NEW! Automated Residency Renewal

And the 'Proof of the Pudding' from an actual experience -
not mine !!
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As the title says Renewing Permanent Residence online a lot better and faster at migration!

I will try to summarize my experience renewing Regular Permanent Residence for the first time after changing category last year from Temporary Residence to Regular Permanent Residence (Note not under investor or retire category)

1. uploaded documents online: only required, Police paper, cedula,passport, 2 photos. I also included in the "other" field, Document from Bank Popular and last six months of movements in my account, House Title and local medical insurance (Humano). Just in case....

2. After about 2-3+ weeks online site ask if I want to pay online , paid with local credit card $16500 pesos.The day after paying online site directed me to go for medical exam (in my case Santo Domingo). You only have 3 days to go for medical and must bring the payment receipt which I had printed out when I paid online. You must also bring back with you this payment receipt stamp by the clinic.

3. Around 12 days later, online site gives you an appointment to go to migration for photos and finger print and pickup card.

4. My appointment was for 9am. Arrived at migration at 8:35 am very surprise not too many people the hall was half empty (no person allowed in with you). At entrance must show you appointment email and they give you a number. My number came up in 10 min. I had brought copies of all documents and 2 photos. They only took: receipt of payment stamp by clinic and copy of passport (only info page) and copy of cedula and residence card. Did not need Photos, copy of police report, house Title, Bank Paper,not even a empty folder. Says to wait will call me by name for photo.

5. Called for photo and finger print and waited for my card. When I received my card I check the time it was 9:45 am.........Wow.... whole process 1 Hour 10 min.......A GREAT IMPROVEMENT FROM OTHER YEARS.....

6. Off to JCE for Cedula...... When I arrived I notice that there was more people than usual around 25 people waiting for their card. One person said she was there for 2 hours, system was down. Lucky me system restore and out of there in 45 mins.

Cost: Residence for 4 years: 16500, Police report 600, cedula 5000.
Total cost for 4 years 22100 pesos or 5525 per year.

Thank you for this update!  It sure has gotten easier.

And an actual success in using it !!!

Note the wording is this will be the ONLY way can do it

Nice, trying to read between the lines...  Start the process for renewal about 2 months prior to expiration?

I think I see what trying to calculate -

After upload... 2-3+ weeks... let's say 4
Pay & 3 days for medical
Notification 12 days later ... let's say 2 weeks

Then it all kicks in to gear

So 6 weeks and change.... 8 weeks works

The real question is ...
as the system ramps up, will it be faster or slower ?

This is all good and has been reported elsewhere in social media after the recent changes to online applications and appointments.

Interestingly it appears DGM have modified in the past months their website for renewal of  residencies, both temporary and permanent, and the quoted working periods to deliver on an application assuming correct (including medical in the case of permanent residency) are 5 working days for temporary residency renewal and 12 working days for permanent renewal (which ties in exactly with post #2).

https://www.migracion.gob.do/Menu/index/19

Another interesting fact is that after DGM changed to online renewal applications and appointments only, the processing of residencies dropped by 800 persons between May and June months. Does this mean new applications may take longer now? Are DGM adjusting their focus to priority areas as they increase resources?

Ultimately the speed of the processing of all residency applications depends on the numbers involved and the resources dealing with those applications. And there are more residents these days!

DR is a very good retirement destination without doubt and that market is being targetted for sure strongly now as more and more good retirement properties are built in resort areas. For sure one would want renewals to be efficiently processed.

Immigration control at all levels is a complicated business and DR has modernized rapidly in leaps and bounds in the past 5 years from what was frankly a banana republic system where you paid and got your desired service including false documentation.

It would be good if the DGM had an English section!

Why would they do that? Does US and Canada have Spanish Portuguese, German, French  and Chinese etc etc.  It's your responsibility to learn the language where you are living not theirs to provide anyone services in another language.

US Border Patrol agents speak Spanish

Google translates the page fairly well, and there is and "English" tab on their website as well.  If you mean in person, that's a different story, and as we're guests, it's our responsibility to learn their language.

Well, to answer your question Planner...to provide service.  For example: https://www.immigrationpeel.ca/en/index.aspx a Canadian Government website, available in all languages, not really difficult these days...

Really not easy when they cannot even keep the spanish pages updated and current.   

Canada is based on immigration, bit of a different situation.  We are not here.

If you check the page, it's just a widget.  I have the same on my own website.  Not a big deal, my widget was free, requires no maintenance and barely a brain...yet anyone can set the language for the site simply be selection...

So then people can just translate. Simple

Thank you for posting this. We went yesterday. Thanks to you we prepared the copies you mentioned....although had complete folders as back up plan. As you said, no folders, no other paperwork needed. It was very busy and took us 2.5 hours to complete...but it was still a great improvement
Btw...Punta Cana folks no longer get sent to Higuey for the medicals....you go to Punta Cana Village....blood/urine in Referencia...then X-Rays etc in Punta Cana Doctors

Thanks LizandSilvy, good to hear about Punta Cana improvements.  Not sure why they don't add Hospiten to the mix...

Hospiten is supposedly Spanish owned, maybe that is why?

WillieWeb wrote:

US Border Patrol agents speak Spanish

The ones at the border in NY?

I expect so.....lots of entry points they speak Spanish

Every embassy in London do have multi languages interpreters ,also good to hear that the process is faster hold on  i have been waiting now 8 months for my working visa !!!!!!! and i had to pay bribes too not sure if i will ever recommend this country to anyone !first experience is not so good ! and right now i dont have a choice otherwise ill be out of here !

If they want tourism then maybe its time for them to learn english too !!!!!