Kid with double nationality: how do we get her out?

Pib · #1 03-01-2006, 03:13 AM

We are travelling with our kid for the first time in the next couple of months. She has a Danish EU passport and, as she was born here, a Dominican birth certificate. Here comes the dilemma:

If she leaves with her EU passport (as she should, else she would need a visa) how do we get her back in without having to buy a tourist card on the way back, plus having to pay an indecent amount of money next time she leaves as she'll be fined for "overstaying her visa"? It would be insane to get her a Dominican residency as she is legally and by right a Dominican citizen.

If we get her a Dominican passport, she would then need a visa to enter the EU, stupid as that sounds since she is a Danish-EU citizen. Too much hassle and it costs money. Pretty crazy in my opinion. But then she could enter the D.R. legally.

I am sure there are some other kids out there in the same situation. What do you do?

Chirimoya · #2 03-01-2006, 06:55 AM

This rings a bell.

See the endless saga of 'el ilegal' and the update.

What most dual nationals do is to leave the country on their other (in this case EU) passport, and enter with their DR passport.

However, as Piblet was born in the DR, and it should state this on her Danish passport, she does not have to enter the country as a tourist, even if she doesn't have a DR passport. I travelled to Haiti with a Dominican colleague who holds a EU passport, and when we arrived back in the DR he didn't bother showing his DR passport, he showed the EU one. The immigration chappy said 'tourist card?' and he said, overdoing the Dominican accent - 'soy dominicano, hombre, que vaina?' and showed him the bit where it said - 'Place of birth: Santo Domingo'. Maybe you need to train La Piblette in something on these lines.

But the best and easiest thing would be to get her a DR passport - we're finally getting one for Chirimoyito after years of tourist cards/penalty payments. Last year it was RD$2,000 for 9 months. This year with the DR passport it will be RD$0. In your case it will be straightforward because she was born here. We had to go through a more complicated legal process because he was born outside the DR to a Dominican father in a place where there was no DR embassy to register him in the requisite 6 month period.

Based on what I've been told by Fabio and others here, a minor cannot have residency anyway.

rellosk · #3 03-01-2006, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pib

If we get her a Dominican passport, she would then need a visa to enter the EU, stupid as that sounds since she is a Danish-EU citizen.

Why is that? Wouldn't she use her EU passport to enter the EU and her Dominican passport to enter the DR?

expatsooner · #4 03-01-2006, 08:06 AM

Our son is Dominican (by birth) and also has American/Canadian citizenship through his father and me. He has all the passports he needs and we just pull out the one that is appropriate for the situation as we are entering/exiting. It was a hassle to get them all but it makes traveling around much easier.

In regards to a minor getting legal status, our daughter has had her card same as us since we moved here nine years ago - she is 10 now.

macocael · #5 03-01-2006, 10:09 AM

OK, so where does one go to obtain the dominican passport for a native born dual citizenship toddler?

Chirimoya · #6 03-01-2006, 11:00 AM

In the passport office, which is in the Migracion building on the Malecon in La Feria. You'd need to show the birth certificate, her parents' ID and possibly their marriage certificate, but call first and check to be sure.

macocael · #7 03-01-2006, 12:11 PM

And I was hoping, after going through with my resdency I would never have to return to that building. Oh well.

Chirimoya · #8 03-01-2006, 12:44 PM

It's supposed to be a relatively swift process. There is a fast track option (VIP) for an extra fee. We haven't done Chirimoyito's yet, but will need to do so in the next three months as we're due to travel in late June.

lem · #9 03-01-2006, 02:09 PM

[quote=expatsooner]Our son is Dominican (by birth) and also has American/Canadian citizenship through his father and me. He has all the passports he needs ................

Inquiry: three part: (a) does Dominican Republic allow for three citizenships (with one being Dominican, of course)? (b) ditto for Canada (c) while US law allows for "dual" citizenship, US included, does it, to any one's factual knowledge, prohibit "triple" - or limitless (as a fact of law!) citizenship?

Thanx.

expatsooner · #10 03-01-2006, 02:31 PM

As far as I know the DR doesn't care and I haven't really checked into it since we are leaving here and moving to another country (in the middle east) so I doubt if we ever renew his DR passport unless we move back here at some later date. Although it might be better to travel on Dominican passports verus American in that part of the world

He gets the American citizenship through me and the Canadian through his father - it is my understanding that with the current laws (Canadian) he will have to "pick" when he is 18. I'm not sure and to be honest since he is only 7 I'm not that worried about it right now since the laws can change. We will really look into it more when he and our daughter are closer to legal adult age.