½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

You can get an Air B n B in Bella Vista, El Million,  Naco area, those are near the various places you need to go. Uber is fairly efficient in Santo Domingo so no need of a rental vehicle

@ondami

My opinion only; City Center Santo Domingo area is good.

Air BNB long term , Naco, Plantiini, Gazcue, just remember, once you enter the country and create and upload your documents in the DGM portal the time frame to have the intial appointment, medical exam, and Residency permit issued can range from 3 to 6+ months.

We always recommend seeking reputable legal advise for the DR process...good luck and welcome.

Thank you both.

I am working with Lishali.

Can I move back and forth to the US while I am waiting for my follow on appointments?

@ondami

Think so, but best to consult with the attorney

@planner thank you.

You are the bestest!

@ondami

I think you have to stay until your packet is accepted by Migración and you have an acceptance letter by Migración in your hand to show when you are leaving the country. That was my case. Definitely check with Lishali before leaving.

We left after our initial appointment and medical exam. It was almost 6 months before we got our residency.

So how much time should you budget for that initial appointment and medical exam --  to complete all the things you need to do before you go back into "wait" mode?

And once the residency is granted (or, during the "wait" time, if they want anything more from you), how much time do you have to respond? At that point, a few days (a week or less) is not a problem is it?

Will they communicate by phone/email?

do you have to be reachable by fax or snail mail?

(I plan to stay in country but will be using public transportation & need to estimate how far afield I can get and still respond timely... with a generous margin of error.)

Thanks!

So we don't have snail mail and not sure who even uses faxes anymore. Phone WhatsApp and email are common.  Once application is made you can access your file online and you need to check on a regular basis.

Every file is different so no guessing on what "else" might be needed.

Re fax and snail mail: that's a relief.

For the initial stay in Santo Domingo --- say, for the things that everybody has to do, before the individual circumstances start to kick in --- is it possible to generalize how much time to allot for that?

Thanks Planner!

Not more than a few days honey!

@wondering9

Are you working with an attorney? I know of several people who have submitted their applications online and are still waiting, 6-12 months later, to be called in for their appointment. I have heard that attorneys are having to request appointments in person, and those doing that are getting appointments right away. The attorneys who are not in Santo Domingo, or who don't do a lot of immigration work might not know the current process is working that way.

@ddmcghee

(1) Yikes!

(2) Yes, Lishali Baez, thank goodness (or thank this forum).

All of this information is very helpful. Right at this moment I'm just trying to sketch out a plan for where to stay while all the paperwork is going through, and wondered how long I should plan on staying in Santo Domingo initially before I start jaunting around. (So far, the jaunt-around plan involves Airbnbs and the major bus lines.)

When you do finally get that appointment, do you have to be prepared for "be here tomorrow at 0900" or do they give you some lead time?

Thanks all!

Yes you do get some lead time!  Lishali will stay on top of it for you!

You are in excellent hands with Lishali! We submitted our applications online on a Monday, heard on Tuesday morning that we had to resubmit pictures (our white backgrounds weren’t white enough), did that within a few hours, then scheduled our appointments for Thursday.

Ask Lily how the process is currently working - she’ll give you a straight answer and advice on travel.