Dominican Immigration has extended the stay for tourist

[cavok]

US Nationals can apply for the Tourist Visa, which is valid for 60 days, too as the Dominican Embassy USA link I attached:

TOURIST VISA:

Tourist Visas are issued for tourist, cultural trips, and for conferences or conventions.

The Tourist Visa is valid for one or multiple entries within 60 days of the issuing.

Posters have before enquired at their relevant embassy and been told it is not required and use overstay but that might change after the memo issued the other day as the recent post.

There are some people who said they would never issue "snowbird" type tourist visas. At least on paper it appears it is possible.

 

[SKY]

I don't see how this has anything to do with Venezuelans or Haitians. With maybe very, very few exceptions, they aren't coming here and travelling back and forth overstaying their tourist card. They are coming here to stay if at all possible. 99.9% of Haitians don't even have or qualify for a tourist visa.

They want to get rid of the Venezuelans so they can use this 60 day rule to do it. Does not have to be coming in at an airport, they can just grab them in the street and ask for their passport to see when they entered. Then it is Adios.................

 

[cavok]

They want to get rid of the Venezuelans so they can use this 60 day rule to do it. Does not have to be coming in at an airport, they can just grab them in the street and ask for their passport to see when they entered. Then it is Adios.................

But they already have been deporting Venezuelans under the current law(?). This new law is designed to bar people from entering if they have previously overstayed. Who knows if they will actually enforce it(?).

 

[AlterEgo]

Alexw, that dislike was accidental, must have been scrolling on my phone. I fixed it

 

[windeguy]

There are some people who said they would never issue "snowbird" type tourist visas. At least on paper it appears it is possible.

There is no indication yet of a snowbird visa. Maybe they will think of something eventually that lets people stay for 6 months.

As indicated already, tourist visas for up to 60 days are primarily for people from countries that do not have the option of tourist card upon arrival. Not many people are going to take the trouble to apply at a Dominican embassy in the US or Canada so they can stay for 60 days in the DR, even if that option is available.

It is still too early to tell if anything has really changed. Only people being turned away for previous overstays will be evidence of a change.

 

[windeguy]

They want to get rid of the Venezuelans so they can use this 60 day rule to do it. Does not have to be coming in at an airport, they can just grab them in the street and ask for their passport to see when they entered. Then it is Adios.................

And perfectly fair to only do this to people from Venezuela, eh?

 

[SKY]

And perfectly fair to only do this to people from Venezuela, eh?

I don't advocate what the DR does, just stating facts...................

 

[cavok]

There is no indication yet of a snowbird visa. Maybe they will think of something eventually that lets people stay for 6 months.

As indicated already, tourist visas for up to 60 days are primarily for people from countries that do not have the option of tourist card upon arrival. Not many people are going to take the trouble to apply at a Dominican embassy in the US or Canada so they can stay for 60 days in the DR, even if that option is available.

It is still too early to tell if anything has really changed. Only people being turned away for previous overstays will be evidence of a change.

I agree. Nothing definite yet that would allow a tourist to stay more than 60 days and unless they make a visa much easier to obtain than it is now, most potential tourists will just go elsewhere.

 

[CristoRey]

But they already have been deporting Venezuelans under the current law(?). This new law is designed to bar people from entering if they have previously overstayed. Who knows if they will actually enforce it(?).

Good point. Since I have been traveling to the DR, I've always wondered
why as American passport holder I am not required to have a visa in order
to enter this country.

Having traveled the world a few times over and lived in several different
countries I can tell you visa's are almost 100% reciprocal. In other words,
if a Dominican national wants to enter the USA he or she will first need to
apply for a visa,. So why as an American national, am I not required to do
the same prior to entering the Dominican Republic?

 

[windeguy]

But they already have been deporting Venezuelans under the current law(?). This new law is designed to bar people from entering if they have previously overstayed. Who knows if they will actually enforce it(?).

So far, there is no new law. Just potential enforcement of the law that has existed for some time.

 

[windeguy]

I don't advocate what the DR does, just stating facts...................

Perhaps, but I don't see it that way. What I see is the wording that people who overstay would be in jeopardy of being denied re-entry if they have overstayed.

Your comment was about deporting Venezuelans after 60 days of being in the country. Two different things, but both could be true if already existing laws are actually enforced.

 

[SKY]

They might also start enforcing Motos for going the wrong way on a one way street, or drunk driving and a host of other laws.

 

[william webster]

Unfortunatley, there is so much garble about 30-60-90 days that the directives to the authorities are confusing.

We all read it here and can't decipher it...

How is a lesser educated policeman supposed to interpret it ??

 

[lifeisgreat]

One thread closed ..next day one poster thread opened..boy someone’s website is getting traffic..just saying..

 

[snowqueen]

I was researching this on the Canada DR consulate site but couldnt access the forms. The US website for the DR consulate does have a form for a visa to DR at http://www.domrep.org/visa.html . Scroll down past the list of countries to Tourist Visa. I will have to call and confirm with the consulate in Toronto.

 

[lifeisgreat]

I was researching this on the Canada DR consulate site but couldnt access the forms. The US website for the DR consulate does have a form for a visa to DR at http://www.domrep.org/visa.html . Scroll down past the list of countries to Tourist Visa. I will have to call and confirm with the consulate in Toronto.

The Toronto consulate website  forms haven’t worked for over yr... last I talked no tourist visa for Canadians that was October let us know if it changed..

 

[cavok]

So far, there is no new law. Just potential enforcement of the law that has existed for some time.

That's correct. I meant to put "law" in quotes because, so far, we only have a letter from MIP/DGM that clearly states their right under existing law to deny entry to people who have overstayed their tourist card or visa. That right has always existed as far as I know. They just want to make it perfectly clear for some reason(?).

 

[AnnaC]

I was researching this on the Canada DR consulate site but couldnt access the forms. The US website for the DR consulate does have a form for a visa to DR at http://www.domrep.org/visa.html . Scroll down past the list of countries to Tourist Visa. I will have to call and confirm with the consulate in Toronto.

They finally fixed the Dominican Embassy in Ottawa site. http://dominicanembassycanada.gob.do/index.php/en/

The Consulate in Toronto website has always worked as far as I know. http://dominicanconsulateto.ca

 

[cavok]

Good point. Since I have been traveling to the DR, I've always wondered
why as American passport holder I am not required to have a visa in order
to enter this country.

Having traveled the world a few times over and lived in several different
countries I can tell you visa's are almost 100% reciprocal. In other words,
if a Dominican national wants to enter the USA he or she will first need to
apply for a visa,. So why as an American national, am I not required to do
the same prior to entering the Dominican Republic?

Reciprocity is one factor. Another that countries use in determining as to whether or not to require a visa is the possibility of overstay - that's why the US and other major countries require visas from citizens of poorer, developing countries. Without a visa requirement, the population of the US would probably be around 2 billion right now.

My experience has been pretty much the opposite. I've travelled extensively in Central America, South American, and the Caribbean and the only place that I needed a visa for was Brazil.

The DR doesn't require a visa from US citizens because they don't have to worry about a massive influx of Americans coming here, staying illegally, and putting an economic burden on their system. To the contrary, they are happy to have us come here and spend our tourist dollars which would go elsewhere if they did require a visa.

 

[Ecoman1949]

That's correct. I meant to put "law" in quotes because, so far, we only have a letter from MIP/DGM that clearly states their right under existing law to deny entry to people who have overstayed their tourist card or visa. That right has always existed as far as I know. They just want to make it perfectly clear for some reason(?).

Russ just returned to Canada. Two things. He saw the so called list and it is an overstay list and it was checked for his name. He also had a more difficult time getting thorough Immigration. Had to show his entrada and salida dates on his passport to prove he didn’t stay beyond the mandatory 30 days. Even with all that they still tried to pressure him into paying $2500DOP for overstay fees. It more or less confirms one of my previous posts where I stated it’s not about the legality of the overstay, it’s about collecting money for the DR government coffers. To put it another way in the DR deniro talks and toro caca walks. I’m betting all of this will come to a bureaucratic halt when high season starts next fall and they have multiple plane loads of passengers to process through immigration at the same time.