The Dominican Republic’s Rentista Visa | A Complete Guide

What is Passive Income Visa?

Passive Income Visa refers to a visa system where applicants can obtain long-term residency in a destination country based on a certain amount of income/savings without the need to invest or work.

Generally speaking, passive income visa programs in various countries have the following characteristics:

1. Strict limitations on the source of income: The applicant’s income needs to be completely passive, such as interest from savings, financial trusts, pensions, or at least non-wage income like investment returns, dividends, and distributions.

2. Visa holders cannot utilize local resources: In theory, you can only consume in the destination country and cannot seek employment locally. You also need to purchase your own health insurance and cannot use free welfare resources such as medical services.

3. Potential for eventual immigration: Almost all countries with passive income visa programs allow participants to apply for permanent residency or citizenship after legally residing there for a certain period.

If you are interested in a passive income visa, you can read another guide on the website: “Global Passive Income Visas | An Incomplete Guide”.

The Dominican Republic’s Rentista Visa:

The Dominican Republic’s Rentista Visa (Residence by Investment as a Renter) is a residency permit program issued to foreign individuals with sufficient non-employment income.

Currently, to apply for this visa, you need to have a stable non-employment income of at least $2,000 per month. Non-employment income refers to any earnings that are not salary-based, such as rental income, dividends, profits, interest on deposits, trusts, and similar sources.

In addition to the financial requirements, applicants for this program must also meet basic conditions such as being in good health and having no criminal record.

Application Process:

The application process for the Dominican Republic’s Rentista Visa can be divided into the following steps:

1. Preparation: Generally, to apply for the DR’s Rentista Visa, you must first enter the country with a legal visa, open an account at a local bank, and prepare a valid Dominican address along with all other necessary documents.

Required documents for this program include:

• Applicant Identification Documents: This includes passports for all primary and secondary applicants with a validity of more than 18 months, 4 passport-sized photos, and proof of relationships such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.

• Income Proof: You need to provide documentation showing stable non-employment income of at least $2,000 per month over the past five years, a local bank account, and proof that your non-employment income can be transferred to a local bank.

• Criminal Record Certificate: All adult primary and secondary applicants must provide a criminal record certificate issued within the past five years from the areas of residence.

• Health Insurance Purchase: You are required to purchase valid Dominican health insurance for each primary and secondary applicant annually.

• Medical Examination Certificate: All primary and secondary applicants need to undergo a medical examination.

All non-Spanish documents must be translated into Spanish, and all documents issued outside of the Dominican Republic must be notarized and submitted in their original form.

2. Online Application: Once all documents are prepared, you need to go to the online application platform of the Dominican Republic’s Immigration Department (DGM), register an account, fill out an application form, submit the application, and pay an application fee of approximately $280.

3. Visa Issuance: The processing time for the Dominican Republic Rentista Visa can take up to 90 working days. Once the visa is issued, you need to visit the Immigration Office in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, within 60 days of the visa issuance to obtain your residency status.

Dependents:

For the Dominican Republic’s Rentista Visa, the main applicant’s spouse and children under 18 can obtain the visa as dependents.

Visa Validity:

Although the Dominican Republic’s Rentista Visa is a permanent residency card, its initial validity is only one year. After one year, visa holders can renew their Dominican permanent residency every two years under the same conditions.

After holding permanent residency for ten years, you can switch to a permanent residency card that is valid indefinitely and does not require renewal.

Retirement visa holders who have resided in the country for two years can apply for Dominican citizenship through a fast-track process.

Official Links:

The DR’s Rentista Visa: https://migracion.gob.do/en/servicio/renter-residence/