Semi-retired wanting to move to Dominican Republic

Yes....

Well me to the forums.  Lots.of info here in the various threads.

Quick answer is yes.  Longer answer is maybe.

You say semi retired. Will you need to work here?  If so, it gets more complicated! 

How many times have you visited? Do you speak any Spanish?  Will your retirement income qualify you for residency?

Yes, the first suggestion I would make is to spend some time in different locations before you decide where to live. For example, Las Terrenas has a much different vibe than Sosua or Cabarete for example. Then there are up and coming expat areas like Cabrera and Rio San Juan. Punta Cana, Cap Cana, La Romana will be more expensive and have more tourists than some areas on the North Coast. So spend some time in different areas and at the same time you can learn more about cultural differences, laws, driving habits 🙄 and who to trust and work with as far as lawyers or realtors.

If you need to work locally and legally right away in the DR for a local company, the answer is no.  If you can work on line and do the proper steps to be a resident, the answer is moderately easy.  If you just come and live and ignore residency, then it is easy but could develop complications later.   Not info info provided to know your plan.

Windeguy I think that with the upcoming Covid changes the ability to show up and work from home is likely going to be much much more difficult.

I guess the best advice it's to bring enough savings for 6 months and come with a positive attitude. Enjoy the beauties of the country and experience the not-so-beautiful things and after that make a decision.

I guess the best advice it's to bring enough savings for 6 months and come with a positive attitude. Enjoy the beauties of the country and experience the not-so-beautiful things and after that make a decision.

Worth repeating Tomas

hahahaha

What if you worked online from home?
Thanks!

I'm in the same boat. We have been going to DR for several years. We now have bought some land and would love to build on it. We were gonna build while still in Canada but thank goodness I changed my mind about that. Now we want to move and build while keeping an eye on things.

I work a lot online so working from home would be great for me as long as I can have decent internet access.

I would love it if anyone would  offer any advice. We appreciate it!

Okay so the days of showing up and just living here are likely gone.  With Covid and screening and tracking it is  likely if you come on a tourist visa you will be tracked down if you do not leave.  That is what I think will happen.

So,  do you qualify for residencia here? That gives you the right to move here, work here and live here on a long term basis. Go to the thread called Residencia and check it out.

I also agree you need to come with at least  6 months expenses and check out various areas to see what works for you!

As has been stated, there is plenty of info within these threads but as a Canadian who has married a lady from here, this is what I have to say. First, have you been here before? Next, if not or even if yes, have you decided things like - do you need to be near the water? do you need to be fairly close to an airport? do you speak spanish yet? will you need to own a vehicle here? Do you want to be close or away from tourist areas?  Have you considered looking inland - there are some beautiful areas inland and while the roads are sometimes very pot-holed and uneven, narrow and winding, you throw in the crazy little motorcycle/scooter drivers that are like ants swarming, and other car/truck drivers that shouldn't likely even be driving....etc etc.
I reside in Moca and am 16 km away from the Santiago airport. While very convenient, some cheaper flights generally out of Puerto Plata where WestJet flies direct from Toronto (but partner airlines can be found at the other airports) My wifes family is from this area so my choice was made for me when I elected to marry. It is only about 90 minutes to drive to Cabarete/Sosua from here and it took about 3 hours to drive to Las Terrenas when we went for a weekend. I raised in Georgetown ON but retired near Red Deer AB. There is one main highway that runs from Puerto Plata to Santo Domingo. The stretch from Santiago into Puerto Plata has been under construction to widen to 4 lanes since I have arrived and is still being worked on. The current virus situation will perhaps change some things but where you reside will certainly make a difference. While I am slowly learning spanish, there are many folks that keep popping up around here that speak english and like to practice with me so I have no issues when out an about. As you will/have read, your first steps should be to visit with a budget to travel around and stay to see various areas. The DR Consulate in Toronto was very helpful. I also used the Embassy in Ottawa directly when applying for by Visa. A lawyer, recommended by several here (Lishali or Lily) will be a great contact and help if/when you apply for your Temporary Residency ONCE you get here. As you will read, the legal paperwork all starts up there.  I will say that Expat gatherings every so often has been a great thing because, while not a tourist type, I do miss sitting and speaking freely in english.....so that's my quick thoughts and as stated, much more detail in the threads.....cheers!