She goes on to say you can apply for citizenship sooner, but I don't see anyone posting that wants citizenship : )
- Thread starter william webster
- Start date
Fast track residency ??
If I am a citizen, do I no longer pay the Gringo tax? Can I whip out my Dominican passport and get a discount?!?
I shall be applying for citizenship in May. am the second year of temporary residency. I was going to use a lawyer but my wife assures me she can handle all the paperwork...etc. I'll post updates as I go along.
While the passport is pretty much useless, citizenship does end the need for residency renewals and the fees/hassles associated with that ongoing process. It's an option to consider if one comes from a country that allows dual citizenship and you plan on being here for the long haul.
Excelente. I have not yet seen that it would be a further advantage to having citzenship. But, I will look more, eventually.
(And, we do not need to get off on the discussion about holding dual citizenship again. That horse was beaten much already : )
I see CdnG and I were writing at the same time. Yes, if citizenship ends the need to renew residency that is a big advanage. But, I think if I get to where I only have to renew every 10 years, that will be good enough. I think such a place exists : )
I have the investor residency, the fast-track one that people here are referring to. You have to renew every two years, but the renewal takes a matter of minutes. I just go to immigration, you to to a special office which is very comfortable, you fill in a form with about 8 questions on it, provide your passport, old visa and cedula. They make you a coffee, then a few minutes later take you through for the photographs and then produce the visa. It's only about RD$ 3000 to renew (from memory) and there is no medical and I don't think there is a buena conducta requirement either. From what I have read about other categories, it is much simpler. One other thing which I'm not sure people have mentioned here is that there are big tax advantages. If you have investment income from abroad, this is taxable in DR but not if you have the investor residency. And you get a 50% discount on all property-related taxes, so if you buy and sell property here, this is a big saving.
Proceedure.
Ok so the best way you can be sure of getting your residency here is
1) If you invest a minimum of 200,000$USD, the government will automatically help you with all the papers and
assist you in acquiring your residency. Please contact the CEI-RD in santo domingo and they will give you more
information concerning this.
Investor visa is a good deal to enter this country.
Getting married to a dominican.
Before there was also a sponsorship deal and now i believe it's becoming tough. Also from June they are going to make the immigration laws more difficult. Before if we overstayed, we could have just got off with a fine and come back again but now they are going to implement more strict laws to people who are staying here for longer time with valid visas.
Most important tip...Don't go for bigger law firms, they take so much time and really a pain in the arse. I have started my immigration process last year and still no news finally i got so ****ed that i asked them to give me a complete refund and now they are trying to make things move. Don't pay all the fees in one go because i did that mistake of paying them all in advance like a fool. Just pay like 40% and the rest once done.
may the god of patience be with you in this country.
Ok so the best way you can be sure of getting your residency here is
1) If you invest a minimum of 200,000$USD, the government will automatically help you with all the papers and
assist you in acquiring your residency. Please contact the CEI-RD in santo domingo and they will give you more
information concerning this.
Investor visa is a good deal to enter this country.
Getting married to a dominican.
Before there was also a sponsorship deal and now i believe it's becoming tough. Also from June they are going to make the immigration laws more difficult. Before if we overstayed, we could have just got off with a fine and come back again but now they are going to implement more strict laws to people who are staying here for longer time with valid visas.
Most important tip...Don't go for bigger law firms, they take so much time and really a pain in the arse. I have started my immigration process last year and still no news finally i got so ****ed that i asked them to give me a complete refund and now they are trying to make things move. Don't pay all the fees in one go because i did that mistake of paying them all in advance like a fool. Just pay like 40% and the rest once done.
may the god of patience be with you in this country.
some posts above someone asked about when you can renew your permanent residency for 10 years at once.
i did that in Feb 2011 (please consider some changes on the whole thingy since then).
at the moment i went to the cashier/counter at immigrations in st dgo i did not even know that the possibility to renew for 10 years did even exist. prior to that i always renewed for 4 years. the cashier person Asked me for how long i want to renew, i innocently asked "whats the max i can get". the answer been the max is 10 years if you arealready since 10 years or longer a permanent resident, which was the case with me, so i took that 10 years max, still good tol Feb 2021. at that time they had even a sign thereat the counter which showed the different fees for renewing 4yrs, 6yrs and 10yrs. mine was for 10 yrs RD$ 20.000.- plus 1.000.- VIP to get it at hand the same day(got is like 45 minutes or so later).
Question:
never heard of that before, so i ask.
what is the Investors Residency and what are the requirements/advantages/disadvantages of that one?
Mike
i did that in Feb 2011 (please consider some changes on the whole thingy since then).
at the moment i went to the cashier/counter at immigrations in st dgo i did not even know that the possibility to renew for 10 years did even exist. prior to that i always renewed for 4 years. the cashier person Asked me for how long i want to renew, i innocently asked "whats the max i can get". the answer been the max is 10 years if you arealready since 10 years or longer a permanent resident, which was the case with me, so i took that 10 years max, still good tol Feb 2021. at that time they had even a sign thereat the counter which showed the different fees for renewing 4yrs, 6yrs and 10yrs. mine was for 10 yrs RD$ 20.000.- plus 1.000.- VIP to get it at hand the same day(got is like 45 minutes or so later).
Question:
never heard of that before, so i ask.
what is the Investors Residency and what are the requirements/advantages/disadvantages of that one?
Mike
yes, 10 yrs is the max
and you need to have 10yrs residency before you can get 10yrs
Thats my understanding
and you need to have 10yrs residency before you can get 10yrs
Thats my understanding
Do you have the necessary documents? There is probably little chance you can get this process done without the help of an attorney? Good luck.
Here is the LATEST from DR Consulate Toronto Canada... sorry is paragraphs run together..
You must submit in person or mail the following documents:
1. Original Visa Application Letter in Spanish to the Consulate stating your name, nationality, place of residence, occupation, and how you project to establish in the country (the child/spouse of a Dominican citizen/legal resident, under work contract of indefinite duration, as property owner, as investor or rentier, pensioner or retiree, enrolled in an academic institution or missionary).
2. Original completed Visa Application Form.
3. A photograph, the frame size must be 2” x 2” and stamped indicating date of photograph; photograph must not be older than 1 year. The photograph must show the full front view of the head, with the face in the middle of the photograph, and include the top of the shoulders.
4. Original passport with at least 18 months of validity and photocopy of all used pages, including biographical page.
5. Photocopy of valid National ID from your country of nationality (if Canadian citizen driver’s licence, citizenship card or health card) and Permanent Resident Card if you are not a Canadian citizen.
6. Original Medical Certificate presenting an assessment of overall health of the applicant and indicating if he/she suffers from some kind of contagious disease.
7. Original National Police Background Check with fingerprints for persons over the age of 18 from countries where resided in the past 5 years, if from Canada from the RCMP and must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If Background Check is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
8. Original Birth Certificate (long-form version, with parents’ information etc.), if from Canada it must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If Birth Certificate is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
9. Original Marriage Certificate for persons who are married, if from Canada it must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If Marriage Certificate is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
If married in a foreign country to a Dominican citizen and your application is for reunification the Marriage Certificate must first be transcribed at the Civil Registry of the Central Electoral Board in Dominican Republic.
If married to a Dominican citizen attach photocopy of Dominican spouse national identification card (c?dula).
If married to a legal resident of Dominican Republic attach photocopy of Permanent Residency Card or ID Card.
10. Documents showing economic solvency of the applicant, depending on the case these may include:
-Original Bank Letter(s); updated with details of account balance.
-Original Employment Letter (translation and legalization fee of USD140.00; not applicable to rentiers, retirees, pensioners, indefinite work contract or missionaries)
-Certificates of Titles of Properties.
-Business Registration established and duly registered at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (known as Ministerio de Industria y Comercio) in Dominican Republic, including status of the company (if investor).
-Copy of last income tax from the General Directorate of Internal Revenue (known as Direcci?n General de Impuestos Internos) and of assessment from the National Registry of Taxpayer (known as Registro Nacional del Contribuyente) in Dominican Republic (if investor).
-Copy of Financial Certificates.
-Any other document that show economic solvency.
11. Original guarantor letter in Spanish from a Dominican citizen or legal resident residing in the country whereby he/she is accountable for living expenses and repatriation, with respect to the moral and economic conditions of the foreigner, signed by two witnesses, who shall be the guarantor before the General Directorate of Migration (known as Direcci?n General de Migraci?n) in his/her process of application for temporary residence in the country, duly notarized and legalized by the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (known as Procuradur?a General de la Rep?blica).
12. Certifications from Ministry of Labour of Dominican Republic: 1) Attesting that the company/institution is registered in the Integrated System of Labour Registration (known as Sistema Integrado de Registro Laborales (SIRLA)) and that it complies with the provisions on Article 135 of the Dominican Labour Code on labour nationalization & 2) Approval of job proposal. (if through indefinite work contract)
13. a) Pensioners or retirees must receive a monthly income of not less than one thousand five hundred American dollars (US$1,500.00) or the equivalent in Dominican national currency;
b) Rentiers must perceive a sum equivalent to two thousand American dollars (US$2,000.00) or the equivalent in Dominican national currency;
c) For each Family Member applying jointly with principal applicant (pensioner, retiree or rentier), the principal applicant requires additional income corresponding to the sum of two hundred and fifty American dollars (US$250.00)
For pensioners and retirees a certification from government, official body or private company where you served. The certification must contain particulars of the applicant, time spent with the company, position held and amount perceived as pension. If from Canada the document must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If the certification is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
For rentiers copy of lease (minimum duration of five years) and a certification from official body or private institution from whom/where you receive monthly rent payments. The certification must contain particulars of the applicant (landlord), particulars of property you are renting out such as description and location, expiry date of lease and monthly amount perceived as rent payments. If from Canada the document must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If the certification is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
14. For investors a certification from a representative of the company attesting your position within the company. The certification must contain particulars of the applicant, their position and amount perceived as income from said company, duly notarized and legalized by the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (known as Procuradur?a General de la Rep?blica). If the document is from Canada the document must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If the certification is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if
there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
15. Missionaries with plans to do evangelism or ministries of service in recognized institutions must provide a letter indicating their status within the ministry, the purpose of their mission and whether the institution will be responsible for their accommodation and living expenses (if the institution is also serving the applicant(s) as the guarantor both letters may be combined into one and certified as stated under the Guarantor Letter requirements).
16. If the applicant is the child of a Dominican citizen attach photocopy of parent(s) Dominican National ID Card (C?dula) and parent(s) Marriage Certificate if applicable.
If the applicant is the child of a legal resident(s) of Dominican Republic attach photocopy of parent(s) Dominican Permanent Residency Card, ID Card and parent(s) Marriage Certificate if applicable.
17. Processing fee of USD90.00, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate.
NOTE: WHEN MAILING YOUR DOCUMENTS PLEASE INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED PREPAID EXPRESS ENVELOPE.
IMPORTANT: Processing time is 5-15 business days. The visa is valid for two (2) months and one (1) entry. Within the first 30 days of the visas’ validity you must enter Dominican Republic and submit your Provisional Residency Application at the General Directorate of Migration in Santo Domingo.
You must submit in person or mail the following documents:
1. Original Visa Application Letter in Spanish to the Consulate stating your name, nationality, place of residence, occupation, and how you project to establish in the country (the child/spouse of a Dominican citizen/legal resident, under work contract of indefinite duration, as property owner, as investor or rentier, pensioner or retiree, enrolled in an academic institution or missionary).
2. Original completed Visa Application Form.
3. A photograph, the frame size must be 2” x 2” and stamped indicating date of photograph; photograph must not be older than 1 year. The photograph must show the full front view of the head, with the face in the middle of the photograph, and include the top of the shoulders.
4. Original passport with at least 18 months of validity and photocopy of all used pages, including biographical page.
5. Photocopy of valid National ID from your country of nationality (if Canadian citizen driver’s licence, citizenship card or health card) and Permanent Resident Card if you are not a Canadian citizen.
6. Original Medical Certificate presenting an assessment of overall health of the applicant and indicating if he/she suffers from some kind of contagious disease.
7. Original National Police Background Check with fingerprints for persons over the age of 18 from countries where resided in the past 5 years, if from Canada from the RCMP and must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If Background Check is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
8. Original Birth Certificate (long-form version, with parents’ information etc.), if from Canada it must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If Birth Certificate is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
9. Original Marriage Certificate for persons who are married, if from Canada it must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If Marriage Certificate is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
If married in a foreign country to a Dominican citizen and your application is for reunification the Marriage Certificate must first be transcribed at the Civil Registry of the Central Electoral Board in Dominican Republic.
If married to a Dominican citizen attach photocopy of Dominican spouse national identification card (c?dula).
If married to a legal resident of Dominican Republic attach photocopy of Permanent Residency Card or ID Card.
10. Documents showing economic solvency of the applicant, depending on the case these may include:
-Original Bank Letter(s); updated with details of account balance.
-Original Employment Letter (translation and legalization fee of USD140.00; not applicable to rentiers, retirees, pensioners, indefinite work contract or missionaries)
-Certificates of Titles of Properties.
-Business Registration established and duly registered at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (known as Ministerio de Industria y Comercio) in Dominican Republic, including status of the company (if investor).
-Copy of last income tax from the General Directorate of Internal Revenue (known as Direcci?n General de Impuestos Internos) and of assessment from the National Registry of Taxpayer (known as Registro Nacional del Contribuyente) in Dominican Republic (if investor).
-Copy of Financial Certificates.
-Any other document that show economic solvency.
11. Original guarantor letter in Spanish from a Dominican citizen or legal resident residing in the country whereby he/she is accountable for living expenses and repatriation, with respect to the moral and economic conditions of the foreigner, signed by two witnesses, who shall be the guarantor before the General Directorate of Migration (known as Direcci?n General de Migraci?n) in his/her process of application for temporary residence in the country, duly notarized and legalized by the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (known as Procuradur?a General de la Rep?blica).
12. Certifications from Ministry of Labour of Dominican Republic: 1) Attesting that the company/institution is registered in the Integrated System of Labour Registration (known as Sistema Integrado de Registro Laborales (SIRLA)) and that it complies with the provisions on Article 135 of the Dominican Labour Code on labour nationalization & 2) Approval of job proposal. (if through indefinite work contract)
13. a) Pensioners or retirees must receive a monthly income of not less than one thousand five hundred American dollars (US$1,500.00) or the equivalent in Dominican national currency;
b) Rentiers must perceive a sum equivalent to two thousand American dollars (US$2,000.00) or the equivalent in Dominican national currency;
c) For each Family Member applying jointly with principal applicant (pensioner, retiree or rentier), the principal applicant requires additional income corresponding to the sum of two hundred and fifty American dollars (US$250.00)
For pensioners and retirees a certification from government, official body or private company where you served. The certification must contain particulars of the applicant, time spent with the company, position held and amount perceived as pension. If from Canada the document must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If the certification is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
For rentiers copy of lease (minimum duration of five years) and a certification from official body or private institution from whom/where you receive monthly rent payments. The certification must contain particulars of the applicant (landlord), particulars of property you are renting out such as description and location, expiry date of lease and monthly amount perceived as rent payments. If from Canada the document must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If the certification is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
14. For investors a certification from a representative of the company attesting your position within the company. The certification must contain particulars of the applicant, their position and amount perceived as income from said company, duly notarized and legalized by the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (known as Procuradur?a General de la Rep?blica). If the document is from Canada the document must be legalized and translated at our office for a fee of USD100.00 for legalization and USD40.00 for translation, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate. Note: If the certification is from outside Canada and the country is part of the Hague Convention the document must be Apostille at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs or if the country is not part of the Hague Convention but there is a Dominican Republic Embassy or Consulate the document must be legalized there or if
there is no Dominican Embassy or Consulate within that country, you may then certify the document at the country’s Embassy or Consulate in Canada and have it duly legalized at our office.
15. Missionaries with plans to do evangelism or ministries of service in recognized institutions must provide a letter indicating their status within the ministry, the purpose of their mission and whether the institution will be responsible for their accommodation and living expenses (if the institution is also serving the applicant(s) as the guarantor both letters may be combined into one and certified as stated under the Guarantor Letter requirements).
16. If the applicant is the child of a Dominican citizen attach photocopy of parent(s) Dominican National ID Card (C?dula) and parent(s) Marriage Certificate if applicable.
If the applicant is the child of a legal resident(s) of Dominican Republic attach photocopy of parent(s) Dominican Permanent Residency Card, ID Card and parent(s) Marriage Certificate if applicable.
17. Processing fee of USD90.00, if in person cash only, if by mail money order payable to the Dominican Republic Consulate.
NOTE: WHEN MAILING YOUR DOCUMENTS PLEASE INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED PREPAID EXPRESS ENVELOPE.
IMPORTANT: Processing time is 5-15 business days. The visa is valid for two (2) months and one (1) entry. Within the first 30 days of the visas’ validity you must enter Dominican Republic and submit your Provisional Residency Application at the General Directorate of Migration in Santo Domingo.
Eyes,
Woohoo! You're about to have more fun than any one person should be allowed to have without going to confession.
Woohoo! You're about to have more fun than any one person should be allowed to have without going to confession.
So I'm confused by the last post about the requirements to obtain a residency visa through the DR Consulate in Toronto. Does the expedited/Fast track/Investment program not avoid the need to go through a DR consulate in Toronto (or any other country?) I just emailed Licelotte but want to know what the consensus is in regards to this fast track residency program.
I have talked to 3 different lawyers, all in Sto. Dom., that have said there is no way to apply for residency other than through the country where you previously lived.
I have talked to 3 different lawyers, all in Sto. Dom., that have said there is no way to apply for residency other than through the country where you previously lived.
that's correct.
for any kind of visa you apply for that thru the embassy in your country of origin.
"fast track" visas just mean that specific kinda visa reuquests get managed quicker than the usual slow moving visa stuff and you get your approval or denied answer quicker, Fast Track.
they Fast and you Furious.
Mike
you still need to start the process in the home country.
Fast track to me , means a more certain outcome (better chance of acceptance) and it offers less renewals than the normal four one year renewals.
Is it actually 'faster' ?
Can't answer that - but as Gringo mentions, the paper pile is tall.
BTW Eyes , Gringo is the valedictorian for the last class of accepted applications of this program.
To date no one else has come forward with a more recent experience .
Fast track to me , means a more certain outcome (better chance of acceptance) and it offers less renewals than the normal four one year renewals.
Is it actually 'faster' ?
Can't answer that - but as Gringo mentions, the paper pile is tall.
BTW Eyes , Gringo is the valedictorian for the last class of accepted applications of this program.
To date no one else has come forward with a more recent experience .