Dominican Republic retirement visa (pensionados and rentistas)

Both categories present the visa form, a 2 x 2 inch photo, an original passport valid for six months, a residence card if applicable, a legalised or apostilled birth certificate, a certificate of no criminal record for every country of residence in the last five years (valid one year), the current marriage certificate or a notarised declaration of a free union of at least two years where relevant, bank statements for the last three months and current or expired visas. Foreign documents not in Spanish are translated by a judicial interpreter.

Pensioners add a certificate from the government, official body or private employer they worked for, apostilled or legalised and translated, giving their details, time of service, position and pension amount. Rentistas prove the source of their income: property titles, bank certifications, rental contracts, brokerage statements or proof of shareholdings.

Residence visas (RS) are issued to people who want to live in the Dominican Republic for good, including pensioners, retirees and rentistas under Law 171-07. The minimum income is USD 1,500 a month, or its equivalent in Dominican pesos, for pensioners, and USD 2,000 a month for rentistas. For each dependant defined in Article 5 of the law who applies with the main applicant, an additional USD 250 a month is required.

MIREX's consular fee table sets USD 200 for the residence visa for rentistas and for retirees. Separate DGM fees apply to the residence procedure in the Dominican Republic and are not published on MIREX's visa pages.

The consulate evaluates the file and sends it to MIREX, which decides; MIREX advises not to buy non-refundable tickets before the visa is issued. The RS visa is valid for 60 days for a single entry. Within 30 days of entering, the holder must present themselves at the Directorate General of Migration to formalise temporary residence, completing the additional requirements of the regulation of Migration Law 285-04 (Decree 631-11); the visa is the first requirement of that procedure.