Getting a Dominican business visa from the UK

[jellylegs2002]

Has anybody else gone to the Dominican republic embassy in London, UK to get a visa? I am thinking that i will need to get a business visa - the year one as i will be there for 6 months and intend on working, although the company i may find work with have said i dont need a work visa? is this ok to do, i didn't think it was? Also, am i applying for the right visa? To be in Puerto plata for 6 months, and to be working while i am there.
The cost of this visa from the Uk is ?170, which compared to some other prices seems to be very expensive, is there a cheaper way of doing it? How long does it take if i have it done when i get to DR? Thanks for any help, i know i have already posted a million questions about visas, and have read as many posts about them as possible, but i still dont have a clue!

 

[ricktoronto]

It is not common to apply for a visa for a specific purpose AFTER you arrive no matter what country you are in. The lack of consulates of a country in their own country is a reason.

You can go to migracion and ask I guess. I'd pay and get an approved one in advance, but that's me. If they say no and want you to leave that could be embarrassing, or the bribes might exceed the 170 quid.

A lot of people work without visas in the DR and overstay tourist cards too, though they jacked the price up to compensate for that. If you are getting a job maybe the employer should kick in.

 

[BushBaby]

Your Tourist visa will last you 15 days. take another 15/30 days to confirm this is the country you would lke to stay in another 5 months & THEN make the decision about 'Work' visa. Talk to Geni Mendez when you get here (British Consulate office in Puerto Plata) & get HIS advice - He'll also tell you how much it costs to get a 'work' visa over here.

Ricktoronto is absolutely right, many short term Ex-Pats do NOT bother going down the official route regarding visas & they are never challenged. Not RIGHT I agree - but they survive without any problems. Main reason for not bothering is that it might take 4 or 5 months to get the 'Work' visa, if they are only staying 6 months (like YOU aim to do) then going for the visa seems a bit pointless.

If you want to get Mendez's opinion prior to coming here, he can be reached at genni_mendez@hotmail.com or by Fax to (International code plus) 809 586 3096. ~ Grahame.

 

[Chris]

At the moment the rules and regulations here are still a little uhm 'loose'. If I was in your shoes, I'd simply get the tourist visa and come here to stay for a while. If that bothers you, extend it for another 30 days and another 30 days and so on. You can extend/change a visa once you are here, if it is reasonable to do so, and the time allows you to do this paperwork. Things are sometimes slow here in the DR. This probably is just about the only country in the world that this method can still be used. Although, the window is closing for this kind of stuff and I think soon we will see different rules and regulations, perhaps properly enforced. For the moment, get your tourist visa, come on down, stay for a while and pay a fine for overstaying when you leave.