- How can you get Dominican citizenship?
- Documents required for obtaining citizenship
- Who is a guarantor and what is it for?
Five years ago, none of the immigrants were worried about how to obtain Dominican citizenship, since the legislation was rather loyal to potential applicants. The passport program in this republic, known to all fans of exotic recreation on the ocean coast, offered various options, including obtaining citizenship in exchange for investment in the economy and tourism.
A little below we will talk about whether the owner of a passport of this state has advantages, how to obtain citizenship today, what conditions will need to be met at the stage of preparation for becoming a citizen of the Dominican Republic.
How can you get Dominican citizenship?
Until 2011, the system for obtaining citizenship in the Dominican Republic was simple. It was necessary to go through three stages, identical to those that exist in many countries of the world: obtaining a residence permit; registration of a permanent residence permit; obtaining citizenship, having previously paid 25 thousand US dollars. And today on the Internet you can find this outdated scheme, which can mislead an inexperienced user who is interested in the issue of obtaining Dominican citizenship.
In 2011, amendments were made to the Law of the Dominican Republic "On Citizenship", according to it, the period of residence in the country was increased. First, you need to apply for a residence permit and live in the Dominican Republic for two years. After that, you can start applying for a permanent residence permit in the country, with the received document you will have to live for another five years. And only after this period has expired, a person can proceed to the registration of admission to citizenship.
The positive aspects of life in the country are a good climate, proximity to the Caribbean and the United States. It is clear that so many years to wait to get a Dominican passport, few will dare, indeed, those who wanted to associate their future life with the island. Businessmen, of course, are not satisfied with this option, especially since the passport of the Dominican Republic does not provide all the benefits, for example, in the same countries of the European Union, entry for citizens of this country is possible through a visa.
Documents required for obtaining citizenship
The process of immigration to the Dominican Republic begins with obtaining a temporary residence permit. For a family with a minor child, passports of all members will be required, it is desirable that the youngest representative has not only a certificate, but also a passport, it will simplify the matter.
It is necessary to make two duplicates from the marriage certificate, according to the rules of local office work, they will remain in the personal file of the husband and the personal file of the wife, the original will be kept by the spouses. An important point is the integrity of each of the family members who are going to immigrate to the Dominican Republic, that is, they will ask for a certificate of no criminal record, and for each person who has reached the age of majority (in this state, from 18 years of age and older). The second important nuance is the affixing of the Apostille stamp, and on the original documents, and not on their translated copies, a translation made only in the territory of the state is accepted here.
A temporary residence permit in the Dominican Republic has the form of a plastic card, which Russian-speaking immigrants call "Sedula", this is the so-called internal passport. The indigenous people also have the same document, the difference is that the immigrant has an inscription that the person has no right to participate in local elections.
What's more interesting, in order to obtain even this document for temporary residence, potential immigrants will require testing. In this regard, the question whether it is possible to submit documents in absentia, in principle, should not be asked. Personal presence in the country for taking tests is mandatory, and then their results, along with other documents, can already be submitted by a lawyer, a representative of the person applying for a temporary residence permit.
Who is a guarantor and what is it for?
The legislation of the Dominican Republic regarding immigration into the country has one significant difference from its closest neighbors. When registering each of the stages (temporary and permanent residence permit, admission to citizenship), a so-called guarantor is required, a person who, as it were, vouches for potential applicants for citizenship.
Moreover, in the first two stages, a citizen of any state of the planet can act in this capacity, the main thing is that he is solvent. At the stage of obtaining, in fact, citizenship, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, also solvent, who is the owner of real estate (house, car, etc.), should act as a guarantor.
