
Dominican Republic
On May 1, 2016, the Dominican Republic will introduce an expedited processing option for the Residence Permit application, which will reduce the current processing time of four to six months to 40 business days.
The fee for the expedited service will be 5,000 Dominican pesos (approximately USD 108).
Background
Key facts regarding the Residence Permit application process include:
- The Residence Permit is filed post-arrival within 30 days of the foreign national’s entry under an NM1 Visa (Business Visa for Employment Purposes) issued by a Dominican consular post.
- Foreign nationals can begin working once they arrive in the Dominican Republic under an NM1 Visa.
- Prior to obtaining a Residence Permit, foreign nationals cannot obtain the local identification card (cédula) used for local transactions.
What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals
Foreign nationals should benefit from the expedited processing option as it will allow easier travel and access to local transactions under the cédula.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
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