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Yes, as I've been saying for years....they're just another shake-down.

By suggesting the rd gov. might be ''astute, forward thinking'', or even that they monitor these groups.....you flatter them.

JRP55 wrote:

Ok so those 2 and a half months I thought I was illegal I really wasn't so I was sweating for nothing

Ah, you probably were illegal during the time after 2 months that your residency was in process, but if you explained your situation, it would have been unlikely they would do anything. 

You are naive in assuming that even if legal, you have any sort of 'protection' in the dr.

Once you file your application for residency you are legal.  Until you are DECLINED for any reason at which time you become illegal.

You should be given, or your lawyer is given a file number. That makes you fine to be here!

Again I will ask you to stop using the term "shake down" when referring to the practice of charging overstay fees. IT IS DOCUMENTED and LEGAL for them to do so.

You can't do things in a rational manner like that because....'you're not in Kansas anymore'.

Ask that guy to write in here, and tell us the whole story, otherwise I, for one, don't even believe it.  I'll bet there were some extraneous circumstances if it's even true that he was kicked out.

PeteZZZ wrote:

You are naive in assuming that even if legal, you have any sort of 'protection' in the dr.

As a legal resident you have every legal right that a DR Citizen does with one exception, you cannot vote.

You are incorrect in stating that residency does not provide "protection" .  It certainly does.
I am able to get a driver's license,  a firearms permit,  work legally, run a business legally, and everything else a DR citizen can do minus voting.  As a DR resident, you can also apply for DR Citizenship, something I am gathering the documents to do.

As an illegal alien overstaying a tourist card (or any other visa that expired) you have no legal rights.

Exactly.  As usual it's only a few over-worried, over-cautious, over-anal gringos who even worry about it.  For sure, most of the overstaying snowbirds are a a small fraction of the millions of tourists...and the dr makes tons of money from both.  If they really cracked down, they would just lose all that money to other tropical countries that compete for gringo dollars, and there's lots of them.   Mexico, for example, already allows for 6 months, no questions asked, no hassle at all.   Others offer easier permanent residence too....like most of them.     The rd gov. might be stupid, but I don't think they're stupid enough to give up all that easy money.

PeteZZZ wrote:

Ask that guy to write in here, and tell us the whole story, otherwise I, for one, don't even believe it.  I'll bet there were some extraneous circumstances if it's even true that he was kicked out.

I think you should read his posts and there is more than enough information in them for you to see that he is giving first hand information of his friend being denied entry and returned to his home country and being blacklisted for 18 months after multiple entries and overstays over a few years through POP airport. You should be grateful he is offering such information rather than suggesting he is being deceptive.

This is not the first such report which have been few and far between over the past year but those reporting such events have included lawyers.

It may be a sign of the times now that the deportation of Haitians is at a significant maintained level and after sufficient time for long term overstayers to have got their act together and sought residency which was the clear advice of many foreign embasiise this time last year.

Things have changed to be more in line with the immigration law and for example, no longer can you avoid paying the exit fine and bribe officials. Your biometrics are now collected and your entry and departure records are on file.

Perhaps DR will come in line with almost every other country and the remaining deniers may well have missed an easy cheap route to residency. Even worse they get denied entry to any assets they hold here for 18 months.

You might think the govt would lose millions but in reality most guys come here and spend their money on food,liquor and whores the govt doesn't see any of that money they actually make the bulk of their money from the 10.00 entrance fee which is now built into your airline or cruise line ticket unless your buying property or starting a business the govt sees very little of your money

In my discussions with the Dominican Embassy in Ottawa last fall, I was advised that the Dominican Gov't did not want to disrupt their "snowbird overstays" and that existing or proposed legislation was targeting other parties. The attitude at the embassy was very accommodating, for whatever it's worth.

JRP55 wrote:

You might think the govt would lose millions but in reality most guys come here and spend their money on food,liquor and whores the govt doesn't see any of that money they actually make the bulk of their money from the 10.00 entrance fee which is now built into your airline or cruise line ticket unless your buying property or starting a business the govt sees very little of your money

If no snowbird ever came to the DR again, the amount of money lost would be insignificant for the reasons you mentioned.  Some local business in Cabarete and Sosua would suffer more than they are and that is about it for real effects on the DR.

More than 10 million short term vacationers and thousand of  Cruise ship fees weekly are vastly more important to the DR government than a few thousand  snowbirds. Snowbirds might not like to face this reality.

That may have been true until the UN filed sanctions against DR for their mistreatment of Haitians now they are forced to go after everyone,and if your paying attention you'll notice the Chinese are coming in droves and buying up everything,China gave this country billions to fix their infrastructure,so this govt is catering to the chinese

I have a friend who broke the rules in the USA.... overstaying his visa...

He was banned for 5 yrs from entering

Imagine being a Cdn and not being able to change planes in the USA.....
No touchdown in DFW or CHI to get a connection....

This guy only got 18 months..... light sentence - IMO
Unless you own property here..... car, condo, house

I posted this elsewhere... but it applies here
The reference is to another site.... not this one
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2-3 yrs ago , a fellow posted from Punta Cana that he witnessed an entry refusal

He had regular clients (from France?) who came every year for a couple or 3 months....
They were turned away...called him from inside to advise.

He was immediately scorned on this site... blasted out to the point he stopped posting
He was a new poster ... in the taxi business... making what he thought was a nice gesture - a warning to visitors.

He was tarred & feathered here.

I contacted him privately....
he owns a taxi business in the PC area..... a reputable guy by all accounts
I was asking about parking my car if I used PUJ... he was kind enough to give me good advice.

PUJ has what ? 60-65% of incoming tourists?
they would be up to speed first - IMO
=============================================================

I have told the story before of my Buena Conducta letter for my citizenship last October

I had one - all good - free & clear..... when it passed 90 days old, they asked for a new one
How did i know the new system was operable ???
They flagged a 2013 speeding ticket - not seen prior

Seems the system got smart(er) in 90 days

With this better information gathering.... the question becomes

What will they do with it ???
That's the worry............

Your right being banned from this country can be a financial disaster of epic proportions

Steverino7777 wrote:

In my discussions with the Dominican Embassy in Ottawa last fall, I was advised that the Dominican Gov't did not want to disrupt their "snowbird overstays" and that existing or proposed legislation was targeting other parties. The attitude at the embassy was very accommodating, for whatever it's worth.

This has been reported and snowbirds can advise their embassy of their plans. That said the Canadian Embassy travel advice says different.

The visa situation is unlikely to change soon. All nationalities need to be considered and the law changed. But there are elections nextvyear so be patient.

This country may turn a deaf ear to overstayers during the peak season but they are not playing around anymore they're stepping up their enforcement

I do not expect the upcoming elections to change anything regarding snowbird visas because the number of snowbirds is not significant to those in the government.

There was a total of 5,618,561 foreign entries into the D.R. in 2018, a new record up 4.8% from 2017. 59% were from the U.S., Canada and France.

Do the math and times that by 10.00 entrance fee and you see where this govt makes the bulk of their money

50 million bananas

at last record... the banana was on par with the US $$

Life is cruel...

I have friends - Americans - who have been regular overstayers for 30 yrs
They own houses & cars....

They have been here long enough to know when things are 'imagined' and are 'real'

They are starting their residency applications

This ain't no sueno..... it's a reality
How hard will the punch be...??

Stick your chin out to see......

Actually you do have protection because with a residency you have the right to be here,you have the right to drive,and should you be in an accident your insurance company will pay out any claims,when your illegal your insurance company may very well refuse to pay because your not supposed to be driving when your illegal,your not supposed to be in the country

Exactly--- but MANY are NOT residents...

and therefore are illegal - without protection

Personally, I say the noose is snugging.......
not on me... but on some

My one friend - mentioned above - is sweating bullets over it
rightly so.... house, car - the works
18 months of No Entry would kill him

The recent spate of tourist deaths and violent encounters has been front page news across North America. It has rattled the nerves of the private and public sector in the D.R. They are concerned about loss of future business in the tourism and investment sector.

In June, Delta Airlines granted waivers to  passengers flying into Punta Cana if they wanted to cancel their flights without penalties "due to recent events". American Airlines as well as Jetblue and Sun Country have also said they will work with passengers wanting to change or cancel flights on a case-by-case basis.

My point is, cash flow may trump immigration concerns in the D.R. when it comes to enforcing 30 day tourist visas....

sound thought.....but for how long ??

Think the new system is temporary or long term
Big expense to install & maintain

A blip like the recent one won't alter the long range plan... IMO

Ask the airlines if they're still allowing those changes -- TODAY

I have a guess....PR move is over

As I posted earlier DR may turn a deaf ear t overstayers during the busy season but as soon as it gets to slow season and the tourist deaths in Punta Cana dies down it will be business as usual again and they will turn their attention back to immigration

Your absolutely right the airline PR move is over

Snowbirds may not be the problem......

too many others just arrive and stay for tooooo long
abusing the system

They will get it in the neck.... I thinkj

Steverino7777 wrote:

The recent spate of tourist deaths and violent encounters has been front page news across North America. It has rattled the nerves of the private and public sector in the D.R. They are concerned about loss of future business in the tourism and investment sector.

In June, Delta Airlines granted waivers to  passengers flying into Punta Cana if they wanted to cancel their flights without penalties "due to recent events". American Airlines as well as Jetblue and Sun Country have also said they will work with passengers wanting to change or cancel flights on a case-by-case basis.

My point is, cash flow may trump immigration concerns in the D.R. when it comes to enforcing 30 day tourist visas....

I would suggest that 8 new projects for the East Coast of value $467.5 million shows the very strong confidence by investors in the DR tourist industry.



And a secure tourism industry must go hand in hand with strict controls in every sector including immigration, especially in PUJ with the pre-US clearance plans. I would therefore suggest that the recent bad press will accelerate improving all controls including the need for tighter immigration controls rather than the opposite that you suggest, and the latter likely be driven by US Homeland Security through PUJ.

Food for thought.

I believe your right DR has been lenient with Americans overstaying because of their close relationship with the US there are more Dominicans in New York City than there are in Puerto Plata,but things are changing

As an American, it is only fairly  recently that a number of Americans have been coming to the north coast and potentially overstaying.

By far and away Canadians and people from the EU are the bulk of people that frequent the north coast.  I really don't know how many overstay, but I suspect it far exceeds the number from America.

I have no idea if overstaying will ever be a major problem.

The information below is currently advertised on the Dominican Consulate in Toronto under frequently asked questions:




8. What happens if I decide to stay in the country for more than 30 days?



You will be charged an extended stay rate at the airport, proportional to the amount of time; RD $ 2,500 (approximately US $ 50) for an additional month. This is paid on departure at the migration desk, after passing the security control.

But this is your (Canadian) governments official travel advice:

Tourist card

Canadians entering the Dominican Republic as tourists must obtain a tourist card. It is included in all air tickets issued outside the country. If you enter the Dominican Republic by land or sea, you can obtain the card at your entry location for US$10. ‎It is valid for a 30-day stay period.

Dominican tourist card – Directorate general of internal taxes (in Spanish)

Stay extension

You can apply for a stay extension for a period up to 120 days. You must request your stay extension to the Dominican Directorate General for Migration once you are in Dominican Republic, before your tourist card expires.

If you wish to stay in the Dominican Republic for more than 120 days, you must obtain a resident visa from the Dominican authorities in Canada prior to your departure.   

If you overstay the period for which you have been authorized to stay, you will have to pay fine to immigration authorities when leaving the country.  You may also need to apply for a visa the next time you wish to return to the Dominican Republic. Local authorities may deny you entry if you don’t have the proper visa.

  - updated 3rd July and current today.

This is fairly standard foreign government travel advice updated after the DR memos to all diplomatic missions last year. They have given you the advice (even if the 120 days is in error) and you do with it as you please.

They should enumerate what must be done to get that 120 day extension.  Virtually no one is going to go through that process. They will just take their chances and probably be OK.

I would think that when the Dominican Government is serious about enforcing immigration policy on its own soil, it will update its websites accordingly as well as the Punta Cana international airport website.

The Dominican Embassy in Ottawa is signalling business as usual. Most foreign governments including Canada would disclose all possibilities in the event of overstaying your travel card. Standard procedure.....

Migracion are very clear on the overstay fees and post this note below their schedule of fees on their website:

Este pago no supone una prorroga que autorice al nacional extranjero a permanecer en el país.

PUJ airport is a private entity and they would have the resposibility of keeping their website in line with government (DGM) and not vica versa because the fees/fines can change at the DGM discretion (note the exchange rates used!)

The reported story today would indicate that entry denial on arrival - if you have a history of overstay - is a real possibility even if uncommon now.

And so sadly, the realms of uncertainty remain for non residents.