Legally to work in the DR you need your residency. Others work there without it for years and in the condition the government is in it may take a century to figure out who is a resident and who is not.
Since you do not speak Spanish you cannot possibly do it yourself. You need an attorney to help you. Chiri who speaks Spanish, is married to a Dominican, has contacts through her husband has been trying to get it done by herself but has had a bunch of runarounds and although I don't know if it is accomplished yet. Least amount I hear about is 1000 US to get this done inclusive of all costs. That is for the Temp Residency which only lasts a year. You can only drive in the country on your US drivers license for a few months. Then you need a DR one. The test is in Spanish. Good luck.
Most people I know who have moved to the DR get screwed in some way a half a dozen times before they get the lay of the land. This is why you get a lot of warnings here and a lot of shit for your reactions because you seem pretty silly to me at least to even consider moving to this one horse town without a clue in the world and eyes and ears closed. There are a lot of desperate gringos in the DR now that don't know where the next meal or maybe the meal in six months is going to come from. There is a lot of unhappyness expressed by people who seem pretty much like you do who made the move without knowing a thing about the country other than you "THINK" you resemble a Latin although your thoughts seem very stereotypical to me and are NOT what I have seen when in the country.
One of the people on this board took me to a Club in Santiago and asked me a question. How many Dominicans do you think are in this club now? There were maybe 150 people there and I said to him there are just a few Dominicans in here. I was dancing with a woman he had thrown at me who had blond hair and blue eyes, another with red hair and green eyes and a few with the same coloring as mine which is "Tall dark and Handsome". He said to me that I was the only gringo in the club. Most of the people there also spoke better English than I do which isn't usual.
People are trying to tell you things here. A lot of the people have been there and live there for longer than you have years on this earth. A lot of people here are educated in the US, DR and in life. They are warning you. You don't listen.
DR1 is the best sorce of info on the Internet for the Dominican Republic. The people that are insulting you, or the people that you perceive are insulting you have been there and done that and know everything you need to know. I have learned from all of these people here for YEARS and have helped one or two people myself.
The Dominican Republic is a very complicated place. You are in finance, I am in Real Estate. We are from the US and what goes on in the DR is like being in the "Twilight Zone" to me which I hope you understand. I was successful in Real Estate in the US but that give no guarantee that I will get it right in the DR and as A matter of FACT odds are that I don't do as well and there is a big chance I won't be a success.
What I HAVE learned here and in the DR is that I wouldnt even think of coming to the DR and be in the position that I would "HAVE"to make a living. I have seen people screwed on so many fronts I can't even believe it. They have gotten screwed by Dominicans and by Gringos alike. There is a whole culture in the DR that are waiting to POUNCE on you when you get here.
There is a lot more to learn and impossible to even attempt to get the knowledge quickly because the info is HUGE but I will tell you the last thing that you should know that I will tell you.
How to take a million dollars out of the DR and back to the States. I have the answer and if you want it just ask.
Scott
Since you do not speak Spanish you cannot possibly do it yourself. You need an attorney to help you. Chiri who speaks Spanish, is married to a Dominican, has contacts through her husband has been trying to get it done by herself but has had a bunch of runarounds and although I don't know if it is accomplished yet. Least amount I hear about is 1000 US to get this done inclusive of all costs. That is for the Temp Residency which only lasts a year. You can only drive in the country on your US drivers license for a few months. Then you need a DR one. The test is in Spanish. Good luck.
Most people I know who have moved to the DR get screwed in some way a half a dozen times before they get the lay of the land. This is why you get a lot of warnings here and a lot of shit for your reactions because you seem pretty silly to me at least to even consider moving to this one horse town without a clue in the world and eyes and ears closed. There are a lot of desperate gringos in the DR now that don't know where the next meal or maybe the meal in six months is going to come from. There is a lot of unhappyness expressed by people who seem pretty much like you do who made the move without knowing a thing about the country other than you "THINK" you resemble a Latin although your thoughts seem very stereotypical to me and are NOT what I have seen when in the country.
One of the people on this board took me to a Club in Santiago and asked me a question. How many Dominicans do you think are in this club now? There were maybe 150 people there and I said to him there are just a few Dominicans in here. I was dancing with a woman he had thrown at me who had blond hair and blue eyes, another with red hair and green eyes and a few with the same coloring as mine which is "Tall dark and Handsome". He said to me that I was the only gringo in the club. Most of the people there also spoke better English than I do which isn't usual.
People are trying to tell you things here. A lot of the people have been there and live there for longer than you have years on this earth. A lot of people here are educated in the US, DR and in life. They are warning you. You don't listen.
DR1 is the best sorce of info on the Internet for the Dominican Republic. The people that are insulting you, or the people that you perceive are insulting you have been there and done that and know everything you need to know. I have learned from all of these people here for YEARS and have helped one or two people myself.
The Dominican Republic is a very complicated place. You are in finance, I am in Real Estate. We are from the US and what goes on in the DR is like being in the "Twilight Zone" to me which I hope you understand. I was successful in Real Estate in the US but that give no guarantee that I will get it right in the DR and as A matter of FACT odds are that I don't do as well and there is a big chance I won't be a success.
What I HAVE learned here and in the DR is that I wouldnt even think of coming to the DR and be in the position that I would "HAVE"to make a living. I have seen people screwed on so many fronts I can't even believe it. They have gotten screwed by Dominicans and by Gringos alike. There is a whole culture in the DR that are waiting to POUNCE on you when you get here.
There is a lot more to learn and impossible to even attempt to get the knowledge quickly because the info is HUGE but I will tell you the last thing that you should know that I will tell you.
How to take a million dollars out of the DR and back to the States. I have the answer and if you want it just ask.
Scott
