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Feb 5, 2015
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I need to get a DR License - I have my cedula but don't speak or read Spanish very well (yet).

Can a USA Drivers License holder exchange their license for a DR License without doing the test?

Thanks for the help.
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
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I wonder if they will validate my commercial with air brakes and passengers endorsements.

JJ
 
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AlaPlaya

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Jan 7, 2021
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I need to get a DR License - I have my cedula but don't speak or read Spanish very well (yet).

Can a USA Drivers License holder exchange their license for a DR License without doing the test?

Thanks for the help.
Too bad you don't have a Canadian one--it can be exchanged.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Not to worry. Learn just a few words of spanish and you're good to go:
1. I need. 2.A license.3.How much? 4. In dollars? 5. Thank you.
That's funny and certainly not true.

I was just today at INTRANT in Puerto Plata with someone getting a class 1 motorcycle license who already had a regular class 2 drivers license.
She needed a current police report, license fee paid either at Banreservas or at INTRANT, Answered a set of medical questions to a doctor, had an eye test, spent time viewing a video about the rules of the road and then took an exam on those details, passed and had her new license printed after communications to INTRANT in Santo Domingo about having the license expire at the same time as her previous class 2 license. There was one card produced with class 1 and class 2 endorsements.

All of the above are what is also needed for a new license plus a road test which is scheduled about 2 weeks later. A Cuban fellow was there and thought it was complicated. Americans cannot get the USA to validate their licenses (since states handle such licensing and don't validate them for foreign use). Therefor expect to go through the process in Spanish.

She does not need the helmet stickers since she already had a drivers license for a car. The helmet for the helmet is only for those with just a motorcycle license. Go figure on that one...

What johne suggest ain't gonna happen. You need to have your cedula and understand Spanish well enough to answer a fairly long list of questions properly.


By the way, I asked the question how long foreign licenses were valid in the DR to the boss. The answer was 3 months.
 
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SKY

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Apr 11, 2004
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That's funny and certainly not true.

I was just today at INTRANT in Puerto Plata with someone getting a class 1 motorcycle license who already had a regular class 2 drivers license.
She needed a current police report, license fee paid either at Banreservas or at INTRANT, Answered a set of medical questions to a doctor, had an eye test, spent time viewing a video about the rules of the road and then took an exam on those details, passed and had her new license printed after communications to INTRANT in Santo Domingo about having the license expire at the same time as her previous class 2 license. There was one card produced with class 1 and class 2 endorsements.

All of the above are what is also needed for a new license plus a road test which is scheduled about 2 weeks later. A Cuban fellow was there and thought it was complicated. Americans cannot get the USA to validate their licenses (since states handle such licensing and don't validate them for foreign use). Therefor expect to go through the process in Spanish.

She does not need the helmet stickers since she already had a drivers license for a car. The helmet for the helmet is only for those with just a motorcycle license. Go figure on that one...

What johne suggest ain't gonna happen. You need to have your cedula and understand Spanish well enough to answer a fairly long list of questions properly.


By the way, I asked the question how long foreign licenses were valid in the DR to the boss. The answer was 3 months.
Did she offer the guy 2,000 Pesos?.
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
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if you present the correct amount of pesos you can convert a empty candy wrapper to a drivers license
I do have my Dominican driver license but just a regular Conductor category with stick shifter road test, up hill breakings, downhills curbside wheels blocking and, parallel parking hand signals... 😆
I need to renew it's expired 11 years now.
Last Time I was in DR I called Intran, I was told will have to take a vial class and pay RD 11k which was my due at that time.

Next time I will!

JJ
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Not to worry. Learn just a few words of spanish and you're good to go:
1. I need. 2.A license.3.How much? 4. In dollars? 5. Thank you.
He might also need to learn;

1. ¿Entonces 2. soy 3. un 4.corrupto?

:unsure:

Now lets all say it in English. lol


I know, I know... expats have a gun held to their heads that "force" them to open their wallets in all Dominican government institutions. :rolleyes:
 

windeguy

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Did she offer the guy 2,000 Pesos?.
Since it cost a total of 1,200 pesos (600 for the police report and 600 for the motorcycle license) that would not have made practical sense. :ROFLMAO:

There was nobody there who did not go through the procedures as I described them. Some people were upset they had to return for a road test
before being issued licenses.

One thing I forgot is they have a Red Cross representative there who determines your blood type.
 
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johne

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Jun 28, 2003
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He might also need to learn;

1. ¿Entonces 2. soy 3. un 4.corrupto?

:unsure:

Now lets all say it in English. lol


I know, I know... expats have a gun held to their heads that "force" them to open their wallets in all Dominican government institutions. :rolleyes:
A bit off topic but...this past week on the way back from the capital to juan dolio I was stopped and told to pull over. The usually. I was in passenger seat and had a driver. My car. Late model SUV. Police asks driver "You dominican?". Answer.."No, I am Venezuelanian" Police do not ask for license, registration...NADA. "Go ahead".

LOL...so what if driver was a Dom? So what if the driver stole this late model car?
So what if the driver was lying?
I have an opinion for the stopping of the car and letting him go without the police asking nothing more than one question. However, it is a personal opinion only without proof.
 

Sailor51

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A bit off topic but...this past week on the way back from the capital to juan dolio I was stopped and told to pull over. The usually. I was in passenger seat and had a driver. My car. Late model SUV. Police asks driver "You dominican?". Answer.."No, I am Venezuelanian" Police do not ask for license, registration...NADA. "Go ahead".

LOL...so what if driver was a Dom? So what if the driver stole this late model car?
So what if the driver was lying?
I have an opinion for the stopping of the car and letting him go without the police asking nothing more than one question. However, it is a personal opinion only without proof.
You didn't expect to but if you had tried to record it, the policia may get testy about that.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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The National Police is instructed to not ask anything from tourists and simply let them go. Despite the wituation with Venezuela and Venezuelans in the country, they are still given that treatment by many police officer.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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You didn't expect to but if you had tried to record it, the policia may get testy about that.
That's because it's illegal to record any police officer or military soldier, general, etc. Sometimes they might simply not do anything if you look like a tourists doing typical touristy recordings and they happen to get recorded or they move away, say go around a tree so they aren't in the vision of the camera. In other cases they will approach you and force you to either erase the part where they are recorded and they have to see you erase it or they will confiscate your camera or phone. In the worst case scenario they could arrest you if you do things to object them getting your camera or phone off of you.
 
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windeguy

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The National Police is instructed to not ask anything from tourists and simply let them go. Despite the wituation with Venezuela and Venezuelans in the country, they are still given that treatment by many police officer.
The normal Policia Nacional are not in charge of enforcing traffic laws. That is DIGESETT's job.
 

CristoRey

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Apr 1, 2014
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As team Luis transitions the country from paper to digital the old way of "handling" these types of situations is slowly becoming a thing of the past.