Introduce yourself HERE!

Have you had them at outback?  My favorite for sure

Bob K

Nope I am all about the Blooming Onions. Lol

True one cannot eat a blooming onion and then a burger. It is one or the other.  Try the burger next time.

Bob K

Will do honey!

Hello All.....My name is Theresa(American), My husband(Dominican) and our two children have been living in Santo Domingo for almost two years now.

Theresa welcome to the forum.there are some great folks here. We look forward to you contributions.

Bob K

Where is your farm in Imbert? What do you grow? I was in Puerto Plata last week for the fifth time and looking for opportunities (work or business) to find work and make a life there...I am conceiving ideas to export Dominican Products or import in the Dominican...

My name is Celine and I currently live in Canada.  I am originally from Europe.  I have been going to the DR for over a year a love it there.  I am looking for opportunities to establish a business in the DR...Any feedback, comments, histories, do's and don'ts will be welcome...

Celine welcome to the forum.  There are lots of nice  folks here with good information.

Before you make the "move"  you should come here for an extended time (2-3months) and not as a tourist to see if the DR "fits" for you.

As to a business be very careful on what you decide. Most new expats fail at business here because they did not do their homework.  To work here legally you will need your residency, cedula (national ID card) and RNC number (tax number). These all take time and $$ to get. Do also understand that wages here are much lower than what you are used to.  Again take your time and explore before making the plunge.


Bob K

Dear Bob,

Thanks for the feedback - always appreciated.  I have lived in the DR over two months...it would suit me.  As for the particulars of Cedula and RNC...I am aware of that, and also requirements for banking and such...Is it that un-hospitable?
Having dealt with some legal paperwork in DR already, I do see the slowness and cost of things...anything else I should be aware of? How are women in business treated there?

Women who give respect get respect in business. There are many who are successful.  It sound like you are going about it the correct way.
Exactly what type of business are you looking to establish?

Bob K

I am considering agricultural products exports and/or vehicle imports (but here I find the import duties too huge) but I am far away from deciding whether it will work as that entails a lot of research.  I simply think there is a lot of potential in DR and want to work with locals - people are generally much happier there and I love the culture - those two things are very important to me.  I am also looking at supermarkets...do you know anything about the competitive environment in Las Terrenas?

Hello. We're Keith & Leanne. We've been dreaming about moving to Dominican for several years now. To make this happened, we've recently moved from a small town in NB to Edmonton, Alberta. Just like everyone else from Atlantic Canada. Our plan is to buy a vacation condo in the DR within the next two years & move there in 2019. I am a marketing & creative manager for a large OEM / heavy truck dealer. Keith is a licensed heavy duty tech / service manager working in diagnostics for my competitor, lol. Hopefully we'll be able to find work in DR. But if not, we'll make our own opportunities. I've been studying spanish in preparation for our move. We are avid scuba divers. So living in AB is a challenge. Until our time to move comes, we'll be saving every penny to make our dream come true. No more snow or freezing temperatures for us, lol.

Keith and Leanne  Welcome to the forum. Lots of great folks here.  I had the unfortunate experience of spending a month in Edmonton this past winter and knew there was a reason why I left the mountains of Colorado to live here full time 8 years ago.  I had forgotten what cold was. No more complaining when the evening temps here are in the mid low 20s.

Are you planning a trip down here in the near future?

Again welcome.

Bob K

This past winter? You mean winter has past? LOL. Winter is still holding tight here. Hoping to get a chance to go to DR this summer. Our schedules are a bit chaotic with the kids flying back & forth across Canada during school breaks. We love the dR, the climate & the water. Being form eastern Canada & growing up on the beach, we find AB a little hard to take in the summer. Not to mention the lack of decent seafood. Where in DR do you live?

We are on the north coast between Sosua and Cabarete.  We built a villa there and I don't want to tell you how nice it is today sitting on the terrace overlooking the ocean on a clear sunny , nice breeze and 32 degree temp. Actually a bit warm for this time of year.

We have a friend flying in from Edmonton this Tuesday and she has certainly had enough cold an snow.

Bob K

Welcome to all of you!  Bob is giving you some good info here.

As a woman in business I can tell you firsthand what it has been like!  And as a business consultant I can give you info on many subjects.

But this is the introduce yourself forum, so if you don't mind - go do lots of reading here. Then ask your questions there or start a thread. We've not had one on women in business yet so that would be an awesome one!!!

We have a lot of info to share with you and are happy to do so!!!

Wow! And as I come from outside , just taking off my coat hat and scarf, I listen to your day Bob, on the terrace in your villa overlooking the ocean!  That sounds so tranquil.. Sucks to be in NY lol. You guys are so lucky

It is tough but someone has to do it

Bob K

Yup it's a tough life! We are lucky but worked hard to create the "luck".

Keith and Leanne:
I am in Halifax, winter has not been so clement yet, we are to get more snow (OOOOHHHHH again). I am also new on this forum as of today.

I also love scuba diving and do plan to one day move to DR to live and start a business... Aside from this:is money better in Edmonton? There is little opportunities on the east coast here...

Where do you plan on going this coming summer?

Yes Planner we worked hard to get here.  It did not come free!  But you know what if one does work hard and sets goals anything is basically possible.

Bob K

Agreed Bob!

Yes, money is significantly better here in Edmonton. Coming from Halifax, you'd find that housing is pretty comparable in price. The remaining living expensed are cheaper than NB. The biggest difference is how your employer treats you. In the Maritimes, employers take advantage of the more workers than work. Here, employers know you can find another job in an hour. You are treated with respect. Hard work is rewarded. But not all careers are in demand. You need to have a red seal trade, an in demand skill such as marketing or anything in the medical field.

Moving to AB has allowed us to save for our move to DR. The only thing I'll miss about Edmonton is NHL games. But with the Oilers being in the bottom of the league will make it easier.

Not sure where we're headed this summer. But we are going back to NB for 6 days in June (lobster season, lol)

I've been involved with a young woman willing to spend the rest my life with her I hope it's a success story do you know the steps on building a house in a small village ?do you know if a person from Dominican and Canadian can be on the same land title? what would my rights be if she told me to leave? she seems simple ,but made it very clear that she wanted to include her name on of the house with her

I guess she is not so simple after all, If she made that request up front, Is she??? Hummmm? That is the first mistake foreigners make when they visit countries that are not as developed as ours.  Just because they are lacking in book knowledge, does not mean they are lacking in street smarts or common sense, that is the department where we fall short unless we grew up in similar conditions back home.  This girl is no dummy!

Workingjoe welcome to the forum. There is lots of information here and if you listen to it then it will help you in this adventure.
To answer some of your questions.

cost of building in a small village (where exactly are you building) is pretty cheap but will be much higher for you the gringo.  Are you sure you can live in a small village with no regular electricity, water, sewerage, maybe no internet?

You can be on the title no problem. Her on the title BIG problem

If she told you to leave your rights..................YOU HAVE NONE and expect to pay big $$$$ for her and her extended family. That is besides losing the house and anything in it plus at least 1/2 of any assets you may have. As massagewiz said she is no dummy.

Think this trough and then when  you have thought about it think about it again.

Bob K

Hello Everyone. I have chosen to move to the Dom. Rep. in the Samana area. I am a pensioned/retired combat veteran of the U.S. Army. I am thirty seven, I have lived abroad often once in Germany for five years and again in Italy for three years. This doesn't include any of my duty tours in, ahem, "unfriendly" environments. American English is my native tongue, but I am fluent in reading and speaking German, although my spelling leaves something to be desired. I know where I am going, know where I will stay, my issue is I would like to have a couple points of contact, irregardless of nationality, just in case I need to ask questions before my language skills have time to develop. I also have a unique question, are there any Veterans living abroad that are disabled/retired or have medical coverage by the Veterans Administration that are part of this blog? If so, I would love to be able to converse with them prior to leaving. If all goes as planned, I will be in country before the middle of June 2014. I also have some questions in regards to shipping some items before the move as I will be travelling as light as possible. I would be really happy if I could meet someone in the Sanchez-Samana area that could be a "phone call" friend for questions once I am on the ground. Please any and all compliments will be greatly appreciated, both positive and negative. Thank you so much. I can't wait to get on the Jet Blue flight out of JFK in New York!!!!! Best Regards, Kent

Welcome Kent!!! I am sure we can be of help to you. I  Will ping our member in the area to give you a hand. I am a phone call or email away in Santo Domingo!  Read some of then other threads and then ask us anything you need to know!  As to other veterans, that I am mot sure of!

Welcome again!!

Thank you for the help and quick response. I am on the blog reading some of your prior posts now. It seems Bob has a wealth of knowledge as well. It would be great to have a couple of names and numbers. Knowledge is power, Wisdom is earned and real experience trumps it all. If there is a member in the Samana area willing to converse with me that would be outstanding.

There is and I will have her contact you. My info I will share by private message.

Great! Thank you very much. You are kind. Do you have access my e-mail then?

No you will have to send it to me by private message, we don't post publicly.

Kent welcome.  We live up the road a bit in the Sosua/Cabarete area and moved here 8 years ago.  I would be  happy to share any info with you that you will need.
PM me your email address and I will respond with mine and my DR as well as my US (VOIP) number which rings here in our villa.
Again welcome.
As to vets there are lots about but not sure how the VA  benefits work here. I know Medicare is not accepted here...yet.

Bob K

Hello, Bob. I appreciate your response. I am pleasantly surprised at the "hospitality" on this site. I have been reading both your and Planner's posts. Very informative. To be honest, I am not sure yet how to PM someone. I believe I have to be a contact of yours first....I will investigate further. Until then......Thank you and Best Regards.

Nope you don't need to be a contact first. Click on his name, then on message........... send away..........

Follow planner's path
I also sent you a PM and you can  respond to it

Bob K

Welcome Kent.  Planner and Bob offer a wealth of information based on real life experience. Met Bob in Cabarete last year October, great guy.  I hope I can buy some sweet potatoes off him on my next trip in mid May ;-) Samana is a great spot.  I hope you also get to check out Las Terrenas and Cayo Levantado, all in the same area.  Good Luck with your move and as part as spanish goes you will pick it up being there day by day.

Hi my name is JohAnne i'm from Brooklyn Ny. I'm a 25 yr old customer service rep & I'm looking to start a small business in either DR or Mexico but I'm honestly open as far as locations since I'm still researching right now.