There are several common ways to obtain a residence permit in the Dominican Republic:
- Buy property. This option seems to be the easiest and most accessible for obtaining permanent residence. After purchasing a house or apartment, the owner receives a residence permit.
After five years, he can expect to receive a permanent residence permit. Permanent residence with real estate in the Dominican Republic does not only have the right to vote; everything else is available in the same way as for local residents. Dominican citizenship is required to gain new prospects and opportunities for leisure and work.
- Doing business in the country. To obtain a residence permit, you must employ one native resident at your enterprise.
- Marry a Dominican man or woman. This is immediately followed by obtaining a residence permit, and after 3 years - Dominican citizenship.
Below we will look at how to move for permanent residence to the Dominican Republic, but first we will highlight those who cannot do this.
Immigration to the Dominican Republic is prohibited:
- Persons who are mentally ill or have infectious diseases. The exception is for people who have close relatives in the country.
- Citizens convicted of serious violations.
- Persons who were previously deported from the DR.
Pros and cons of the Dominican Republic for foreigners
It’s probably not worth trying your luck without having a specific profession. Finding a decent job without education in this country is not so easy, but high-class professionals are likely to be in demand. The medical field in this sense is one of the best - a good doctor will almost certainly find a job in the Dominican Republic. But representatives of any profession will need fluency in Spanish. Fortunately, it is not so difficult to learn if you communicate with its native speakers.
Those wishing to study in the Dominican Republic can count on an international diploma. People with initial capital will have no problem opening a business or buying real estate in this country. In this regard, the Dominican Republic is distinguished by loyalty, in particular, low taxes and stability in terms of business.
Visas to the Dominican Republic
and the possibilities of their design:
- Tarjeta de Turista is a tourist card with a validity period of 60 days, which provides both single and multiple entries into the country.
- Visa de Turismo - tourist visa for those who need a visa to enter the DR (citizens of Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, etc.)
- VISA DE RESIDENCIA is a resident visa, valid for 60 days, the only visa that gives the right to submit documents for Cedula (residence permit) and provides the possibility of permanent residence in the Dominican Republic. Since January 2014, issued only in Moscow! This is the only visa that gives the right to legalize in the country. No other visa offers this opportunity! After any other visa expires, you will still need to obtain a Visa de Residencia in Moscow!
- Visa de Estudiante - given for one year to foreign citizens studying at one of the educational institutions of the Dominican Republic. Extended annually for the duration of study.
- Visa de Negocios is a business visa that gives the right to a single entry into the country for a maximum period of 60 days.
- Visa de Negocios con Fines Laborales - a work visa, valid for a maximum of one year, is given if there is an employment contract with a local company in which at least 80% of the workers are Dominican and no more than 20% are foreigners. This visa only applies to the construction and agriculture sectors (originally for Haitian citizens). If you are not a Haitian citizen who wants to work on the sugar plantations of the Dominican Republic, then you can apply for this visa only if you have a very rare profession for which there are no specialists in the country, at the request of the company that needs you. Some unscrupulous lawyers claim that they can get you such a visa for money, and that later you will be able to get a Cedula with it. In reality, no one has managed to pull this off yet, so be careful!
- Visas Diplomáticas, Oficiales y de Cortesía - a visa to enter the Democratic Republic of the Democratic Republic for diplomatic purposes, for a period of no more than 60 days, given to diplomats, consuls and members of their families.
- Visa de Dependencia – visa for dependents, i.e. minors and adult citizens whose family member has received a visa and is in the territory of the DR: for family members of those who have received diplomatic, service, business or student visas, subject to the type of visa granted to the main family member on whom they depend.
Stages of moving to the Dominican Republic
First, you should pay attention to the fact that for the first two months, which is quite enough to get to know the country better, Russians can stay on its territory without a visa, having only issued a tourist card, which requires only a foreign passport.
To stay in the country and settle permanently, you will have to obtain a Dominican residence permit. Here it is called temporary residence. It turns out that a document valid for only a year will require going through many authorities, that is, registering a temporary residence is not an easy process. Therefore, if there are no financial problems, it is better to use the services of a lawyer; the cost of the procedure is $1,500. Practice shows that the majority of Russians do exactly this. For those who decide to do this on their own, you need to collect a lot of documents:
- Birth certificate translated into Spanish and notarized.
- International passport.
- Document confirming no criminal record.
- Six photographs: two in profile and four frontal.
- Marriage certificate, also translated and certified.
- For residents of countries that do not use visa-free entry, a certificate of receipt of a residence visa.
- Lease or purchase agreement for housing/certificate of opening a bank account at least 3 months ago.
- A letter of guarantee from a citizen of the Dominican Republic who takes responsibility for you - economic and other. The letter must be certified by the prosecutor's office and a notary.
- Certificate from the place of study or work in the Dominican Republic.
- A certificate from the police confirming that there have been no violations of the law.
- Photocopy of the guarantor's sedula and two witnesses.
- Receipts for payment of state fees.
- Application for a residence permit in the Dominican Republic in Spanish.
In addition, you will have to undergo a medical examination, and after submitting all the documents, you will have to wait for six months. As you can see, obtaining a residence permit in the Dominican Republic is quite difficult.
Temporary residence cannot be extended, but permanent residence can be obtained. Permanent residence is issued after at least one year of residence in the country under temporary residence. The package of documents is almost the same.
If after a year you do not submit documents for permanent residence, you will have to pay a fine, but it does not affect the subsequent registration of residence. Having become the owner of a permanent residence, you only need to change the document every two years, and it is issued for life.
Another condition is that after receiving this residence you cannot travel abroad for a year. And one pleasant surprise - permanent residence in the Dominican Republic gives you the right to travel to the United States without a visa.
How to obtain a residence permit
A residence permit is issued in 2 stages: in Russia and in the Dominican Republic. The specifics of the procedure for obtaining a residence permit depend on the basis for entry into the republic.
Applying for an immigration visa in Russia
If a citizen has planned to emigrate to the Dominican Republic from Russia, then he will need to contact the country’s consulate to obtain an immigration visa. It takes about a month to complete and will cost about $200. In addition to the application form, you must prepare the following documents:
- a letter indicating the reason for arrival, written in Spanish;
- color photo on a plain background;
- valid passport;
- Marriage certificate;
- a certificate confirming no criminal record.
You are also required to attach documents confirming the immigrant status indicated in the letter before moving to the Dominican Republic.
- If a business is organized in the Dominican Republic, then it is necessary to present the company charter and financial documents.
- Investors will need to provide evidence that they have invested at least $200,000 in the republic’s budget.
- If you have a relative or spouse who is a citizen of the country, you will need to present a marriage registration certificate or documents confirming family ties.
- Pensioners or rentiers must prepare income certificates (from $1,500 per month).
- When concluding an employment contract, you must provide a copy of it.
All documents, with the exception of the international passport, must be in Spanish or have a notarized copy in the official language of the republic.
Completion of the process in the Dominican Republic
After arriving in the country, the applicant must contact the Migration Department. According to the traditions of the state, this is usually done not by the immigrant himself, but by his visa lawyer. However, theoretically, the applicant has the right to independently apply for a residence permit. Upon entry into the country, the guest's fingerprints are taken.
Obtaining citizenship
In principle, the most difficult thing, in any case, is behind us - obtaining a residence permit for the Dominican Republic. Permanent residence is already easier, and after two years you can try your luck in obtaining citizenship, and for property owners this period is reduced to six months. Although a permanent residence is quite enough to live in the Dominican Republic.
Once you become a citizen, you will be able to participate in elections, and if you wish, it will also be easier to obtain Spanish and Colombian citizenship, and, of course, you no longer need to bother with documents. Obtaining citizenship will take about four months.
Immigration Options
There are different options for immigration to the Dominican Republic. The most common of these is real estate investment. Every person who buys an apartment or house here has the right to obtain a residence permit, and after 5 years apply for citizenship. In some cases, the procedure can be accelerated up to 3 years.
The second way is to open your own business. The process is quite simple; to obtain a residence permit, it is enough to employ at least one local resident with a minimum wage of $200. The activities of most enterprises are, of course, related to tourism, but who knows, maybe someday a new Google will be created here.
The surest way to immigrate anywhere is marriage. The spouse of a Dominican citizen is granted a residence permit, and after 3 years, citizenship.
As we can see, immigration to the Dominican Republic is a very good option for those who are tired of the harsh domestic climate and economic problems. Many of our compatriots have already tasted the heavenly pleasure of being a resident of the Dominican Republic, try it too!
Some nuances
As for the trip itself - after all, it all begins with it - you will have to fly with a transfer, and it will cost about 50,000 rubles. Slight price fluctuations are possible depending on the points of departure and destination and the chosen airline. The most convenient way is to fly to Punta Cana - from there it is easy to get to any city in the republic by taxi, bus or plane.
Another nuance - since the climate in the Dominican Republic is fundamentally different from what is usual, many may have to acclimatize. Usually it is quite easy and takes no more than a week. People who have already gone through this advise drinking a lot of liquids, especially freshly squeezed juices, and not immediately leaning into local cuisine.
In the Dominican Republic it is much cheaper than in Russia to build a house: the prices for building materials are the same, and the labor of workers costs less. A good plot of land will cost about 20 thousand dollars. The best place for construction is the city of Solcity - there is a beautiful beach near it, residents of this city are given the opportunity to advertise their goods and services on the Solcity website for free, they receive free GPS maps of the Dominican Republic and a 15% discount on obtaining a residence permit, permanent residence and citizenship.
While you have not yet decided to buy real estate or build your own home, it will not be a problem to rent an apartment or house, or stay in a hotel. Of course, the first two options are better - you cook a variety of seafood in your own kitchen, have access to the beach, where there are not as many people as in the case of a hotel.
Immigrant categories
Immigrants are divided into two categories:
- Those who must first obtain a residence permit, and only then apply for permanent residence.
- Those who can immediately register a residence:
- Investors with capital over 200 thousand dollars.
- Pensioners with a pension of 1.5 thousand dollars.
- Immigrants with an income of at least 2 thousand dollars, which is confirmed by a certificate for a period of 5 years.
- Close relatives of local residents or immigrants officially residing in the country.
