Immigration and Overstay Issues

parrottguy1 wrote:

I believe the fee for staying over 30 day tourist visa is $50......is this correct as I will be doing so November 26 to Jan 12

If you know you'll be here for longer than 30 days, it is best to request a stay extension and remain legal status.

Staying Extension

montuspeese wrote:

When you say heath issues what exactly are you speaking of?

Sexually transmitted diseases, drug dependency and tuberculoisis are the main checks sought now.

montuspeese wrote:

When you say heath issues what exactly are you speaking of?

If you are referring to Lennox's comments about health checks, he's talking about the vetting process for residency. To apply for a residency visa, you must have a letter from your doctor confirming you are in good health and have no communicable diseases. With your application for residency in Santo Domingo, you will have a physical exam that includes a chest x-ray, blood work, and urinalysis. They test for drug use, HIV, TB, and other things.

soldbymike wrote:

Of course it does!!  18% tax on everything we spend, jobs created that again they can tax, plus the exit fees equals more money to line their pockets.  Pretty simple economics.  Plus many are renting out their condo/villas when not there bringing in way more who are spending money and paying taxes etc.  No Expats equals less investments, less taxes paid, less jobs and less fees.  Can't break it down any easier than that.

The few thousand people who are snowbirds and others that overstay tourist cards are a drop in the ocean compared to the revenues the government gets from Millions of AI tourists and many thousands of Cruisers. Those people are the ones who matter to the economy. 

That is the reason there is no focus on the mere thousands that overstay tourist cards.

planner wrote:

So to clarify its a PENALTY and not an administrative work around.

They are a penalty due to an administrative work around. 

Years ago I asked the legal team at https://drlawyer.com/ what the overstay fees were.

Fee/Fine?  Whatever you call them, Guzman Ariza told me they are indeed an administrative work around to the laws created in 2003 by what is now the PRM, and ignored by the PLD for many years while they were in power.

The PRM is now in charge and may or may not enforce the actual laws.  Keeping the fines in place shows me they are not enforcing the laws, but rather continuing the work around with regulations.

lennoxnev wrote:

Perhaps you can explain why applying what is written in Article 140 of the Immigration Law is a work around?

.

Almost ALL countries have different regulations for people form different countries.  Nothing at all unusual about that and it is not a double standard unless you consider all countries to have double, triple or even quadruple standards on the hoops various people need to go through to enter.  I can write a book on what it took to get my wife into the USA to visit my mother.

Haiti has the DR in a position where it cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. 
[link under review]

... to the laws created in 2003 by what is now the PRM, and ignored by the PLD for many years while they were in power.

The PRM is not a new name of the PRD which still exists. PRD just did not contest Presidential elections in 2016 and 2020.

The PLD did start the enforcement of that 2003 laws in the beginning of 2018, it is to say two years and a half before Abinader was sworn in. The pandemic froze the actions but not the will.

In the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 it was still possible to live in the DR without any document. It was not only possible, it was normal. I met people at the disco telling me "look, I live here without residency, the police know it, but they do not care. In the DR you can do what you want". The police officers were in the same disco drinking with expats. The 2003 laws address this state of fact.

lennoxnev wrote:

Perhaps you can explain why applying what is written in Article 140 of the Immigration Law is a work around?

Letting people overstay and just pay a tariff as a penalty without the other consequences defined in the Immigration Law is the work around or perhaps to be more blunt, a past and present negligence in applying that law in full.

Double standatds are in play for sure depending if you come from our neighbouring country or not. Over 4k got deported last month and I bet many were welcomed doing manual work helping the economy too.

Article 140 translated by the experts on the Internet:

Art. 140.- The Executive Power by decree will set the amounts for rights that must be paid for the benefits granted by this law, as well as for the services provided and documents issued by the General Directorate of Migration or any other competent authority, which they are indicated below: 1. Permanent Residence. 2. Temporary Residence. 3. Renewal of Permanent Residence or Temporary Residence. 4. Re-entry permit for foreigners. 5. Certificate of proof of residence. 6. Right of issuance by card of Resident and Temporary Worker. 7. Stay Permit for Temporary Workers. 8. Right to request an extension. 9. Certificate of proof of entry and exit. 10. Right for loss of the Tourist Card. 11. Enlist and unenlist maritime crews. 12. Payment for services of immigration control inspectors outside of normal hours. 13. Right to Cross the Border. 14. Right of custody of a foreign person in transit. 15. For any other service in compliance with the provisions of this law and its regulations.


None of the above includes  provisions for the paying a fine to stay over 30 days on a tourist card. I will have to find the actual law that concerns the tourist card for that to be made clear. All the above is about legal residency, work visas and what happens if you lose a tourist card which you no longer have in your possession any way.

I do agree it is confusing and years ago Guzman Ariza told me that overstaying a tourist card and paying fines had ZERO to do with any DR law.

lennoxnev wrote:

15 does

I knew you would say that!  Yet I disagree it applies to the tourist card laws and still need to provide proof.

If  the laws are enforced as written , this is what happened once and quickly slid away into the darkness.  You might recall this happening. If the paying of a fine on exit makes one legal, this could never have even happened, not once, not ever:


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