Denise
@ddmcghee
American expat in Dominican Republic
Forum posts
1902
Contacts
39
About me
American, Married
Lives in Las Terrenas, Samaná
Speaks English
Registration: 15 May 2017
Activity
Timing of the residency application process (2025) by wondering9
I was looking for an existing thread to tack this onto but couldn't quickly find one, so here's one more input to the "how long does it take?" question.I initiated the process of applying for a retirement residency in December 2024. It took...3 ...
@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 ... Read More
Managing meals in Dominican Republic by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Managing meals day-to-day can sometimes be a real mental challenge, even more so when you land in a new environment, with different schedules, habits or ingredients. How do you manage your meal routine as an expat in Dominican ...
We've sometimes gone weeks without being able to find ginger. limes or carrots - and all are grown here in DR! I don't think of Las Terrenas as being that small of a town, but we are somewhat isolated on the peninsula! Read More
Managing meals in Dominican Republic by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Managing meals day-to-day can sometimes be a real mental challenge, even more so when you land in a new environment, with different schedules, habits or ingredients. How do you manage your meal routine as an expat in Dominican ...
We cook almost all of our meals in, only going out a few times a month. We have had to adapt to the foods we find available! There are far fewer options in Las Terrenas than in the larger towns and cities. Good lettuce is a rare find, so we rarely ... Read More
New members of the Panama forum, introduce yourselves here - 2025 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Panama forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your ...
When I posted back in March, I thought we were just months away, but we got delayed a bit!We were just in Panama last week for a house-hunting trip and will be moving to Alto Boquete in January! Is anyone here in Boquete? Or specifically Boquete ... Read More
Selling a vehicle by ddmcghee
If you have sold a vehicle in DR...did you have to get a Piloto Plan from the police that shows the car hasn't been stolen? Evidently, these certificates can only be obtained in Santo Domingo and Santiago!
@planner Yeah, it's inexpensive, but if you aren't in the capital, it's a pain in the ass to handle! From LT, it's 1800 DOP in tolls round trip! Add to that the time (6 hours just driving time), gas, wear and tear on your car, etc., and the 100 ... Read More
Selling a vehicle by ddmcghee
If you have sold a vehicle in DR...did you have to get a Piloto Plan from the police that shows the car hasn't been stolen? Evidently, these certificates can only be obtained in Santo Domingo and Santiago!
@UncleBuck It might not be necessary with a new vehicle from a dealer. Read More
Getting Address for new Construction by Stacy ST
Does anyone have experience getting their land/lot registered with an address? We purchased a plot of land in an industrial area that is all new construction. We are told the street has name, but we do not know what it is and it is not yet ...
I was able to add our home to Google Maps without an address. I believe I had to share my location with a Google Customer Service representative during a chat. They initially said they had to mail something, but when I explained that there was not ... Read More
Selling a vehicle by ddmcghee
If you have sold a vehicle in DR...did you have to get a Piloto Plan from the police that shows the car hasn't been stolen? Evidently, these certificates can only be obtained in Santo Domingo and Santiago!
So the buyer goes after the sale is complete? That's kind of putting the cart before the horse, isn't it? What happens if you've already paid for the car and you find out there is an issue? I guess we leave that to the buyer to deal with!We just ... Read More
Selling a vehicle
If you have sold a vehicle in DR...did you have to get a Piloto Plan from the police that shows the car hasn't been stolen? Evidently, these certificates can only be obtained in Santo Domingo and Santiago! Read More
Residency - 2025 by classygringo
I have been renewing my residency for a number of years and every single year I experience the same thing. I am told to upload it again in jpg format. I carefully check all the documents and am sure they are in jpg. I also work heavily on a computer ...
What harm is there in bringing it? Better safe than sorry! Read More
Shopping questions by wondering9
does anyone happen to know whether there's a place to buy... snorkeling gear in Las Terrenas? one of those folding, ultra-portable backpacking stools or chairs, anywhere in the DR? (I imagine you can get normal folding chairs in a lot of places, but ...
You might check with The Dive Academy and other diving companies to see if they can tell you where to buy the snorkeling gear.As for chairs, I've never seen anything like that in LT. Read More
Dominican Republic Taxes by Adalharis
HiHope everyone is doing well. Can somebody help/guide us how do you your taxes when you live our DR but bought a property in the DR. We bough a house in Terrenas Samaná and put it in Airbnb (which is providing some income). We furnished the ...
The IRS wants a piece of everything! As a US citizen, you are liable for taxes on income earned anywhere around the world. You can get a foreign income tax credit for the amount of taxes you pay to the DR on that income. Read More
Residency - 2025 by classygringo
I have been renewing my residency for a number of years and every single year I experience the same thing. I am told to upload it again in jpg format. I carefully check all the documents and am sure they are in jpg. I also work heavily on a computer ...
For the rentista residency, you have to have a 5-year history of passive income to qualify. Read More
Banking (mostly ATM) questions by wondering9
I don't think this has been asked before; apologies if I missed something.I'm still drawing money out of my US bank account via ATMs and probably will be for a couple more months (for longwinded and boring reasons not worth going into). Banco ...
When you withdraw from Popular, it gives you an option of sending the peso amount or the converted dollar amount to your home bank, Always go for pesos!! I made the mistake and hit the wrong button one time and lost about $20 on the exchange! Read More
New members of the Dominican Republic forum, introduce yourselves here - 2025 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Dominican Republic forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more ...
@Ocshmavia Sorry - just seeing your message. We came in as pensioners. That process is pretty simple and straight forward. We used an attorney, Lishali Baez, and she really made it easy. I can't speak to any other type of residency or trying to do ... Read More