You wish to establish yourself in Dominican Republic:


Before going further in this page, we recommend you to read "tourism" section for basic information about Dominican Republic and Las Terrenas. The "complements" section will also help you if you wish to open a business or a company, giving you information about economy, investment and tax regulation in Dominican Republic.

The residence card: for stays of less than 3 months, it is not necessary to obtain a residence permit even if you have a villa. However for longer stays, to hold a trade or to work there it is essential to be titular of a residence card, the "Cedula". Here you have a nonexhaustive list of the documents required for obtaining a residence card in Dominican Republic:

• Birth certificate.
• Criminal extract of record.
• Marriage certificate.
• Birth certificate of the children.

All these documents must be legalized by the Dominican Consul of your country and must be translated into Spanish.

• Documents proving an economic interest in Dominican Republic which can be: a real estate investment, a participation (even minority) in a commercial company, a contract of employment.
• Seven photographs of face, 2 of the left profile and 2 of the right profile.
• Medical certificate bench by authorized medical centres (also including a radio of the lungs, urine and blood tests).
• Two copies of the whole passport.
• Certificate of the Directorate-General of Migrations indicating the last entry in the country.

The file accompanied by a form will have to be deposited at the Dominican Chancellery in Santo Domingo. The passport of the candidate will then receive a stamp which will allow him a second entry in the country and will thus avoid him to pay the tax of entry of 10 US$ at the airport. You now obtain your residence card for one year, normally in the three following months, but you must go for them in person. At the achievement of an initial period of one year, you renew your residence for a second year.




New law on Immigration: a new law was signed on August 15, 2004 by the outgoing President, Hippolito Mejia. It replaces the Law #95 which date from 1939. The main innovations are as follows:

• Children born in Dominican Republic of foreign parents who are non-resident will not have Dominican nationality.
• There will be two kinds of residences: the Temporary Residence and the Permanent Residence, according to the intentions of the candidate, to settle in Dominican Republic in a permanent way or for a limited time. The holders of a Permanent Residence will have the right to live indefinitely in Dominican Republic. The holders of a Temporary Residence will have the right to remain in the country for one year maximum but they will be able to renew their residence each year until the end of their mission in Dominican Republic
• The employers will have to make sure that their foreign employees are in possession of the needed documents to work legally in Dominican Republic. The contraveners will be liable to a fine equivalent to a 35 months minimum of wages and the employer will also have to pay the expenses of the deportation.
• The Department of Immigration will renew the current residences at the end of their validity on the basis of new categories.
• The Government will present a payment allowing the application of the law in the 180 days, which means that the law will not remain in force until its ordinance.

Note: information is available on: www.serex.gov.do

Opening an account: that is to say a savings account which can easily be open in Dominican Pesos or in Dollars. It allows you to have a local bank card and to carry out, by this way, the withdrawals. Or a cheque account: two resident persons must endorse you when aiming to open such an account. It gives access to a cheque book and a bank card.

There are many bank counters allowing the automatic money withdrawals with credit card (local or international). This method is reliable. On the other hand, you must be prudent when paying by bank card in some trades. The most used foreign currency is the dollar, the euro is little known.

Language: the official language is Spanish and, aside from the accent and some typically local intonations, it is about the same one as in Spain. However, there are rests of french Creole in the frontier zone, and of english in the old areas of immigration of the emancipated American slaves at San Pedro de Macoris and Samana. In the big cities, little english is spoken, even Italian or German. In some centers like Las Terrenas, french prevails, especially in the tourist sector.

Renting a car: (guiding prices of three companies)

Ada (french franchise): decreasing price for a longer rental
website: www.ada-santodomingo.com

Europcar (french franchise): decreasing price for a longer rental
website: www.europcar.com.do

Avis Car Rental: decreasing price for a longer rental
e-mail: olas.caribe@verizon.net.do

Attention: avoid "pirate rentals" who, in spite of lower prices, do not offer any guarantee.


Education:


french school of Las Terrenas:

School in the small town of Las Terrenas: it is approved for the nursery school and primary education (i.e. it is recognized by french national education). from the college until the second year, with the french system, the school ensures the framing of teaching by the CNED. It should be officially agreed in a few years. 120 pupils attend this school in 2004/05. Tel: (1-809) 240 66 24

A french College in Santo-Domingo: from nursery up to the end of secondary school, web site: www.lfsd.edu.do

In the event of installation in other cities, the children will have to go to the Dominican schools.

There is a social security for expatriates, the CFE (Fund for the french Abroad). Locally, there are many insurance companies, the health covering of which vary, generating several expenses. For the expatriates, the Danish insurance company International Health Insurance (www.ihi.com) assures you for the diseases and the accidents with a world-wide cover, at reasonable prices. No obligatory vaccination is required to enter to Dominican Republic from Europe and North America. The system of Dominican Social security is ineffective and does not enable Dominican to be looked after free. In the hospitals, the consultations are free but the medicines must be paid. You should always drink bottled water and, when purchasing them make sure the bottles are well closed. from a food point of view, there is not a great deal to fear but some coral fish that are toxic. No particular medical problems to mention.

Doctors in Las Terrenas:

Dr TAVERAS Ismael	General practitioner	809 481 75 91
Dr MEDINA Camilo	General practitioner	809 877 99 40
Dr POLANCO	General practitioner	809 240 60 28
Dr RODRIGUEZ	General practitioner	809 240 61 28
Dr De la ROSA	Pediatrist	809 861 02 63
Dr KARPINSKI D.C	Chiropractor	809 802 72 24
Dr BARRIE J-P	Osteopath	809 240 51 66
Dra R. Alt. de JesUS	Gynaecologist	809 875 87 47
LARGE Samuel	Physiotherapist	809 802 72 24
CHARLIER Yoann	Acupuncture Massages	809 968 40 36
Dr FLORes Narcissa	Dentist	809 873 25 25
Dr DRULLARD Nieves	Dentist	809 240 60 28
Dr LELANDAIS A.M.	Dentist	809 253 03 39
Farma Centro	152 Calle principal	809 240 67 60
Pharmacy del Paseo	El Paseo	809 240 64 97
Pharmacy la PATRONA	26 Calle Carmen	809 240 61 29
Hospital	Las Terrenas (map)	809 240 64 74
Abreu Clinic	Santo Domingo	809 689 60 89

Transports:

Taxis transport of Las Terrenas	809 240 63 39
Bus Caribe Tours	809 221 44 22
Carsilver	809 240 54 88
La Playa Rent a Car	809 240 64 38
Aérodomca (low-powered aircraft)	809 240 65 71
Herrera Airport (national)	809 567 39 00
Las Americas Airport (international)	809 549 04 50

Post: you can choose between two kinds of sending. First of all, there is the official post office, which will dispatch in a score of twenty days your postcard with more or less good port. The other system, Western Union, which is private, dispatches via Miami your good shone memories in one week for 18 pesos. The mail can be taken at the post office or the Western Union.

Telephony:

• Verizon: the principal company and best established in all the country. The Codetel Bureaux (begun again by Verizon) in general open from 8h to 22h, every day.

• All America: especially established in Santo Domingo. Proposes a little less expensive international calls.

• Tricom: this new company makes great efforts: publicity, reception, network, and, of course, lower tariffs.

• Centennial: telephone operator.

• Orange: provides mobile telephony.

• The call back: extremely economic to call in Europe, the cost of the communications being much lower than with Verizon, as well in fax as in call. The operator calls a number in the United States, from where a machine seeks your correspondent and recalls you.

Dominican Republic code towards france:

011 + 33 + indicative area (without the 0) + number of the interlocutor.

Dominican Republic code towards Spain:

011 + 34 + indicative area (without the 0) + number of the interlocutor.

Dominican Republic code towards Switzerland:

011 + 41 + indicative area (without the 0) + number of the interlocutor.

Dominican Republic code towards Belgium:

011 + 55 + indicative area (without the 0) + number of the interlocutor.

Dominican Republic code towards Canada:

011 + 1 + indicative area (without the 0) + number of the interlocutor.

World code towards Dominican Republic:

00 + 1809 + number of the interlocutor.

Note: there is no city code in Dominican Republic.

Internet: several operators and technologies in order to reach the Internet exist in the country. The satellite is most expensive (with the installation), but it enables you to be connected without having telephone line. There are also standard telephone connections and offers similar to the ADSL. The majority of the offers of access to Internet are "flat rate", i.e. you pay an access, but not the time of connection.

Press: there are big national newspapers such as Listin Diario, Hoy, Nacional and Ultima Hora. A great freedom of expression exists and the press seems less controlled than in occident.

Radio: in the field of the radio, a multitude of local FM transmitters diffuse merengue and other kinds of music. Information is not the priority of these commercial radios.

Television: a dozen chains dispute the audience. Publicity is omnipresent and a film or a one hour emission can comprise nearly 20 minutes of advertising cuts... Few cultural emissions and the record of audience return to the telenovelas, kind of southern American soap opera. The cable and the satellite television are available without any problem.

Cinema: the American and Japanese productions squat the dark rooms. Primarily commercial, there is very little author or art cinema, the Dominican people do not seem to make profitable their cultural bonds with Spain and the Spanish-speaking world anymore.

Music: Merengue, bachata and salsa occupy the acoustic life of Dominican and create a sound filmstrip for your holidays. Discotheques, bars, colmados, canteens, in the street, the sound is omnipresent in Dominican Republic. The car-sound systems (with the colossal sound) allow young people to meet and to improvise a discotheque in the street or on the beach. There is a convivial and slackened ambience in the street.