Timing of the residency application process (2025)

@wondering9

Im in the renewal process myself will update this thread.

1.10. 18.25 Submitted documents via portal

2. 2 days letter asked for another document uploaded

3. Now under evualation status (DGM states up to 30 business days to complete review.

@CHRISTOPHER DAVID56

Please do update!

Do you mind saying what documents they require?

@wondering9

For me the needed another bank letter.

However, on the website and all depends they wanted from me the following.

1. 6 months DR bank statements with showing minimum deposit 1500 dollars monthly into the DR account

2. 6 months showing I have spent or invest back into the DR economy; example, Cable,  Internet,  Electric bills, my DR credit card statements of 6 months,

etc

3. Police report no more than 30 days old

4. 1 Copies and original documents

5. Must be stamped and signed sometimes they don't except the new bar codes bank letters.

This is general but again nothing is always consistent

@CHRISTOPHER DAVID56

Do we know if this is the "semi standard list" or varies pending on residency  applied for?

@CHRISTOPHER DAVID56

I was warned that this time DGM wanted a print out of your appointment.  At the window for renewal they took a copy of: Cédula, passport, the letter to ask for renewal, payment (if you paid online) and the appointment confirmation. Oh, and they took the physical pictures this year, too.

I don't know why they need physical copies of anything, nevermind the pictures.  It was also an absolute zoo on Friday.  Waited outside for 2 hours, then inside for 2 more before depositing paperwork and receiving my card after a total of 6 hours.  All the appointments from the week before that didn't happen because of the closure due to Melissa likely had a huge affect.

And yes, tensions were high in the crowd.  A couple was screaming at staff, and there was some shoving in line because somebody thought a person was cutting in front of them.  Happy it's over with for another year.

I made it to JCE at 3:45 and they close at 4pm.  So very glad I squeaked in, and they are issuing cédulas for foreigners.  That was another question I couldn't get answered before-hand.

@UncleBuck

Thanks for the update! Also, have no clue why my Cédula does expire until next year.

They issued me 1 year on the residency and two years on the Cédula. So, who knows what issues I may have September 2026

Question; from the time you submitted paper work via the portal did you get that appointment at DGM?

Curious

@DRVisitor

I would be guessing. I don't like to tell people what I believe and here sorry to say its not always consistent in what they need or want.

Lawyers sometimes get things thru the process an get a exception. Really depends...

They issued me 1 year on the residency and two years on the Cédula. 

FWIW, that's what I got too, on my first-time residency Thursday.

@CHRISTOPHER DAVID56

I submitted online Oct 6, outside of the "30 day" window (mine was due to expire Nov 11), but the application was accepted regardless.  Was asked to submit the QR code for repatriation insurance Oct 15 and was asked for payment Oct 16.  Appointment for January 2026 which I declined and accepted an appointment for Oct 31 when it was offered Oct 17.

Not a bad timeline,mas far as I'm concerned.

@UncleBuck

Interesting, on my application they did not ask or require the insurance within the portal.

So, will see...

@wondering9

Thanks for this update. Question: Once  documents have been gathered and submitted while you're still in the US, is that the time to move to the DR to be ready for the next steps? Meaning, is the rest of the process, the interview, etc done in the DR? Hoping to start this process myself in the next year or so.

Thanks!

@Jennifer Storm Nelson

You need to wait until the consulate (in the US) issues your residency visa. It has to be added to your passport. We chose to leave our passports with the consulate, along with a prepaid Priortity-Express return envelope, so that they could mail them rather than us having to make a return trip to the consulate.

Once you have your visa, the rest of the process is in the DR.

If you are really itching to get to DR, you could make a trip while waiting for the visa, but then you'd have to return with your passport to the consulate to get it.

@Jennifer Storm Nelson

After you submit your documents from the States, there's another wait until you get your initial visa (I can't remember how long that was for me, I think 2-3 months). Once they issue that, you have to get here within a month and do some in-person stuff. Then you wait (in my case it was ~3.5 months) (it's your choice whether you want to stay in the DR for this) until they call you in for another in-person process which ends with you being granted your residency (that same day).

So, gather documents, submit, wait, rush over here, do the in-person, wait, do one more in-person, then you're done for a year.

One recommendation: any US documents you need that *don't* have a time-limit to their validity, get started gathering them asap to save yourself stress later. I found birth certificate and Social Security (which I needed for income verification) were the slowest and toughest.

Oh and PS -- the process changes, so verify closer to your start date too. Luck!