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Just do it yourself, contact the Dominican consulate in Houston or Miami and they will email you the instructions. I’m using the consulate in Houston and have been pleasantly surprised at the service they provide.

If you do not speak spanish and are not confidant in how things work here,  use a lawyer. Many of us recommend Lisali Baez, she is at 1-809-860-1231  that is her phone and whatsapp!

I did it myself with some help from a couple of friends. But there are curves thrown at you during the process. The process is not clear as to what is expected, so be prepared for some disappointment.   Once you get your passport stamped in the US  and you are in  the Dominican, I think you will probably need legal help to get the process done faster. I used Julio Montero 1 829 968 7605. He does not speak English so we used What's Up and Google Translate app. He knows his way around Immigration offices.

@Pat Kitchen

***

My wife and I went through the process with Lishali.  My thought is that if you’re not fluent in Spanish, the lawyer is worth it.  I’m sure you could get it done on your own, but expect delays and bumps.  Remember, nothing happens quickly here, the DR Gov is as inefficient and unforgiving as all others, and if something goes wrong during one of your Santo Domingo visits you’ll likely have to return again down the road at additional expense. You’ll also likely have to update all your bank records etc for that extra visit as well.

Same here.  We are still in the Pensionado visa application process and it has been close to $8000 usd for the two of us (attny fees, background  checks, apostille fees, spanish translations, etc)

On top of that we still have to purchase tickets to Santo Domingo for the medical exam, etc.  The amount of time it took for us to get all documents in order was crazy too.

The most frustrating part for us is not knowing how long it will take for the consulate to send our passports back or knowing how long it will be before we can ship our container.  Even though several people said we should just apply on our own to save money, we are glad that we retained an attorney to help us, especially since we do not speak fluent Spanish yet.

Best of luck with your retirement!  We are in Sosua, right up the road from you guys.

WoW that is really  expensive Karenhdoubleu

We just completed our second residency renewal with Lishali yesterday. Even though we’ve been through the process a couple of times, it’s well worth the money to have someone with knowledge, connections, and the ability to explain the entire process to you! Lishali speaks English fluently and just makes the process damn best seamless!

Yes, I completed the process with Lishali on Sep 13th - actually her assistant Maria  met me at Immigration. Maria speaks almost better English than I (being English Canadian) and for the 4th year it was a painless experience ( year 3 was a sorry mess when Itried myself I failed to make appoinments in Aug before having to return to Canada as I was working - I contacted Lishali & then i flew back in late Oct for 3 days to get things done then back to work) I certainly am another that highly recommends Lishali and her firm!!

How expensive is with Lishali just for one person? Don’t need an exact amount but more or less to have an idea will be appreciated.

    How expensive is with Lishali just for one person? Don’t need an exact amount but more or less to have an idea will be appreciated.
   

    -@Tropical

I’m not comfortable stating what we paid because every situation is different. A renewal is very different than an initial residency, and our initial residency contract with her was almost 4 years ago. We came in as a pensioner and dependent, so no idea how that would compare to the cost for one person now.

if you contact Lishali and explain your situation, she can tell you what her fees will be.

Exactly, Lishali will give you a specific quote for her services based on YOUR situation.  Its not one size fits all with her.

@ddmcghee I just finished this years renewals with Lishali. It was $700 USD plus $50 USA for expenses. I was attempting to remove after reading more above but for renewals this info is pretty close for one person as guide as per the question.....

    @ddmcghee I just finished this years renewals with Lishali. It was $700 USD plus $50 USA for expenses. I was attempting to remove after reading more above but for renewals this info is pretty close for one person as guide as per the question.....
   

    -@2VPsoldier

I've just checked with Lishali - this is not the rate for a pensioner renewal. Yours was not a pensioner, and the process and government fees for pensioners, which is a type of investor residency, are higher.

@ddmcghee - well I guess that is good because I am a pensioner so as you and others have said, depends on each circumstance....

@2VPsoldier

You are also married to a Dominican citizen! That makes a big difference!

I have a question , after your initial residency’s you have renew every year at a-cost of $700 - $1000 a year for for the duration of your time in country 

what was the cost if you don't mind

No. Over the years the renewals are longer. 2 years, 4 years and 10 years is considered permanent residency.

Ahhh….thank you for clearing that up for

me ( us ) i was thinking what happens when-your toooo old to make the trip to SD for your renewal 👴

Not making the trip is not  currently an option.

Our first residencia, as pensioners, was one year, then 2 years each for the first two renewals.

@ddmcghee Really - Lishali never mentioned that option to me!!!

Pensioner residency?   She would have looked at how you would qualify  I assume and offer you the best option.

@mem1219

I agree with you. It is much faster and cheaper to do it yourself. That's what I did.

1. Contact the nearest consulate

2. Gather documents

3. Call consulate to get an appointment

4. Submit documents and Passport

5. Pick up passport with visa stamp from Consulate

6. Travel to DR

7. Contact nearest migración office for checklist

8. Open an online account with migración, upload, and submit documents in jpg format

9. Recieve appointment date

19. Submit original documents at appointment date and pay tax (around RD$20,000), but could be more if submission is after the initial period.

20. Go to designated clinic for medical exam

21. Receive notification of appointment on online portal

22. Go to appointment and pick up residency card

@Pat Kitchen

Be careful! Some lawyers and facilitators are not honest actors. So you know, you could do this entire process on your own with some time and patience.

And that list is way way too simplified. If you do not know the language or how things work  residencia can be a major exercise in frustration.

You are absolutely  right not all lawyers are created equal. Be very very careful.

    @ddmcghee Really - Lishali never mentioned that option to me!!!
   

    -@2VPsoldier

It differs by residence type. As I understand it, yours is family reunification, not pensioner. That is why the fees differ as well.

@Tippj

That's a great question. I am confused on how the renewal time frames work. If someone knows for sure, please chime in.

In my case, under family reunification, as I understand I have to renew yearly four times. For my first renewal back in July, I think I paid 150 USD or so at migración (online) and 6,000 DOP for the cedula because I was a few months late to renew.  After four renewals, I believe I would be converted to permanent residency, but I am unsure of all of that.

I plan to apply for citizenship after next year's renewal (you must have at least 6 months left on the residency to apply). I plan to complete the process on my own while only using a lawyer to generate the necessary legal documents. We will see how all that works out.

After my visa is approved in US, how soon do I have to enter DR?

Thank you.

In the 1 hold

It's a 60 day visa.  Recommend you enter in the first 30 days to get the process started here

Yes, remember you have to start within the 1st 30 days. Embassy told me different and immigration told me(embassy don't know anything about immigration) lol

So had to scramble to get it done and pay fine.

One more thing the policy of guarantee just changed companies from arsreservas to seguros crecer which I found it last minute before leaving for Chicago lol

Fyi

@planner  thank you.

I figured you'd have the i formation.

I hope your recovery is going well!

Have a grand new year!

De nada.  It's a long process but I am recovering, thanks!

@planner a good opportunity to practice patience.