Foreign investors whose businesses or activity requires to visit the Dominican Republic or to transfer their residence to the country will find in this chapter information about the principal laws and regulations that will apply to the entry and stay, as well as to the civil and family life.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS In general terms, foreign individuals must have a Dominican visa to enter the country, except for citizens of certain countries with which the Dominican Republic has entered into agreements to exempt their citizens from this requirement. The different types of visas are classified as Diplomatic, Official, Courtesy, Business, Dependent, Tourism, Residency, and Study and are issued by the Exterior Service of the Dominican Republic. Citizens of countries with which the Dominican Republic has signed agreements for the exemption of the req- uisites for visa may enter the country for a period of 60 days with the only requirement of purchasing a tour- ist card, which may be acquired at the airport upon arrival.
DOMINICAN RESIDENCE Foreigners may acquire the right to reside in the Dominican Republic. In order to apply for a residence visa, either provisional or permanent, a list of required documents must be compiled. Dominican residence is granted for one or two years, depending the type of residence, and can be renewed permanently. The Center for Export and Investment (CEI-RD) has introduced a special program for foreign investors to speed up the process to obtain the Dominican residence. It also applies to employees of companies that are reg- istered in the CEI-RD, the National Council of Free Zones, or those that have a concession from the Do- minican State.
DOMINICAN CITIZENSHIP Dominican nationality can be obtained, at the discretion of the Dominican President. The naturalization pro- cess lasts between eight months to one year.