Dominican Passport for naturalized Dominican

[Taylor]

Does anyone have experience with this?

I went to the passport office in POP thinking it would be straight forward, but it isn't.

For naturalized citizens, they are only issued in Santo Domingo.

And before that can happen, you need a resolution from the Ministry of the Interior stating that you are in fact a citizen. ( Your cedula and birth certificate are not enough).

I looked at the website of Ministry of the Interior, one of the requirements to get the resolution is proof of citizenship, via a Dominican passport. The whole chicken and egg thing.

Any guidance/ help would be most appreciated!

 

[SKY]

I became a DR citizen 20 years ago so I will tell you that it is impossible to get what you need without a lawyer or someone that specializes in this work..........

 

[Glenn Burke]

It was straight forward years ago. Not anymore.
1. You go to MIP and ask for new certificado de nacionalidad. The list of documents needed for that is on their website. Will take 10 to 20 days to get it ready.
2. You go to your Oficialia de Estado Civil and get Acto de Nacimiento Validada. If you were naturalized long time ago, ask your Oficialia de Estado Civil to check if they have scanned and uploaded all your documents to the JCE system.
3. You make an appointment at Passport Office on the Malecon. You can't start the process online, just make the appointment.
4 On the day of your appointment, after waiting an hour or so in the long line to enter there, you say that you are naturalized and they tell you to go to the window 16.
5. You go to the window 16 (you will see the sign 'Legal' there) and give all your documents. If it's your first passport, you pay regular fee for 6 years passport. If you had one before, you can apply for 10 years passport and you have to pay for VIP and 10 years, but there will be no VIP for you.
6. They will check your documents in their system, probably will take an hour or so. Then they let you go thru the the standard process (confirming your data, signature and fingerprints in another window, and then wait another hour in a long line to take a photo. After they take your picture, you're done for that day, you go home. They will give you a number at window 16 where you call in a week or two.
7. You call in a week or two, if your passport is approved, it will not be printed anyway until you go there. So you go there early, before 10 AM. Go to the window 16 again (after waiting an hour in the line of course), they tell you to wait. You wait another hour, then they tell you that they have sent your application to print your passport. If you paid for VIP, you have to take a ticket for receiving the passport, but not right away! Wait until 2 PM, then go, because if you do it before, they will say that it's not ready yet, so you will just wait an hour in the line for nothing. So, you return after 2 PM, take the ticket to get the passport, but it will not be ready of course. So there will be 2 or 3 or 4 hours delay, probably it will be printed at 6 PM more or less and you ca receive it. That's if you paid for VIP. If you did not pay for VIP, you don't receive your passport he same day, so after they said OK we have sent it to print it, you can wait something like 6 days, then come back, wait another hour in the line, get your ticket to receive it (if it's ready), then that 3–4–6 hours waiting in a total mess and you get it.

 

[Glenn Burke]

I became a DR citizen 20 years ago so I will tell you that it is impossible to get what you need without a lawyer or someone that specializes in this work..........

That's not true, I became a DR citizen without any lawyer, my wife became DR citizen without any lawyer (only public notary was needed for some documents), I did all paperwork myself, I renew my documents myself, and in the post above I described my personal experience of renewing of my Dominican passport two weeks ago.

 

[SKY]

That's not true, I became a DR citizen without any lawyer, my wife became DR citizen without any lawyer (only public notary was needed for some documents), I did all paperwork myself, I renew my documents myself, and in the post above I described my personal experience of renewing of my Dominican passport two weeks ago.

I read post #3. Sounds like a piece of cake...........You have a lot more patience than I would have or want...............

 

[Glenn Burke]

I read post #3. Sounds like a piece of cake...........You have a lot more patience than I would have or want...............

A lawyer will not help you there at all. You will go thru the same procedure and wait the same time. There's not a single step in the whole process where a lawyer can save you some time. You have to be there at every window in person, and keeping in mind that the facility is seriously overcrowded now, they'll probably ask your lawyer to wait outside, because only persons who renewing their passports are allowed (unlike Immigration office next door to it).

 

[SKY]

A lawyer will not help you there at all. You will go thru the same procedure and wait the same time. There's not a single step in the whole process where a lawyer can save you some time. You have to be there at every window in person, and keeping in mind that the facility is seriously overcrowded now, they'll probably ask your lawyer to wait outside, because only persons who renewing their passports are allowed (unlike Immigration office next door to it).

The guy that I had many years ago worked for my lawyer. I NEVER waited on ANY line, most of the time I was sitting down and he did everything but sign. Maybe now it is different, but I breezed through in ONE DAY...........

 

[Glenn Burke]

And, just a useful hint. If you try to make an appointment on the phone, there will not be one available in next couple of months. If you try to make it online, the same, BUT: they restart their system somehow between 8 AM and 8:30 AM every morning, and during that time frame they make some time slots available that other people have cancelled. So I was just sitting and refreshing the appointment form every minute (you have to put your data every time there), and around 8:20 AM one appointment on 11 AM the same day became available, because somebody just cancelled it. So I booked it right away and I was there at 11 AM, much better then wait 2 or 3 months.
Of course, you can come there with no appointment at all and show them the airplane tickets booked in your name for, let's say, next month, and after some short talk that you need your passport for the trip, they let you in and go to that Window 16 where you show them your tickets again and if you are lucky they will start your renewal. But first try to refresh the appointment form from 8 AM to 8:30 AM, because some appointments on the same day might appear available during that time frame.

 

[bob saunders]

you can go the the Junta Acgives and ask for a copy of all your citizenship documents, using your cedula as your ID.

 

[Glenn Burke]

The guy that I had many years ago worked for my lawyer. I NEVER waited on ANY line, most of the time I was sitting down and he did everything but sign. Maybe now it is different, but I breezed through in ONE DAY...........

Now it's different. That was my fourth passport renewal, so I know what I am talking about. Every time it's more and more complicated. And once again, no lawyer will help now to make it easier, there's a reason why it's so complicated for naturalized citizens now and why there's no point to hire a lawyer to help you, but explaining that reason goes beyond the subject of this thread.

 

[Glenn Burke]

You have a lot more patience than I would have or want...............

The only place in DR where you REALLY need a lawyer is in court. In all other places, you can do everything yourself. Even if you have some trouble with Fiscalia or Ministerio Publico, you don't need a lawyer until your case is in court. In most cases, the lawyer will just complicate things for you to milk you for more money. Immigration, Naturalization, etc. are processes where no lawyer is needed, and most so-called lawyers that you can see there with their clients, are not really lawyers, legally, they are just some kind of helpers without any lawyer license, and everything that they do, you can do it yourself.

 

[windeguy]

I became a DR citizen 20 years ago so I will tell you that it is impossible to get what you need without a lawyer or someone that specializes in this work..........

Not true. I also did my naturalization and got my DR passport without a lawyer.

And, just a useful hint. If you try to make an appointment on the phone, there will not be one available in next couple of months. If you try to make it online, the same, BUT: they restart their system somehow between 8 AM and 8:30 AM every morning, and during that time frame they make some time slots available that other people have cancelled. So I was just sitting and refreshing the appointment form every minute (you have to put your data every time there), and around 8:20 AM one appointment on 11 AM the same day became available, because somebody just cancelled it. So I booked it right away and I was there at 11 AM, much better then wait 2 or 3 months.
Of course, you can come there with no appointment at all and show them the airplane tickets booked in your name for, let's say, next month, and after some short talk that you need your passport for the trip, they let you in and go to that Window 16 where you show them your tickets again and if you are lucky they will start your renewal. But first try to refresh the appointment form from 8 AM to 8:30 AM, because some appointments on the same day might appear available during that time frame.

Glenn. Are all renewals after the original DR passport still done in Santo Domingo for naturalized citizens?
I was told, probably incorrectly, that after the first passport I can do the renewals in Puerto Plata.
But I would not be surprised if all renewals must be done in Santo Trafficjam. I would love to know the reason why it is so complicated you alluded to..

 

[SKY]

Not true. I also did my naturalization and got my DR passport without a lawyer.

Glenn. Are all renewals after the original DR passport still done in Santo Domingo for naturalized citizens?
I was told, probably incorrectly, that after the first passport I can do the renewals in Puerto Plata.
But I would not be surprised if all renewals must be done in Santo Trafficjam. I would love to know the reason why it is so complicated you alluded to..

It used to be you can renew it anywhere, but not any more. Only Santo Domingo and it is a nightmare..

 

[windeguy]

It used to be you can renew it anywhere, but not any more. Only Santo Domingo and it is a nightmare..

Well, that sucks.

And so it goes. Maybe someday they will come up with networked computer systems in the DR.

 

[XQT]

Does anyone have experience with this?

I went to the passport office in POP thinking it would be straight forward, but it isn't.

For naturalized citizens, they are only issued in Santo Domingo.

And before that can happen, you need a resolution from the Ministry of the Interior stating that you are in fact a citizen. ( Your cedula and birth certificate are not enough).

I looked at the website of Ministry of the Interior, one of the requirements to get the resolution is proof of citizenship, via a Dominican passport. The whole chicken and egg thing.

Any guidance/ help would be most appreciated!

You bought the ticket on the DR merry go round.
Now you are taking the ride.

 

[XQT]

It was straight forward years ago. Not anymore.
1. You go to MIP and ask for new certificado de nacionalidad. The list of documents needed for that is on their website. Will take 10 to 20 days to get it ready.
2. You go to your Oficialia de Estado Civil and get Acto de Nacimiento Validada. If you were naturalized long time ago, ask your Oficialia de Estado Civil to check if they have scanned and uploaded all your documents to the JCE system.
3. You make an appointment at Passport Office on the Malecon. You can't start the process online, just make the appointment.
4 On the day of your appointment, after waiting an hour or so in the long line to enter there, you say that you are naturalized and they tell you to go to the window 16.
5. You go to the window 16 (you will see the sign 'Legal' there) and give all your documents. If it's your first passport, you pay regular fee for 6 years passport. If you had one before, you can apply for 10 years passport and you have to pay for VIP and 10 years, but there will be no VIP for you.
6. They will check your documents in their system, probably will take an hour or so. Then they let you go thru the the standard process (confirming your data, signature and fingerprints in another window, and then wait another hour in a long line to take a photo. After they take your picture, you're done for that day, you go home. They will give you a number at window 16 where you call in a week or two.
7. You call in a week or two, if your passport is approved, it will not be printed anyway until you go there. So you go there early, before 10 AM. Go to the window 16 again (after waiting an hour in the line of course), they tell you to wait. You wait another hour, then they tell you that they have sent your application to print your passport. If you paid for VIP, you have to take a ticket for receiving the passport, but not right away! Wait until 2 PM, then go, because if you do it before, they will say that it's not ready yet, so you will just wait an hour in the line for nothing. So, you return after 2 PM, take the ticket to get the passport, but it will not be ready of course. So there will be 2 or 3 or 4 hours delay, probably it will be printed at 6 PM more or less and you ca receive it. That's if you paid for VIP. If you did not pay for VIP, you don't receive your passport he same day, so after they said OK we have sent it to print it, you can wait something like 6 days, then come back, wait another hour in the line, get your ticket to receive it (if it's ready), then that 3–4–6 hours waiting in a total mess and you get it.

That is the problem with excessive DR paperwork.

This deters many from the citizenship, residency process.
Very little digitalization, trips to S.D. no local offices.

Yet it's not much better off island.
Procedures are increasingly difficult.
We are at governments and clerk's mercy.
Tremble and obey.

Pay for VIP same day service,
Hay un problemita con el sistema, regressará manyana.
Devolución la cobra de VIP, absolutamente impossible. 🤣🤣

 

[XQT]

That's not true, I became a DR citizen without any lawyer, my wife became DR citizen without any lawyer (only public notary was needed for some documents), I did all paperwork myself, I renew my documents myself, and in the post above I described my personal experience of renewing of my Dominican passport two weeks ago.

7. You call in a week or two, if your passport is approved, it will not be printed anyway until you go there. So you go there early, before 10 AM. Go to the window 16 again (after waiting an hour in the line of course), they tell you to wait. You wait another hour, then they tell you that they have sent your application to print your passport. If you paid for VIP, you have to take a ticket for receiving the passport, but not right away! Wait until 2 PM, then go, because if you do it before, they will say that it's not ready yet, so you will just wait an hour in the line for nothing. So, you return after 2 PM, take the ticket to get the passport, but it will not be ready of course. So there will be 2 or 3 or 4 hours delay, probably it will be printed at 6 PM more or less and you ca receive it. That's if you paid for VIP. If you did not pay for VIP, you don't receive your passport he same day, so after they said OK we have sent it to print it, you can wait something like 6 days, then come back, wait another hour in the line, get your ticket to receive it (if it's ready), then that 3–4–6 hours waiting in a total mess and you get it.

Congrats to the worthwhile effort.
To which countries do you travel on your Dominican passport??
Just kidding🤣

Happy dia de independencia 180 years 1844
I can hear the drums for the parade going on.

 

[Glenn Burke]

Well, that sucks.

And so it goes. Maybe someday they will come up with networked computer systems in the DR.

It has nothing to do with that. Technically they can issue passport for any citizen, including the naturalized ones, in minutes, in any branch. And that's how it used to be years ago. As I mentioned before, that's another reason for complicating the process now for naturalized citizens. And on top of that, they have their Santo Domingo office overcrowded, probably working at least 4 time more than maximum capacity it was designed for, and that makes passport issuing/renewal a nightmare even for regular citizens, and for naturalized with multiple visits needed it's a total nightmare now.

20 years ago there was a separate room for naturalized citizens at their Santo Domingo office, and a process for any naturalized citizen was FASTER than for anyone else, because there was no waiting line to that room at all. But that's all history now.

 

[Glenn Burke]

Are all renewals after the original DR passport still done in Santo Domingo for naturalized citizens?
I was told, probably incorrectly, that after the first passport I can do the renewals in Puerto Plata.

You have to ask that in their Puero Plata office. If they say only in SD, then only in SD. This renewal mess for naturalized citizens will continue for at least few years more for sure. And that certificado de nacionalidad needed for renewal now you can obtain only in SD anyway. You will need two trips to SD for that part only.

 

[Glenn Burke]

To which countries do you travel on your Dominican passport??
Just kidding🤣

As a naturalized Dominican citizen, I have to exit and enter DR using Dominican passport. In some countries I travel to, I show another passport on arrival for visa-free entry, but that has nothing to do with the subject of this thread.