Legal driving and insurance.

[drgringo]

Trying to answer a question;
If a dominican national resident whom has a cedula but not yet a drivers license, and wants to buy a car immediately because of a great deal that wont last.
Can they still insure the car prior to getting a license and then of course not drive it until the license is acquired.
I assume the steps for a dominican getting their first drivers license is fairly straight forward, or am i wrong?

it would be a 2002model

[La Mariposa]

Originally Posted by drgringo

Trying to answer a question;
If a dominican national resident whom has a cedula but not yet a drivers license, and wants to buy a car immediately because of a great deal that wont last.
Can they still insure the car prior to getting a license and then of course not drive it until the license is acquired.
I assume the steps for a dominican getting their first drivers license is fairly straight forward, or am i wrong?

it would be a 2002model

You need a license to drive a car not to buy it neither to insure it.

[drgringo]

Originally Posted by La Mariposa

You need a license to drive a car not to buy it neither to insure it.

thanks!!!!!

[MikeFisher]

Originally Posted by La Mariposa

You need a license to drive a car not to buy it neither to insure it.

right,
your 90 years ole granny who never posessed a drivers license can buy you the car and insure it in her name.
who needs the license is the driver, not the owner.
happy accident free driving.
Mike

[william webster]

TRICKY QUESTION

Suppose you have residency BUT never stay longer than 90 days.?

Does that call for a DR licence ?

Or do you requalify for the 90 day rule each time you enter and thereby keep the foriegn licence valid?.

And if involved in an accident, do you just show the foreign licence and the stamp on the passport proving that you are inside the 90 days....... and keep the cedula in your pocket?

Or... do you go straight to jail, do not pass go , etc... etc ........ :-))

[MikeFisher]

that's not tricky William,
it's an easy one.
as a resident you do not purchase a 90 days tourist card,
you do not apply for any 90 days rule.
as a Resident you need a dominican drivers license from the moment your residency card is issued.
exception would be that you are still for a few days withing a prior on arrival purchased tourist card.
in case of accident for a visitor the proof for validity of his foreign drivers license(if the visitor is from a country who's drivers licenses are accepted here, some are not) requires presentation of that upd to date renewed license, passport with entry stamp and tourist card.

residents do not count as tourists and do not purchase a tourist card on entry either.
Mike

[La Mariposa]

Originally Posted by MikeFisher

that's not tricky William,
it's an easy one.
as a resident you do not purchase a 90 days tourist card,
you do not apply for any 90 days rule.
as a Resident you need a dominican drivers license from the moment your residency card is issued.
exception would be that you are still for a few days withing a prior on arrival purchased tourist card.
in case of accident for a visitor the proof for validity of his foreign drivers license(if the visitor is from a country who's drivers licenses are accepted here, some are not) requires presentation of that upd to date renewed license, passport with entry stamp and tourist card.

residents do not count as tourists and do not purchase a tourist card on entry either.
Mike

There is no such 90 days tourist card in the D.R. The 90 days period that someone is allowed to drive in the D.R. with his foreign license has nothing to do with the tourist card.
See post 11 in this same thread.
Art. 30.- Personas exentas del requisito de licencia.
a. Toda persona que esté debidamente autorizada para conducir un vehículo
de motor en cualquier país extranjero donde se exijan requisitos similares a
los establecidos por esta Ley para la concesión de licencias de conductor, y
que posea y lleve consigo una licencia autorizada y en vigor en dicho país
extranjero, estará autorizada para conducir tal tipo de vehículos de motor en
la República Dominicana, durante los primeros noventa (90) días desde su
arribo.

[william webster]

So, it would appear that a foreign licence is valid for 90 days - with or without residency, for all drivers.

If staying for more than 90 days, people need to be certified beyond the foreign licence.
The passport stamp is the regulator for the 90 day period.


I have also read that a reasonable solution is to carry an International Driver's Licence - available at AAA and CAA for $15.
Some reports indicate that this satisfies the insurance regulations since the DR supposedly recognises the Int'l DL.

Have I got this right yet?
Comments?

[La Mariposa]

Originally Posted by william webster

So, it would appear that a foreign licence is valid for 90 days - with or without residency, for all drivers.

If staying for more than 90 days, people need to be certified beyond the foreign licence.
The passport stamp is the regulator for the 90 day period.


I have also read that a reasonable solution is to carry an International Driver's Licence - available at AAA and CAA for $15.
Some reports indicate that this satisfies the insurance regulations since the DR supposedly recognises the Int'l DL.

Have I got this right yet?
Comments?

The inter.. drivers license, wich is good for one year,is only a traduction of your driver license. It does not change the D.R. law. There are some threads about the inter......

[Manzana]

• For periods of less than 90 days foreign drivers licenses from certain countries including the US and UK are legally valid.
• One should be maximally insured including a casa de conductores provision
• If one has residency, the tourist card for entry is no longer issued so there is no date to start the 90 day clock - so foreign licenses are not valid, you must have a Dominican drivers license.
• Staying from 30 to 90 days on a tourist card does not put you in any legal jeopardy per se, it simply means you will have to pay an additional fee on leaving the country.

So if a foreigner who entered on a tourist card but had been in country for say 60 days gets in a car accident (and is fully insured and has a valid US drivers license) he would not be in any greater legal jeopardy than if the same foreigner had previously obtained legal residency and a dominican license (and the same insurance coverage)?

Can a tourist in a rental car obtain the same full insurance coverage (including the casa de conductores)?