Temporary Resdidencia - first steps!

Wilson Rood is the one in SD  he doesn't respond you let me know

It has to be translated into Spanish. For those coming from the United States there are many official translation services in the New York city area,  Miami,  Texas,  and Southern California.

Hello.  I am required to submit a "Letter of Guarantee" with my visa application. But I don't know anyone that lives there. Is there an exception? Or any suggestions on what I can do?

It is quite common for the lawyer handling your residencia to also handle the letter.

But I wasn't going to hire the lawyer until I got there for the second part. When I had to go to Santo Domingo.  Online shows that l have to submit that with my initial application for Resident Visa.

Best talk to one now then honey.

Will do.  I'll contact one from the forum.  Thank You.

Hi please let me know if this works for you. I was planning to open a company and buy a business to get residency but if I can get residency this way I would not be under pressure to buy something quick.

Thanks Doug

You still need to qualify even with the letter of guarantee!   So your situation does not change.

Thanks you are a wealth of knowledge and I look forward to meeting you May 8 if you can

I will be close to Sosua may 9 for 3 days honey.

Super.After  business, hook up for some beers or v/t or whatever. Confused Miss P? Pm me.

I just got my Residency Visa and in Canada, the Embassy advised the that purchase of insurance (will be a yearly thing to cover cost of being expelled or having to leave) eliminated the letter of guarantee. If you are in/from the  the States you should verify but it should be the same....

Good to know. Insurance is waived on renewal if you have assets.

I just heard from Atty. Wilson Rood and he stated, "he doesn't believe they still accept the "letter of guarantee".  Has anyone applied for a Residence Visa recently?

Still waiting for the Dominican Consulate to get back with me. I'll update as soon as  I hear from them.

Health Insurance?

I will message you privately about health insurance honey.

Good News! Spoke with the Dominican Consulate in New Orleans and they advised me,  "NO LETTER OF GUARNTEE NEEDED".  I'll be living in the Dominican Republic before you know it. 

Woooo hooooooooooooooo  often the websites are NOT up to date so you cannot count on em.

Congrats. Hope it goes smoothly & quickly.  What part of the island are you planning to settle.?  If uncertain, take a few months & stay in various places to be sure of the final home. Welcome to your new life.

I decided on Punta Cana.  I need a location that's a little busier than the North Coast. I will be going to work after a year of moving there.  My husband and I are not retiring age.

Good luck with your choice, & welcome. Live there renting for a year or so. That will give you plenty of time to find the best deal for you both.

planner wrote:

Manana does not actually mean tomorrow.

Ahora - does not actually mean now.

Ahorita - can mean anything from  5 minutes to  5 days.

Hi Planner,

Would be fun to know, based on the above
How much would 90 days be on the Dominican Republic timeline ?

We are still waiting for the response from immigration for our first temporary residency (RT-9) application. We are now in 8 months since we made the application in Santo Domingo. Immigration site says it takes 90 business days.

Yes 90 business days =  minimum 18 weeks.  So that is 4.5 months but now we allow for  holidays,   vacation days,  days of rain,  days it is too cold,  days when it starts getting hot,  days when its monday or friday, days when "we don't feel like working" and finally days where there is a strike.

So it means...........  who the hell knows.......   at least 8 months apparently...... 

Seriously  90 business days is  5 months minimum. I know of no one who got their residency finalized and issued in under 9 months.  And these days things are all backed up.

Quite true Planner, unless you are a very wealthy immigrant, of course.

Even then it takes forever Tomas.....

A lawyer sent me this timeline:

ESTIMATED TIME-FRAME TO OBTAIN RESIDENCY (duration varies depending on consulate used)

3-4 months minimum  - client gathers and apostilles (legalize for international use) all necessary documents

4-5 months minimum – documents translated and legalized. File is deposited with consulate to apply for visa

60 days - once visa is granted client has 60 days to travel to DR for short trip

9 full business days - required medical exam (blood test, urinalysis, x-ray and medical history), open bank account if required (minimum opening balance US$13 equivalent in Dominican pesos depending on bank) and file is deposited with Immigration office (please note that original documents are not returned).

4-5 months - client issued residency card and Dominican ID (2-3 full business days) (renewed annually (or every other year depending on type of residency obtained) until naturalized)

That is closer to actual. Probably the closest I have seen written by a lawyer. FROM  the deposit of paperwork here  though I know it is not  4 to 5 months. Closer to 8 or 9 or  12.........

From what I have noticed provisional/temporary residencies are taking around 8 months or longer.

But, those that apply for permanent residency as retirees or investors on average take about 4 - 5 months.

Permanent residency is a different step and process in many ways.

The Dominican Embassy's website has the following requirements for those who qualify for permanent residency:


If you are applying for the Pensioners/Retirees category, you need to submit additionally the following documents:

1. Original certification issued by the government agency or private company where the applicant worked, including the applicant's personal information, the length of time he worked at the institution, the position held and the total amount received as pension.

*The monthly pension amount received must be a minimum of US$1,500, or its equivalent in pesos. Please add US$250.00 dollars for each dependent (wife/husband and children).

If you are applying for the Landlords category, you need to submit additionally the following documents:

Landlord owning property on Dominican territory:

1. Documents which prove personal investment held on Dominican territory. (Title deeds, company documents to demonstrate that it is operating in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Labour, bank certificates in Dominican Republic).

Landlord owning property in their country of origin:

2. Bank certificates, rental agreements, certificates from financial institutions such as stockbrokers, documents which prove you are a shareholder or owner of a company that supplements your income.

*The monthly income must be a minimum of US$2,000, or its equivalent in pesos. Please add US$250.00 dollars for each dependent (wife/husband and children)

Your salary does not qualify as a pension.

So honey do you have a question??!! I don't quite understand why you are pasting what the embassy site says.

Ive read most of the comments and it makes me laugh, I went to Dominican Republic embassy in Puerto Rico and got RIPPED OFF $150US and they did NOTHING, needless to say when I got here my paid seals and all the BS into, it was not honored so guess what? I had to start from scratch I spent close to $500 US cause you hv to get your certified ticket of return that $110 and go to THEIR laboratorio $300US and wait close to 4 weeks of their BS. Then you have to scan everything and be on their behinds for it, what they dont tell is that when you submit all the scanned documents you have to bring the Originals for the Cita with them and then wait and wait. They want US citizens to hv a minimum income of $1500 a month but they don't ask that of the Haitians and every othe person that comes in here. I love this country but its so corrupted its pathetic

Sure, it might be pathetic, but at least it's arbitrary, and ever changing.

Colonel in way changing for better but still CORRUPTED as hell🤔

Axel61, if it's been changing for the better, it must be a secret. All I've heard are horror stories and rip offs, years of delay, pay offs along the way, etc. I'm surprised anybody bothers at all.

Look the process is what it is. We are not going to change it. None of us limes it and we feel your pain and frustration.

You can hang in there and get it done or go somewhere else.

We will NOT be debating the Haitian issue here.

Of course there is no debate. Everyone is aware of the situation & of the futility of discussing it. It is a Dominican problem to resolve.