DRforme
American expat in Dominican Republic
Forum posts
34
About me
American
Registration: 05 March 2023
Activity
Build a house (loan?) by MH3
Hey guys! Quick question about building a house. We own land, but the banks we鈥檝e talked to don鈥檛 do mortgages for new construction like in the U.S. They say the only way is through a 鈥渂uilder,鈥� where the house is already ...
First you need to decide if you are going to build your home with a builder/contractor for basically a turnkey home. Or will you be going the subcontractor route where you do the hiring for each phase of the build. But like anything else there are ... Read More
Residency - updates and changes 2024 by planner
We are seeing changes in processes here and it's time for a new thread with updates.LIshali had agreed to update us here on those changes and to clarify a number of issues as we go along!First let's talk the basics: how you start and which type you ...
@ExpatRusher Correct me if I鈥檓 wrong but I would think the only document that you would have to renew or update would be the FBI background report. As the other documents needed to be Apostilled such as marriage, birth, pension letters do not ... Read More
Airbnb proposal to register and tax in the DR as posted on DR1 by windeguy
Posted on DR1: Yesterday at 12:09 PMAdd bookmark#1It appears this 2024 is when the Dominican government will start to impose regulations on AirB&B. In FITUR 2024 in Spain, David Collado said that a new agreement already exist and is currently ...
@planner Sadly everyday someone falls for the well rehearsed ROI sales pitch. Many people are sold the idea that they can purchase a home/villa/apt here and the rental income will pay off their investment. With the ever increasing amount of Social ... Read More
Best way to transfer money from US to Dominican bank account by wondering9
Any insights or opinions on the best way to transfer money from a US to a Dominican bank account?I've seen Remitly recommended here and I think that's what I'll end up going with, but I was curious about other options, especially Wise and Xe.My ...
@Tippj Be advised that Western Union is going to start implementing a 1% tax on international transactions starting January 1 2026. It will only affect transfers that involve Cash, Cashiers Checks or Money Orders. Read More
Best way to transfer money from US to Dominican bank account by wondering9
Any insights or opinions on the best way to transfer money from a US to a Dominican bank account?I've seen Remitly recommended here and I think that's what I'll end up going with, but I was curious about other options, especially Wise and Xe.My ...
You could also take a look at Boss Revolution they have been pretty reliable for us. You did not mention it but I鈥檓 hoping you are receiving in US dollars. As these money transfer places exchange at a much lower rate than you can get yourself. Read More
Retirement Visas by Pat Kitchen
My wife and I are in the process of obtaining retirement visas for the DR.聽 We have been in contact with a couple of Dominican law firms.聽 We are a bit taken aback with the fees they are charging.聽 Also, we know there are going to be ...
@ddmcghee Have already done that countless times. I can pretty much recite the list of requirements without looking. 馃憖 and yes I have not found one thing that supports what I was told by the consulate. I did not go into this process without ... Read More
Retirement Visas by Pat Kitchen
My wife and I are in the process of obtaining retirement visas for the DR.聽 We have been in contact with a couple of Dominican law firms.聽 We are a bit taken aback with the fees they are charging.聽 Also, we know there are going to be ...
@ddmcghee Ok many Thanks to you and the others who have replied. I will be going back to the consulate next week sometime to drop off something and will get a little more clarification on this. If it turns out to be false then I just proceed knowing ... Read More
Retirement Visas by Pat Kitchen
My wife and I are in the process of obtaining retirement visas for the DR.聽 We have been in contact with a couple of Dominican law firms.聽 We are a bit taken aback with the fees they are charging.聽 Also, we know there are going to be ...
@wondering9 I know all to well about assuming or relying on anything in regards to DR. But regardless of which path of residency I choose the only difference or change is whether I obtain permanent or temporary residence from the start. If it turns ... Read More
Retirement Visas by Pat Kitchen
My wife and I are in the process of obtaining retirement visas for the DR.聽 We have been in contact with a couple of Dominican law firms.聽 We are a bit taken aback with the fees they are charging.聽 Also, we know there are going to be ...
@ddmcghee Yes I completely understand that but one should assume that the people at the consulate are familiar with applying for residency along with what path to choose in applying. Not sure why it would have even been suggested if it was not a ... Read More
Retirement Visas by Pat Kitchen
My wife and I are in the process of obtaining retirement visas for the DR.聽 We have been in contact with a couple of Dominican law firms.聽 We are a bit taken aback with the fees they are charging.聽 Also, we know there are going to be ...
@Alfonso Ayala This was told to me and discussed with the person who reviewed all my documents at the consulate. So not sure who I鈥檓 supposed to verify it with. I know that it sounds wrong as I have done my homework. Maybe it鈥檚 something ... Read More
Retirement Visas by Pat Kitchen
My wife and I are in the process of obtaining retirement visas for the DR.聽 We have been in contact with a couple of Dominican law firms.聽 We are a bit taken aback with the fees they are charging.聽 Also, we know there are going to be ...
@ryzik68 I had initially planned on applying for a marriage residency. But after the person at the consulate that was reviewing my documents seen that I was also a Social Security recipient he advised to go with the pensioner route. As that would ... Read More
Retirement Visas by Pat Kitchen
My wife and I are in the process of obtaining retirement visas for the DR.聽 We have been in contact with a couple of Dominican law firms.聽 We are a bit taken aback with the fees they are charging.聽 Also, we know there are going to be ...
@karynllanders Congratulations I just submitted my residency documents to the Orlando FL consulate 3 days ago. Was told should be about 3 weeks for processing. Already anticipating the headaches and snags when I get to the Capital. Read More
Santiago vs. Puerto Plata by wondering9
So if my goal was to spend a couple of months exploring the north coast, using public transportation rather than a private car, which in your opinion would make a better base, Santiago or Puerto Plata? I know Santiago is inland, but it seems to be ...
As was said definitely Puerto Plata as a home base. Remember you have the freedom to pack up and move on to a location that appeals to you or meets your requirements. Sounds like a great plan have fun. Read More
Looking to purchase a property in Punta Cana by tliew1
Hi all.My name is Teck. We currently reside in Ontario Canada. On our last trip we started to talk to an owner of a 10 unit apartment building that a friend lives in. The owner wants to sell his building and property and my wife and I are interested ...
@UncleBuck 馃幆 Pretty sound advice UB. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of buyers remorse for the uninitiated to DR life. Read More
What you can and can't buy in the DR by wondering9
So I'm downsizing prior to the move, and curious about what kinds of household items will be easy to replace locally and what you might want to bring with you and/or might find yourself ordering from Amazon later. Does anyone have opinions or ...
@Locomotionone Bringing a vehicle is a whole new can of worms. We did all the research last year on sending a two year old Hyundai to DR and in the end we decided that it wasn鈥檛 worth it. So we decided to just purchase a new Hyundai in DR ... Read More