Insurance & Drivers License

[rubio_higuey]

I actually did it once, about 2 years ago before I had a residency, I was on the 10th month of overstay (October), and was inquiring about residency process, somehow a person at IMM suggested I pay an extension, I paid 1,000 pesos and my extension was valid for 3 more months, got a pink slip and was told to hand it over at the airport, when I left that December I did not have to pay any overstay fine at the airport, so basically by paying 1,000 pesos at IMM for an extension I avoided paying 2,500 pesos overstay fee at the airport.

Again, this was 2 years ago and things may have changed.

 

[HUG]

You can extend, according to DR1 posters. A few years ago it was a topic. I can't even use this pathetic search engine on DR1 and so good luck, maybe they cost alot but the search engine here has always been sh1t, yet Rob always swears it works, it doesn't Rob, it's useless, I just tried it again.

But as I remember it was something like extending a 90 day normal visa for another 90 days, a few pennies and job done. As I remember they did it in Santo Domingo, and possibly in PoP. Can't remember specifics so well.

 

[monfongo]

I know people here who have been in accident without a Dominican licence and the ins. co has paid .

 

[chic]

and what happens with renting a motorbike? tourists? insurance ???rentals

 

[cobraboy]

I know people here who have been in accident without a Dominican licence and the ins. co has paid .

Anecdote.

I gave you an authoritative statement.

You can choose to ignore it at your own risk.

 

[chic]

what about renting?

 

[cobraboy]

and what happens with renting a motorbike? tourists? insurance ???rentals

A tourist's home drivers license is valid as long as his tourist card is.

I would be suspicious of rental motorcycle insurance because it's ONLY 3rd party liability and generally in tiny amounts of coverage. It will NOT cover the riders or damage to the bike. It's largely unavailable at reasonable prices. I have 11 DL650's I'd rent out if "full" insurance was available at reasonable rates. I was once quoted over US$3500 per year each by the only insurer who'd give me a quote. No way.

A lot of car insurance with small rental companies (or the guy down at the colmado who rents his SUV) is the same way.

When some rental guy says "sure, it has insurance", that statement may not mean be what you think or (want to) believe it means.

Caveat Emptor.

 

[chic]

15$ u.s. aday extra?

 

[chic]

3500$yr is only 10$ day.....

 

[cobraboy]

3500$yr is only 10$ day.....

You don't understand my business.

 

[HUG]

Pretty crazy insurance, the bikes must be worth what..........10G in the real world, what is the value in DR? That's nut. Why is it so high if you can prove you're a reputable business and not a rent a wreck? Renting bikes has always been an issue, it's a dead ball because of this insurance issue which I don't get, I know about it but don't understand it. Seems like it could be doable but would also be a headache.

 

[tht]

"Someone" didn't get the message, I posted......

You can perhaps bribe the police, but you can't bribe the insurance company.

That's just a fact.

Another fact is..In any accident causing injuries (not just damage to vehicles) AMET will pull your license, Dominican or home country license, AND the vehicle goes to nearest AMET destacamento. Local AMET have clear instructions in writing from the General heading AMET.

Good luck negotiating with the insurance company if you have no drivers license.

 

[windeguy]

HuG, I do not agree......
I have driven YEARS in the dr, all around the island discovering it...... I have always had insurance ( respectable company I think ), and have always told them I drive on french DL. They always said, no problem.
I have been stopped by AMET, PN, military, G-2........ for real reasons or gringo reasons.......
Only once an AMET guy told me I was not allowed to drive on my french license, and only cos he wanted a bribe ( which I didnt do, I was in a bad mood.... )..... I thought he was having me on..... trying to scare me.....
I then, and only then, checked it up. On dr1 and at la migracion......

Also, being legal as in residencia. NOBODY ever told me about this. I am married in the dr, nobody asked anything.
Again it was on dr1 that I learned about residencia, then checked it out. Dominican embassy told me not to bother.
Migracion told me not to bother, so......... been here on and off for years illegally.....

Out of immaturity, no.
Out of laziness, neither.
Out of ignorance, yes. But only with the approval of dominican goverment.

This is the perfect example of a post that could cause other people to have problems. Did you ever make an insurance claim and get paid? Even if you did, you were lucky. You can marry whomever you want in the DR without being a resident here

The only person to give you correct information was the AMET officer. They tend to have more education.

malko, you have been given incorrect information by ignorant people. Despite your license coming from France, it has no more legal status than any other foreign license if you have been in the DR longer than the allowed time for it to remain valid. You can disagree, but as you mentioned, you are no longer unaware (as in no longer ignorant) of what could happen.

 

[windeguy]

Can one extend their visa in advance and be considered legal?

The typical person cannot do this for any long period of time, if at all. It has been discussed before, but the real option is to be a legal resident if you live here. There may be some diplomatic of job related reasons for longer visas, but they are not often used.

 

[cobraboy]

Pretty crazy insurance, the bikes must be worth what..........10G in the real world, what is the value in DR? That's nut. Why is it so high if you can prove you're a reputable business and not a rent a wreck? Renting bikes has always been an issue, it's a dead ball because of this insurance issue which I don't get, I know about it but don't understand it. Seems like it could be doable but would also be a headache.

I assume their actuarial/underwriting department determines the risks and payouts and bases the premiums on that number plus administrative costs and small profit.

I also suspect it's less the local companies and more the reinsurers.

But whatever the reason, it is what it is. We're going on 7 years in business now and research every year.

The only reasons I don't rent my bikes is no coverage for theft, damage and total loss. And when I tell potential renters I would require a $6500 cash deposit as self-insurance for theft or total loss...well...you can imagine the responses.

$3500 a year is 54% the value of the bikes. My bikes in the states were insured for 3.5% of the value of the bikes.

And for chic: yes, 3500/365=$10 a day MOL. However, if I rented a bike for only, say, 60 days a year (an unrealistic figure) the actual cost is around $60 a day. The rental cost per day would be around $155. I doubt I'd rent any at that rate, and the fewer days rental the more expensive the per diem insurance, and the higher the rental rate.

So until things change, I'll stick to what we do: guided motorcycle tours through paradise.

Bottom line: if you rent a bike and the vendor says "it's insured", just understand you will not have the coverage you think and could have some serious heartburn later...

 

[zoomzx11]

quick, easy and simple solution is have a Domincan driver. Cant do that then second choice is tinted windows and a licensed small Dominican passenger with whom you have practiced changing seats to prepare for the inevitable accident. Ask me how I know about option two. Like many others I did not always listen to the good advice freely given on this site and thought I was a "really good driver". Found out it does not matter how good a driver you are.

 

[malko]

This is the perfect example of a post that could cause other people to have problems. Did you ever make an insurance claim and get paid? Even if you did, you were lucky. You can marry whomever you want in the DR without being a resident here

The only person to give you correct information was the AMET officer. They tend to have more education.

malko, you have been given incorrect information by ignorant people. Despite your license coming from France, it has no more legal status than any other foreign license if you have been in the DR longer than the allowed time for it to remain valid. You can disagree, but as you mentioned, you are no longer unaware (as in no longer ignorant) of what could happen.

My post was not to encourage others to do likewise........
My point was that even the competent authorities give out wrong information......... if the first time I was stopped the PN or AMET told me I was not allowed to drive on foreign DL, I would have done something about it........ but no they didnt, they never batted an eyelid over my french DL. And not once, but numerous times over the years.....
So one cant believe the insurance co......or the rental companies for that matter.

No thankfully I have never made an insurance claim.

 

[cobraboy]

My post was not to encourage others to do likewise........
My point was that even the competent authorities give out wrong information......... if the first time I was stopped the PN or AMET told me I was not allowed to drive on foreign DL, I would have done something about it........ but no they didnt, they never batted an eyelid over my french DL. And not once, but numerous times over the years.....

Most likely they think you're a tourist. That's happened to me also.

I'm surprised the DR doesn't issue a tourist card, all date stamped & legal, to be in your possession while here. Then when you're stopped they ask for the tourist car when presented a foreign drivers license. That would change attitudes in a hurry.

 

[malko]

I suppose there is the entry stamp in the passport. But they have to take the time going through all the entry stamps ( which the last AMET did, hence how I got the information ).

 

[william webster]

Most likely they think you're a tourist. That's happened to me also.

I'm surprised the DR doesn't issue a tourist card, all date stamped & legal, to be in your possession while here. Then when you're stopped they ask for the tourist car when presented a foreign drivers license. That would change attitudes in a hurry.

that may be the way of the new system.... non-residents will be given a card and perhaps even be able to buy a certain length of stay
seems simple enough


as long as you're not behind a large, sweet smelling Bostonian who is negotiating his stay !!!

I suppose there is the entry stamp in the passport. But they have to take the time going through all the entry stamps ( which the last AMET did, hence how I got the information ).

thats exactly how they determine your 'legality'.... on the road and at the airport.
as usual, the stamps are all over the place... not side by side

they once threw my passport back at me and sent me to the fine area...
they told me , if I wanted to avoid the penalty, I had to find the last entry stamp

I will do quite a bit for 1,000 pesos..... and found it for them

after 5yrs, many of us have several stamps !!