10 week stay - Visa/Tourist Card?

[mkn]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure there's lots of people here who've stayed in DR medium term and well beyond, so here's a question on the legals...

I'm planning a trip to the DR for about 10 weeks. I keep reading different things, here and elsewhere, about tourist cards and visas. There's supposed to be a 90-day visa available, but most people seem to be of the opinion that it's just as easy to overstay the tourist card. Seems to be a few options here, does anyone have a view on which of these is best right now...

- Overstay tourist card, pay fine at airport. (Is this stil okay?)

- Apply for visa (I get the impression this isn't so easy anyway)

- Buy new tourist cards at the start of trip or while you're there (I read you could do that somewhere, but not sure if it would do any good)

- Cross the border every 28 days (or is 14 days now?)

Thanks
MKN

[NotLurking]

Originally Posted by mkn

Hi everyone,

I'm sure there's lots of people here who've stayed in DR medium term and well beyond, so here's a question on the legals...

I'm planning a trip to the DR for about 10 weeks. I keep reading different things, here and elsewhere, about tourist cards and visas. There's supposed to be a 90-day visa available, but most people seem to be of the opinion that it's just as easy to overstay the tourist card. Seems to be a few options here, does anyone have a view on which of these is best right now...

- Overstay tourist card, pay fine at airport. (Is this stil okay?)

- Apply for visa (I get the impression this isn't so easy anyway)

- Buy new tourist cards at the start of trip or while you're there (I read you could do that somewhere, but not sure if it would do any good)

- Cross the border every 28 days (or is 14 days now?)

Thanks
MKN

If citizens from your country are allowed to enter DR with a passport and tourist card, it wiil be good for a 90 day stay. You may over stay the tourist card (90 day time period) but you will have to pay a fine when departing. The fine went up in price recently and it depends on the amount of months you over stayed. You may check for current fees by using the search option here on DR1 forum or obtain the information from the official site. Here's the link http://www.migracion.gov.do/tarifas.htm option #4. Good luck and enjoy your stay.

BTW you can't legally buy a new tourist card to avoid paying the fine. The tourist card is stamped by an immigration officer when you enter the country. You need the same stamped one to exit.

NotLurking

[daydream]

I thought that they changed the length of time you could stay on a tourist card without getting charged on exit from 90 days to 2 weeks?

I am from the UK and I spoke to the Dominican consulate here in London as I will be in DR for 3 mths myself from July and they advised me that any stay on a touurist card which is longer than two weeks will mean that you are liable to pay a fine on exit.....but these fines are small......check out a recent post by using the search option above for exact costs (these did rise fairly recently but are still not significant).

For stays of up to 90 days requires you to extend your tourist card visa to a 90 day visa by visiting the immigration office in Santo Domingo when you get there.....however I was advised that this can be a lengthy process and the cost of the extended visa would be more than the exit fine!! So they told me not to bother (unless you are planning on working in your time there.

So if they ask you questions when you arrive - just say that you are going to go to Santo Domingo to extend your tourist card visa to a 90 day one.....and then pay the fine on exit.....well, that's my plan of action.....

Thanks
Daydream.

[ricktoronto]

Originally Posted by NotLurking

If citizens from your country are allowed to enter DR with a passport and tourist card, it wiil be good for a 90 day stay.

Changed nearly a year ago to 15 days as a tax grab, now with the new exit fees, even more of one. The OP should familiarize him/herself with those fees and then just pay the right amount when leaving.

Cross "the border" aka a visa run to Haiti would cost many times more and be dangerous as hell. For one you'd be in Haiti and two that area is still malaria endemic. Since seas and oceans are the other borders going to San Juan, Miami or Caracas every two weeks would add up.

The visa fees in the embassy/consulate near where you are if there is one are probably as much anyway and a hassle to the nth degree.

Oodles of guys spend all winter in the DR and nobody is hunting them down not that the government is even 1/100th of 1% able to coordinate such a measure. Any country that posts overstay fees including "over 5 years" in the list is not getting too apoplectic aver the fact people then do just that.

[NotLurking]

WOW, thanks for clearing that up guys! I didn't know it had changed from 90 days to 14 days.

NotLurking

[carina]

Originally Posted by NotLurking

WOW, thanks for clearing that up guys! I didn't know it had changed from 90 days to 14 days.

NotLurking

Neither did I until it came up on another thread here on DR1...

15 days to 3 months: RD$300
3 months to 9 months: RD$500
9 months to 12 months: RD$2000
1 year to 1-1/2 years: RD$3500
1-1/2 year to 2 years: RD$4500
2 years to 2-1/2 years: RD$6000
2-1/2 years to 3 years: RD$8000
3 years - 5 years:RD$12,000
More than 5 years: RD$15,000

[FireGuy]

Originally Posted by NotLurking

WOW, thanks for clearing that up guys! I didn't know it had changed from 90 days to 14 days.

NotLurking

Here's a pic of the front and back of the tourist card.

http://www.polaris-fs.com/images/touristcard.jpg

Just expand it to full size to read the print.

Gregg

[NotLurking]

Originally Posted by FireGuy

Here's a pic of the front and back of the tourist card.

http://www.polaris-fs.com/images/touristcard.jpg

Just expand it to full size to read the print.

Gregg

Thanks... Only 15 days now that sucks!

[ricktoronto]

Originally Posted by NotLurking

Thanks... Only 15 days now that sucks!

Just another departure tax is all it is $10 in and $10 (RD$300) out plus another 5% tax and the embedded taxes in the ticket. Since packages are 1 or 2 weeks they don't abuse the all inclusive resort customers or business travellers, and they don't care about the people staying in small hotels.

[mkn]

Thanks for everyone's input.

I didn't realise the card was down to 14 days either and it sounds like the 90-day Visa's not worthwhile after all.