Departure/Reentry into the DR while applying for provisional residency

[Kiboko]

Hi! I've been lurking on this forum for a while now, and really appreciate all the great advice that DR1ers take time to give. Now I have some questions of my own, but can't seem to find the answers in the archives.

I have been living and working in the DR since May this year, and my husband since March. We started the process for applying for provisional residency using a lawyer as soon as we arrived, but we still haven't received our cedulas. We haven't renewed our tourist cards. We are leaving the country to go to the States for a week over New Year, and are concerned about immigration when leaving/re-entering the country. Our lawyer has given us photocopies of the constancia for submitting the application, and the recibo de ingreso por concepto de residencia provisional for my husband, plus a letter stating that we have applied for residency, but he doesn't think that this is enough, and advised us to get further proof of application from Migracion. However the staff there were unable to help us and told us to come back when the section boss was there, but despite going back three times on different days, the boss was never there.

My main questions are:

1) Will we have to pay the fine on departure for overstaying the tourist card?

2) Will American Airlines allow us on our return flight since we don't have another ticket back out of the DR, and we don't yet have our cedulas?

3) Will we have to buy another tourist card when we come back to the DR, or will Immigration accept our proof of application for a cedula?

4) Will leaving the country affect our application for a cedula? My husband's embassy advised him that leaving the country before receiving the cedula may mean that the whole process has to start from the beginning again, although I find that hard to believe.

If any of you have any experience of this, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks a lot!

I've posted this in the Travel Forum too.

[SKY]

My main questions are:

1) Will we have to pay the fine on departure for overstaying the tourist card?

2) Will American Airlines allow us on our return flight since we don't have another ticket back out of the DR, and we don't yet have our cedulas?

3) Will we have to buy another tourist card when we come back to the DR, or will Immigration accept our proof of application for a cedula?

4) Will leaving the country affect our application for a cedula? My husband's embassy advised him that leaving the country before receiving the cedula may mean that the whole process has to start from the beginning again, although I find that hard to believe.


1- Possibly, you can try to avoid the fine by showing the papers, but it would be easier to just pay it. It will not be much.

2- Again, you might succeed by showing the papers or just saying nothing unless they bring it up, but you can always buy a return ticket and cash it in later.

3-Pretty much the same answer, try with the letters, if not pay the $10. No big deal.

4-It should not affect the process. At least in the past this was true. You should check with your lawyer in the DR. Another country’s Embassy will not know.

[andrea9k]

1) If you have started the process, all "fines" (they are actually taxes) got paid when you submitted your file from your last entry to the country until the day you paid those taxes. They don't keep adding up. Your proof is the copy of the number of expedient (if memory serves).

2) In theory, having a copy of your number of expedient is enough. If you want to go safer, get a reentry permit. You can go to the Migraciones office in Washington Ave. and get one. They have this VIP processing that hopefully will be fast enough for you.

3) Have in hand your copy of number of expedient. They dont want to see your cedula but your residency permit card (one step before of getting the cedula). If that doesnt work, I agree with SKY, just pay for the tourist card.

4) It does not affect your process. Another country's embassy do know. Mine does.

Happy New Year!!!

Jess

[Kiboko]

Sky and Jess, thank you for your replies, and Happy New Year to you too!

Hopefully we won't have any problems. I'll post again on return to say how it went, just in case any other readers are asking themselves the same questions.

[Kiboko]

Here's an update on how it went for the archives, just in case any readers have the same questions in the future.

1) The immigration official at Departures at SDQ initially told us we would have to pay the fine for overstaying the tourist visa, but when we started to explain that we had already applied for residency, she just waved us through, without even looking properly at our proof of application.

2) At check-in in Miami we were asked if we had a residency permit in the DR. We explained that we had applied, and the check-in clerk seemed to be satisfied by this without even looking at our proof of application.

3) On arrival at SDQ we filled in the immigration form for non-residents, but didn't buy a tourist card and just queued up. The immigration officials took a good look at our documents, ummed and ahhed a bit and then let us through. The same thing happened with the official who was collecting the tourist cards.

4) To be seen, but I don't think there will be any problems.

So, it was all very easy, and there wasn't any need to be worried in the first place. Thanks again to those readers who gave advice!