I have many clients and friends who are annual six month snowbirds. I promise I will report it here as soon as any are deported or denied entry.
I'm not saying it won't happen, because I don't know, just that I will report it.
- Thread starter Melisa Alcantara
- Start date
Dominican Immigration has extended the stay for tourist
I have many clients and friends who are annual six month snowbirds. I promise I will report it here as soon as any are deported or denied entry.
I'm not saying it won't happen, because I don't know, just that I will report it.
Getting and maintaining residency is harder now than when I did it. True that most Canadians, Americans, and people from the EU who want to be snowbirds in the DR would be able to get residency. A far simpler solution would be a 6 month snowbird visa, but that may never come to be.
Good, and so will I. The more we know, the more the more things might change for the better.
Wait, this is the DR. Forget about that change for the better comment above.
They are still working on a Solution, they know about snowbird, and the temporary residence must be apply in Canada, so I dont think how dificult could be, maybe what they call temporary residence for snowbird is just a name and will be a visa, thats the way Canada calls their turist visas, Temporary residents visa for turism.
Having applied for my wife previously for one of those Canadian Temporary Resident visas when all we wanted was a visitor's visa was a point of confusion until I understood the semantics.
I get the feeling the DR is still fumbling around in the dark on this.
I hope that the DR can just come up with a Snowbird Visa, because the existing Temporay Residency process for the DR is not simple, nor is it fast, nor is it cheap enough to make sense for most Snowbirds. Certainly not for those that just want to winter over occasionally or do not have property here.
After reading the article about the new rules, a Canadian snowbird friend of mine, who has been coming here for six months every year for a decade, asked me what was involved in getting Temporary Residency. I gave him a brief rundown, and his expletive filled reply made it quite clear that he would certainly not be doing that!
I married my wife who is dominican on 3/3/2018 and I am an American citizen. She is pregnant and we have an apartment together in Santiago. I have overstayed a few times in the past and last week I flew back to florida on my 29th day here in Santiago and back to Santiago 2 days later just to be safe. I went to the airport before I left in Santiago had someone from immigration come out and speak to me. He used the woman sitting in the information booth out front to help translate and they both told me it was fine to stay as long as I want I just needed to pay the taxes. I told them I heard people saying on the internet if I stay too long that I can be denied entry and was still told no that is not the case.
I did not want to take any chances after reading online and I spoke to two immigration attorneys here in dominican republic and they did say there is a new law and they are cracking down on overstays. Seems like its something new and not everyone knows about it. I flew in late on a saturday morning at 4am and they did not have the normal $10 purchase for tourist cards and seems like they were letting everyone in no problems.....
I did not want to take any chances after reading online and I spoke to two immigration attorneys here in dominican republic and they did say there is a new law and they are cracking down on overstays. Seems like its something new and not everyone knows about it. I flew in late on a saturday morning at 4am and they did not have the normal $10 purchase for tourist cards and seems like they were letting everyone in no problems.....
Thats your confusion, if you read again, must go to Santo Domingo to get the extention of their stay people that coming to the country under the 10.00 dollars turist card. If you apply for a Visa or temporary residence visa no need to go to Santo Domingo because this visa is processed in the Dominican consulate in your country before you come. Is not the same.
When you get the residency visa in your home country, you have a certain amount of time to apply for your residency after you arrive in the DR. This visa is for those that want a path to residency.
If you come on a tourist card, according to the latest information, you have to go to Santo Domingo to extend the stay as a tourist up to 4 months.
That is how I understand it. And yes, they are two very different things and both are more complicated than a Snowbird visa should be. I may be confused about what you said, but I do not think I am confused about the purpose and process of the visas in the current situation.
It is no surprise you are hearing different things from different people. Happens all the time when dealing with lawyers and/or the DR governemnt. Happened to me when I went to Migracion in Puerto Plata regarding renewing residency and they gave me the wrong information. Time will tell what the new 4 month rule will do it if anything when people violate it.
You aren't paying separately for a tourist card any more because that is in the price of the ticket as a new fee. That has been explained above in this thread.
Correct, I also read between lines and the Dominican Ambassador said, they dont want make things complicated to Canadians snowbird, so if they apply for a temporary residence to stay up to 6 months that mean wont be hard the process. Im sure is harder for a Dominican to get a simple Canadian visa.
Assuming the translated text is correct and assuming nothing else changes...
tourists pay for the tourist card with their airline ticket. They can stay for 30 days, no extra charges. If they wish to stay longer, they can
1) go to SD and get an extension of an additional 90 days by whatever process/fees that involves
2) do nothing, be in the country illegally after 30 days and pay the fine when they leave.
As long the tourist leaves before the 120 day mark, they should be able to return without difficulty. If they overstay 120 days having procured the one allowed extension, or by opting to pay the exit fine, they may encounter issues should they try to return to the DR at some future date.
At least that's the way my brain interprets what has been posted.
tourists pay for the tourist card with their airline ticket. They can stay for 30 days, no extra charges. If they wish to stay longer, they can
1) go to SD and get an extension of an additional 90 days by whatever process/fees that involves
2) do nothing, be in the country illegally after 30 days and pay the fine when they leave.
As long the tourist leaves before the 120 day mark, they should be able to return without difficulty. If they overstay 120 days having procured the one allowed extension, or by opting to pay the exit fine, they may encounter issues should they try to return to the DR at some future date.
At least that's the way my brain interprets what has been posted.
I am working on getting my residency visa first to become a resident......I was quoted $3,200 by one dominican attorney which seemed insane. I pretty much can do everything myself....just have a few questions regarding some of the documents needed
If you leave Dominican Republic on the 29th day fly back to the united states for a few days and come back will that be an issue?
No, because you are not braking the law, you left the country for more than 24 hrs, the return will be recorded as new entry.
You do not have a friend who has been denied. I dont know why people do this but you and i know its totally false. At least provide some sort of evidence. I just seen two of my buddies re-enter the country and they each had overstayed for 4 and 7 years with no issues.
I spoke to one immigration attorney and asked if I went into Haiti and came back if that would count and she said they were getting wise to that tactic and not allowing it.....not sure how true that is. Looks like its a little up in the air. When asked about going to the US and back another attorney told me to have my marriage certificate on me just in case. Seems like a lot of uncertainty still. I think it might be a combination of what airport, what time of day it is (if immigration office is open), what nationality you are, how many times you overstay.....
I spoke to a few immigration attorneys here and they said it has happened. You can't say it hasn't happened to his friend you don't know that could be true or it could not be true. Just because your friends were allowed it doesn't mean his friend wasn't.
Scott, no offense but immigration attorneys make their living from helping people get residency so no surprise they would tell you this. I have stated here too many times that I, my son and many others that I know have repeatedly overstayed and NEVER, NOT ONCE, been questioned about it, held up or anything else. It may one day come but that day is not today.