Catch 22 Drivers license

[mart1n]

A friend of mine got stopped on the highway and they told him that he needed a Dominican drivers license that his American drivers license was only valid for thirty days.

I tried to get a Dominican drivers license and they told me I needed a permanent residency before they would give me a driver’s license. That’s fine but you know how long that takes.

[Drake]

It usually takes 8 to 10 months to get a temp residency. what that person needs to do if they want to stay a while is get an international drivers license. i thought that a foreign license is valid for 90 days.

[La Mariposa]

Originally Posted by Drake

It usually takes 8 to 10 months to get a temp residency. what that person needs to do if they want to stay a while is get an international drivers license. i thought that a foreign license is valid for 90 days.

And the international driver license is only a traduction of your license. The int..dr... li... is good for one year but it doesn't change the D.R. laws which says 90 days.

[El Tigre]

90 days last time I checked in Santiago.

[badpiece33]

Originally Posted by mart1n

A friend of mine got stopped on the highway and they told him that he needed a Dominican drivers license that his American drivers license was only valid for thirty days.

I tried to get a Dominican drivers license and they told me I needed a permanent residency before they would give me a driver’s license. That’s fine but you know how long that takes.

The Amet does not know how long you are in the country, just tell them you arrived 2-3 days earlier,now your valid. Your in DR take it easy and relax.

[J D Sauser]

Originally Posted by badpiece33

The Amet does not know how long you are in the country, just tell them you arrived 2-3 days earlier,now your valid. Your in DR take it easy and relax.

True... until an accident happens.
We have discussed this to no end. It seems the consensus is that a foreign driver license is legally valid for 90 days after entry.
Yet, in the case of being hustled for some hand out money by a tiguere AMET or worse PN, yes, the best is to say, you just got here 2 days ago and explain it in English, German or a fantasy idiom and not "perfect" Spanish with a Dominican accent.

And getting back to the OP's core subject, yes, there is a catch 22. Actually, there is NOT by law, as the law provides for foreigners to be able to obtain a DR driver's license WITHOUT being a resident once their consulate will legalize the the foreign DL (by the way, I understand the US consulate does NOT legalize US DL), but I have found NO legal firm which would assist a non resident to obtain a DR DL on the basis of that law arguien that the driver license offices or their supervising governamentl office has issued a rule which cancels that law. Nobody has been able to explain to me, what power with a non-legislative office can cancel de validity of a LAW... but then, as BadPiece reminded us, TITDR!


... J-D.

[domilinguist]

Not true! I am currently changing from temporary to permanent residency, therefore I am in 'limbo' and am awaiting my new residency card.

As I really wanted to sort out the driver's license situation, I got together all the necessary paperwork, the letter from my Embassy, legalisations, paid all the taxes, etc., etc. only to then be told by the people who give out the licenses that although I have my cedula, am living legally in the country and had all the correct paperwork, they couldn't give me a license until I have my new residency card. If they had told me this information a week earlier, I could have got it but wanted to renew my residency. ARGH!

[Expat13]

Originally Posted by domilinguist

Not true! I am currently changing from temporary to permanent residency, therefore I am in 'limbo' and am awaiting my new residency card.

As I really wanted to sort out the driver's license situation, I got together all the necessary paperwork, the letter from my Embassy, legalisations, paid all the taxes, etc., etc. only to then be told by the people who give out the licenses that although I have my cedula, am living legally in the country and had all the correct paperwork, they couldn't give me a license until I have my new residency card. If they had told me this information a week earlier, I could have got it but wanted to renew my residency. ARGH!

Thats the dominican shuffle-has happened to me in many circumstances, unfortunately you have to just roll with the incompetance within the government institutions...