Haitian ambassador in the Dominican Republic Fritz Cineas says that the Haitian government is unlikely to exempt Haitians from the RD$1,000 charge for Haitian documentation. Immigrants are required to present Haitian documentation in order to regularize their status in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican government is offering the process for free through June 2015, but applicants need to obtain documentation from their country of origin.
Cineas made the statement in response to the protest by a group of Haitian immigrants who are requesting the Haitian government to provide them with free documentation just as the Dominican government is doing.
But instead, Cineas called on the Dominican government to relax its criteria to make it easier for Haitians who have been living in the country illegally for more than ten years to legalize their status. He said the Haitian government has already reduced the cost of the documentation from US$120 to RD$1,000 or about US$23, about 15% of what it cost before. He said the RD$1,000 included a package of three documents: passport, birth certificate and ID. “This was a great effort for my government because we have many expenses,” said the Haitian ambassador.
Cineas said that the next meeting of the Haitian-Dominican bilateral commission would take place in Petionville.