Dominican Drivers License

[Bryanell]

Insist

I would be kinda leary of getting blood taken at the same place that gives out drivers licenses....especially with the incidence of aids in the DR.

I just wouldnt trust them to not cut a corner if they ran out of supplies....


I mean we dont even see stuff like that in america that i know of.... they send you to a professional clinic for that kind of stuff....

bob

When I went for the blood group test at the DGTT in SD I told the lady my blood group, but she insisted on stabbing me anyway. So I insisted that she change her gloves for a new pair, change the lance and the rest of the gear before touching me. She told me it was unnecessary but I insisted and after a few jokes she did change everything for new, sealed stuff. When I told her it might be a good idea to change everything again for the next victim she just laughed. The guy behind me in the queue was Dominican and he didn't object when she didn't.

Next thing was the eyesight test.....all the applicants waited in line in the test room, the tester asked everybody to read the same line on the chart so even if you couldn't see g-ddam wall, by the time your turn came up you just repeated what everyone in front of had already you said.......

The most difficult part of the whole procedure for me was getting my hair to look good for the photograph ;-)

 

[The Virginian]

My wife and I came here for the weather. So I keep telling myself we came here for the weather.

I arranged with our local policeman to hold my hand through the drivers license process. He is a nice guy and we pay him 50 sometimes 100 peso?s a month to drive through our neighborhood. This was suggested by our neighbors when we first arrived some 10 months ago. We have now discovered they no longer pay the policeman anything. Any way, he is a nice guy and stops from time to time to talk. He has very little English and we very little Spanish, he sometimes drops off fruit.

He and I arranged to meet this morning and start the drivers license process. I picked him up across from the Coca Cola Plant here in POP and we drove to Playa Dorado. The bank charged me 1,380 peso?s for the drivers license paper work.

We then went to the drives license place, across from the old stadium here in POP. I was glad to see no one was waiting to be processed and thought this will be pretty fast. A man came out from behind a desk and discussed my needs with the policeman. We then walked around beside the building as though we were hiding something and they continued to talk. The policeman dropped his head which I had never seen him do before. Soon I learned the guy wanted 5,000 peso?s for a drivers license. Even my bad Spanish told me the policeman did not like this at all. Any way, I discovered because I do not speak nor read/write Spanish this man will simply take my photo and give me a drivers licenses without me doing anything other than paying him. It was agreed that someone will call me on Monday or perhaps I should call someone on Monday, phone numbers were exchanged, not real sure who calls who as I was and still am pretty discussed with this entire process. Now I too am adding to the corruption in the Dominican Republic. I told myself this license is very important to have to live here so the corruption and cost must be worth it. Justification is a strange thing. No money exchanged hands.

As we left the drivers license place the policeman motioned me to stop. He called a man over from the sidewalk. After a brief conversation the policeman told me this man would process me for 4,000 peso?s. Again phone numbers and names were exchanged and someone will call someone sometime next week. Again, no money was exchanged.

Thanks everyone on DR1 for your information and help on this. I was hoping someone would translate the test for me and I could simply answer the questions, as I read that somewhere on DR1, but I guess that doesn?t happen here in POP.

I think, well I hope, am a good judge of character and believe the policeman is an honest and hard working man. I got the feeling he did not like this at all but seemed as I did, helpless to do anything about it. I paid him well for his 5 hours of helping me. He is married with 3 kids and makes very little money as a policeman.

My wife and I came here for the weather, or so I keep telling myself.

 

[Robert]

So much for the honest policeman. I'm sure he will get his cut for arranging a fake license for the "pendejo" gringo, nice job!

The stupidity level of some posters never ceases to amaze me, even when they have an amazing resource like DR1 to learn from and use to their advantage. I wish I had DR1 when I first came to the DR, some of you have it easy.

Some advice...

Good luck with your new license, especially if you have an accident or you go to renew in a few years etc. I suggest you do a little more reading or PM a few locals in POP before you hand over your money.

 

[The Virginian]

Other than more reading, what you you suggest Robert?

 

[Spicedwine]

So much for the honest policeman. I'm sure he will get his cut for arranging a fake license for the "pendejo" gringo, nice job!

The stupidity level of some posters never ceases to amaze me, even when they have an amazing resource like DR1 to learn from and use to their advantage. I wish I had DR1 when I first came to the DR, some of you have it easy.

Some advice...

Good luck with your new license, especially if you have an accident or you go to renew in a few years etc. I suggest you do a little more reading or PM a few locals in POP before you hand over your money.

Geez Robert - I think the the poster "gets it" - hence the thoughtful and, I think, insightful story. Hardly what I would call stupid.

Thanks for reminding us how lucky us "newbies" are.

Spiced's Other Half

 

[Robert]

Geez Robert - I think the the poster "gets it" - hence the thoughtful and, I think, insightful story. Hardly what I would call stupid.

Thanks for reminding us how lucky us "newbies" are.

Spiced's Other Half

Would you call trying to buy a fake license a smart decision?
Is it something that should be encouraged on this board?

 

[Chris]

Robert, he tried to get a legal and proper license. Just took the wrong person with him.

Phil&Gerry, I hope you have some gringo friends that speak Spanish. Please ask one of them to go with you and act as your interpreter to get your license. If you ask a policeman to act as your intermediary, he probably does not understand what you want. All he understands, is that he must 'finagle' a driver's license for you. The local policeman is probably mortified that he failed to do this on the one hand, and on the other hand, puzzled because the gringo does not understand how things work. It does not enter into his consciousness that the gringo wants a legal license.

This is why you need to be plugged in well to a reliable gringo community in the first years that you are here - especially with no Spanish.

Ask a reliable gringo friend to go with you, take the test (if they even give you a test, sometimes they skip this part) and pay what you need to pay for a legal license.

 

[Robert]

Other than more reading, what you you suggest Robert?

It's very simple, it just takes time, but at least you will have the peace of mind of knowing you have a genuine license.

This is for Santo Domingo but the same procedure applies.

http://www.dr1.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=195

You do not need to be hand held by some corrupt cop that is going to make a few pesos out of you, I suggest you leave him at home.

Go to the testing center, smile and act dumb. Dominicans love to help and they will help you. Let them know your Spanish is poor, they will help you with the test.

If all else fails, PM or email some of the POP posters and I'm sure they will help you out. Failing that, PM me and I will have a Dominican friend living in POP that is fluent in English help you out.

 

[Spicedwine]

Would you call trying to buy a fake license a smart decision?
Is it something that should be encouraged on this board?

Of course not - to both questions. I didn't read that he actually did buy, had set out to buy, or had any intention of buying a fake license. He was trying to get a legal and valid license.

I just didn't understand your "stupidity" reference - seems to me me the poster is pretty astute ( in spite of his acknowleged lack of Spanish). This is exactly what many posters have commented on - long time DR1'rs dissing the newbies. Anyway - we're getting off topic, and that's also a no-no.

'Nuff said ?

 

[The Virginian]

To Robert;

Just wanted to take a minute and update you on my drivers license process. I took your advice and no would serve me at the drivers license place today in POP. The 2 guys who wanted 5,000 and 4,000 peso's would not talk to me after I told them I would not pay those corruption prices. No one else would serve me. Can I take my paper work I paid 1,380 peso's for at the bank somewhere else? Like Sosa or another place close by. Robert, please stop help me and my wife.

thanks Phil

 

[Chris]

Phil&Gerry,

Please contact one of the long standing Puerto Plata residents and let him / her / them go with you. Failing that, go through to Santiago.

Is there any Puerto Plata resident that wants to take Phil&Gerry by the hand please?

Confident people don't even look at buscones, or talk to them. Leave them alone, don't argue with them, don't tell them anything. Simply take someone with that knows the ropes and get this done. Or, pay for half an hour's service and take your lawyer with.

 

[Lambada]

To Robert;
Just wanted to take a minute and update you on my drivers license process. I took your advice and no would serve me at the drivers license place today in POP. The 2 guys who wanted 5,000 and 4,000 peso's would not talk to me after I told them I would not pay those corruption prices. No one else would serve me.

I can't honestly say I'm surprised. There is a HUGE notice outside telling you not to use 'intermediarios'. I even posted about it on this thread:
http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/62487-renewing-dr-driving-licence-vast-improvement.html

I have a photo of the sign which I'll send to Rocky if he would be so kind as to post it. Thanks Rocky.

If bridges have been burned at PP DGTT you might need to go to Santiago but whether this is allowable when the PP office is open, I don't know. I know they allow it when the PP office has a computer failure or runs out of plastic. It probably wouldn't be good advice to go back to PP anytime soon, however.

 

[Robert]

To Robert;

Just wanted to take a minute and update you on my drivers license process. I took your advice and no would serve me at the drivers license place today in POP. The 2 guys who wanted 5,000 and 4,000 peso's would not talk to me after I told them I would not pay those corruption prices. No one else would serve me. Can I take my paper work I paid 1,380 peso's for at the bank somewhere else? Like Sosa or another place close by. Robert, please stop help me and my wife.

thanks Phil

PM or email me your contact details and I will help you out.

 

[Rocky]

 

[BushBaby]

A suggestion from ME Phil/Geraldine.
Why not contact the sonar graphologist Doctor friend you had who was building your property for you? When you wrote to me back in July last year I went to check him out (as per my e-mail of 20th July 2006) advising you that I thought he was a reputable & respected guy - did something go wrong with this arrangement? I didn't hear any more from you so presumed he was giving you all the help you required.

I am sure the good Doctor has the connections to get you past any resentment/distrust that you might have caused by your policeman friend trying to employ Buscones in a NON buscones area ......... NEVER a good idea! Didn't your policeman friend see the sign? I also wonder why the policeman didn't KNOW the correct procedure for getting a licence - could it be because he does not have a licence himself? Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest as many Dominicans just don't see the need for them! Either that or he gets HIS organised for him by the Policia Nacional!

Anyway, get your friend Doctor Firmin to take you along to the Puerto Plata office, eat lots of humble pie explaining you were misinformed & not trying to by-pass the system & you might just pull it off! ~ Grahame.