Obtaining a temporary residence Visa

You cannot get work here without a work visa or residency.  So your search needs to start there not here.   

You cannot just move here and look for work.

Thank you, i understand will start with a work visa first

Start looking for the job from there.

Okay my question is this I’m moving there next week and I don’t plan on working for no one but myself what is The process for me, plus am going to Marry Dominican girlfriend? Can you walk me through the Process so I can see what this process looks like and how much dollars does it in tails

You still need residency to live here and work in any capacity. 

Residency starts at home and requires  specific documentation.  You need to qualify for it.

Once you are married then this becomes a way to qualify for residency. Being engaged does not qualify.

In order to "work for yourself" you need to be legal.

That's my understanding, too, Planner.  You can own a business here without Residency, but you can't perform any work for that business.  But owning a business while you are not in the country legally seems like a bad idea to me.  There are so many ways to be taken advantage of by the employees and vendors.  Best to get legal, always.

Owning does not require residency. Working in your business requires residency.  Doing your own paperwork is one thing, cooking cleaning, building things,  acting as a salesperson etc are all work and you need residency.

Here is the source of the correct information regarding getting residency, which you must have in order to work legally in the DR:

https://migracion.gob.do/en/servicios/services/

Coming here to find work to do is something I would never recommend to anyone.  Can you live on $300 to $400 US a month here?

The idea of starting your own business is fraught with legal and logistical challenges.

This is a place to come to when you are ready to retire.

Is there any difference in the time it takes to get residency depending on which one you apply for (regular, retirement, investor)?

Windeguy:

Thanks for sharing.

Jim

windeguy wrote:

Here is the source of the correct information regarding getting residency, which you must have in order to work legally in the DR:

https://migracion.gob.do/en/servicios/services/

Jwoddis yes  its a bit of a different process and priority are the investor which also comes with different rights and responsibilities. Investor must  be for an active business not just real estate!

planner wrote:

Jwoddis yes  its a bit of a different process and priority are the investor which also comes with different rights and responsibilities. Investor must  be for an active business not just real estate!

Does building a house and opening a business like AIRBNB qualify for residency as investor?

Lets ask Lishali to  comment!

SayMen25 wrote:

planner wrote:

Jwoddis yes  its a bit of a different process and priority are the investor which also comes with different rights and responsibilities. Investor must  be for an active business not just real estate!

Does building a house and opening a business like AIRBNB qualify for residency as investor?

No, it does not.

I just spoke with Lishali.  Here is what she says:

To qualify must be invested in the corp or in the bank  US 200,000
Must be a corporation  with legal employees registered on the TSS and paid.
Must be developing and operating a business  of Interest to the  country, ie tourism,  technology etc.
THEN all this gets presented to the CEIRD and they will evaluate and say yes it qualifies or no it does not!

How many people will invest US $200,000 first and then take a chance on getting residency?

planner wrote:

I just spoke with Lishali.  Here is what she says:

To qualify must be invested in the corp or in the bank  US 200,000
Must be a corporation  with legal employees registered on the TSS and paid.
Must be developing and operating a business  of Interest to the  country, ie tourism,  technology etc.
THEN all this gets presented to the CEIRD and they will evaluate and say yes it qualifies or no it does not!

wow! thanks a lot Planner.
It would be good to know the statistics of how many were "not approved" for residency after investing all that money and time. Because the slightest change of not being approved will be a no-go option for me.

windeguy wrote:

How many people will invest US $200,000 first and then take a chance on getting residency?

My point exactly.

Well if you have a real business  and not one made up to  get investor status, I would think it should pass. ANY doubt  message me and I will ask the residency lawyer!

She is currently busy with new applications but we have lunch together!   I take full advantage of the time.....LOL

I am planning to move to DR this September. We plan to apply for residency while we are there. We already bought land there 4 years ago and plan on building on it, or buying the villa next door.

My question is this, for the application, it only allows you to enter one person, do I need to do an application for my wife separately or is there a form to to do a joint application as a couple etc.

Also, on the website I am able to read everything in English but the entire application process is in Spanish ??? Is there an English version anywhere. Am I just blind lol.

Thank you all in advance!!

You are asking questions as it appears you are trying to do this yourself. 

Everything is done in Spanish my friend.  If you think this is confusing wait till you try the part once you get here.

Get a good lawyer.  It's easier and in many cases will save you money and frustrations.  Many of us have recommended Lishali Baez.  She will walk you through the whole process.

Shapak wrote:

I am planning to move to DR this September. We plan to apply for residency while we are there. We already bought land there 4 years ago and plan on building on it, or buying the villa next door.

My question is this, for the application, it only allows you to enter one person, do I need to do an application for my wife separately or is there a form to to do a joint application as a couple etc.

Also, on the website I am able to read everything in English but the entire application process is in Spanish ??? Is there an English version anywhere. Am I just blind lol.

Thank you all in advance!!

You actually apply for the Residency Visa which is the fist step in the USA.  Then you have a fixed time after entering the DR to complete the rest of the process.

All legal documents in the DR are in Spanish. 

As for the need for more than one application, I suspect one per person is needed, but not sure on that.   I personally applaud anyone who avoids lawyers, but if your Spanish is not up to snuff, you probably need one.

If you attempt this yourself you need the ability to 1) speak Spanish, and 2) defend yourself in front of a bureaucrat (i.e. know the system better than they do). Seriously. I can go into specific examples but, trust me, hire a (good) attorney.

As Rocky mentioned, being able to speak Spanish and know the system is key! We were glad to have Lily with us throughout the process, but especially when we got our cedulas. The woman at the cedula office was insisting my name should be my maiden name and "de McGhee", even though my US Passport and DR Residency card both showed McGhee as my last name and my maiden name was nowhere on there!

Having a reputable attorney holding your hand is well worth the expense! If you try it yourself, without an understanding of the language and the process, it will be much more frustrating and time consuming!

I seem to recall we both had to have our own applications, but when we turned them in at the consulate, they were packaged together for processing. This meant we just had to show $1750 in pensions rather than $1500 each.