This is a question more and more people are asking themselves. According to Travel+Leisure magazine, the Dominican Republic is the third best country to spend your retirement. Many factors contribute to this. The most important include safety, a stable economy, developed infrastructure, a friendly climate, and an extremely attractive country from a tourist perspective. The best examples of this trend are Americans and Canadians, who are the most numerous in the Dominican Republic. However, people from Europe, including our compatriots, are also increasingly common.
To begin discussions about a longer stay in the Dominican Republic, it should be noted that, based on Visa Law 875, visa-free travel is in effect. This allows a person to legally stay in the country for 30 days. However, this does not mean that we cannot stay longer. If the statutory 30 days are exceeded, we will have to pay an appropriate fee upon departure. This fee depends on the number of excess days spent in the republic. In this case, for stays up to 90 days, we will pay 3600 DOP (Dominican pesos), which is approximately 240 PLN. Staying in the country for up to a year will cost 7000 DOP, and 10 years will cost 98,000 DOP. Each subsequent year costs 7000 DOP.
The second, and probably the easiest, option is a one-time investment in the country with a minimum amount of 200,000 USD. Unfortunately, currently (13.11.2023), this purchase cannot be a real estate property that would allow us to obtain residency. The law in this matter has been reformed. However, purchasing real estate can significantly contribute to obtaining the aforementioned residency. The process of acquiring residency itself is simple and usually takes up to 3 months. The obtained residency will allow us to legally stay in the Dominican Republic for an indefinite period. It is worth mentioning that such residency can be converted into citizenship after a few years. This opens the way for entry into all of Latin America.
The last solution is to obtain residency based on earned income or pension. It is sufficient to have a passive income of 2,000 USD per month for at least 6 months. This then opens the path to obtaining residency. This income must, of course, be documented. In this case, it would be best if these were contracts or revenues from company management.
The second option for obtaining residency based on income is to present documented pension income of at least 1,500 USD per month. Here, bank statements from the last 3 months are sufficient as proof.
The methods of obtaining residency presented above are the most popular and simplest ways to acquire residency in the Dominican Republic. It is an open country that, through its policies, encourages the use of the assets it possesses. As Casa Dominicana, we will gladly guide you and assist in preparing all documents and presenting the entire process from A to Z. The process of applying for residency must be initiated from Poland, and it is not possible to do so while in the Dominican Republic.
For 9 years, the co-owner of Casa Dominicana, Leszek Gimel, has been living in the Dominican Republic. He has had the opportunity to go through many stages related to living there. If you have any questions regarding health insurance, school matters for children, or, for example, purchasing a car, we strongly encourage you to contact Leszek directly. In all formal matters related to the Dominican Republic, we are supported by cooperating experts from the Polish-Dominican Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to this, we offer comprehensive assistance with relocation or permanent residency in the Dominican Republic – the country of eternal summer.
Jędrzej Pacak
