'Tis true regardless of the anecdotes one hears. They *may* pay a claim, but they are under no legal contractual obligation to do so.
Caveat Emptor
- Thread starter cobraboy
- Start date
Insurance & Drivers License
Caveat Emptor
Ok so please let me know so I can tell my friends. What's the deal I heard it was when you pass 90 days you policy is no good
after 90 days , the foreign licence is not acknowledged....
you MIGHT be in trouble (this is a highly discussed/disputed notion)
Also, 'casa conductor' carries little ? no weight outside the big cities ...SDQ and STI
the safe route is to have a cedula and RD driver's licence to qualify for an insurance claim
Watch the arrows fly now....
did I sat controversial notion ??
too much for me to risk.....
you MIGHT be in trouble (this is a highly discussed/disputed notion)
Also, 'casa conductor' carries little ? no weight outside the big cities ...SDQ and STI
the safe route is to have a cedula and RD driver's licence to qualify for an insurance claim
Watch the arrows fly now....
did I sat controversial notion ??
too much for me to risk.....
There is more than one single consideration at play here.
1) Are you in the country legally?
2) Is your foreign license considered valid?
3) Is your DR insurance contract valid and enforceable?
If you are in the country without status (call it illegally, without official status or whatever you want) this supersedes all the other considerations. Your driver's license is not considered valid and any insurance contract you posses is not enforceable.
A Foreign license may be used for a maximum of 90 days by people who posses a visa to be in the country for 90 days. That's the law regardless of how warped its implementation may be in any particular individual situation. Officer discretion (propina) and all that...
Tourists who enter on a 30 day visitor visa may drive for 30 days on a valid foreign license. When your visa expires so does your privilege of operating a motor vehicle in the DR.
People in the DR on a visa that extends longer than 90 days such as students, foreign workers etc. have options that I do not fully understand.
No status = no entitlement to use a foreign license therefore no driving privileges
No driving privileges = no valid and enforceable insurance contract (even if you have paid for it)
No valid insurance = no driving privileges
Some people have gotten away with not having a valid DR license and claimed their insurance purchased here covered them. In my opinion, they were lucky. The insurance company is under no obligation to cover any one without a valid license. If someone is willing to take that chance by not having a valid license, then that is each person's decision.
I shall go to the DGTT in Santo Domingo in December with my Certification letter from the Canadian Embassy to the Dominican foreign Affairs ( Bank Reservas first to pay the legalizaci?n de la certificaci?n diplom?tica ) and get it legalized, then go with that plus my Canadian Driver license, Cedula, and Residency card ( plus three copies of each) Stopping first at Bank Reservas and pay the 950 pesos for the license, then proceed inside to have all the paperwork completed as well as vision test and blood type test. I went there Friday and they explained the whole deal to me and it should be too taxing.
If you go there (Santo Domingo) go to the JURIDICO DGTT (ask at the information office at the front)
If you go there (Santo Domingo) go to the JURIDICO DGTT (ask at the information office at the front)
One step you don't show is that you have to take your letter from the Canadian Embassy to the Dominican Embassy as they need to verify that the proper Canadians signed it. They may have eliminated this step I had to do it 4 years ago. Cost 1200 or 1400 pesos. I was also the only customer there and they made me do the vip service as it was after 1:00. Took less than 5 minutes once I paid the 1200 or 1400 pesos.
Thanks Bob. I tried the DGTT site but its down. If they move as quick as CEPM it could take upwards of 3 years. Does anyone know if there is a closer office to Punta Cana or is La Romana still the closest. Thanks