New members of the Dominican Republic forum, introduce yourselves here - 2024

Hello all, im  currently planning to move to DR in the next couple of months. Very excited but also getting overwhelmed with the legal process as the daughter of dominican parents i'm in process of getting my Cedula which has been ”interesting” but doable. I rented an apartment near Cabarete. Now I'm still trying to see if taking a ”mudanza” is even worth the hassle. Your guidance is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Welcome to the forums!!!!  Lots of good info here.Any with experience with mudanzas etc!  Do a quick search and see what you find. Feel free to create a topic on this as well!

Hola! I'm Denise - not new, but figured I'd do an intro for the newbies! I've been a part of this group since 2017 when we first decided that the DR was where we would retire! The other half of "we" is my husband, Dave, known as RockyM on here. We moved to Las Terrenas from the US in July 2020.

We have pensioner residency and have gone through the renewal process twice. We imported a 40' container with our residency exemption, including a vehicle. We have also been through the painful process of building a home.

Dave and I share our experience here whenever we feel it can help others! Dave did a great write-up last year after he had spinal surgery here.

You'll see our posts throughout the forum, but please feel free to reach out via PM if you have any questions for us.

Hello, Hola!

I just moved to Punta Cana from Ottawa, Canada, with my little dog, Niko.

After 28 years of marriage, my husband decided that he no longer wanted to be married.

So I gave him space, and left the country.

We sold our home and he is renting in Ottawa.

I am currently renting in Ciudad Las Canas, until I purchase an apartment. Hopefully I can get a mortgage here. I bought a new vehicle (car loan approved through Banco Popular).

A social group gathering would be nice. To simply interact with others.

Your guidance is most welcome 😊

Hi Carmelita.  I am in the PC area.  I will send you a private message...

@Carmelita2.0Soy I'm Schneider, I live in the Dominican Republic, if you need someone to help you, someone to work with, let me know

@Carmelita2.0

Welcome to the forum and the Dominican Republic! We have a number of members in Punta Cana who might be able to share any social groups in the area.

@Julien Heading to Las Terrenas in February for 3 months.

Welcome as well!

@bonnie28 Welcome to the forum!! We love LT - although the uncontrolled growth without changes in infrastructure are frustrating!

@Carmelita2.0

Welcome to the D.R. Carmelita. I am from Victoria but live here in the winters. Dominican mortgages have a 5 year life span before they need to be renewed unlike Canada which has a 25 / 30 year window. Banks request a list of your assets, 3 years of financial statements and their mortgage rates are higher than Canada / U.S.  Dominican banks will finance up to 70% max of the value of the property. After 5 years you have go thru the motions again. You would be better off to consider a line of credit from your Canadian bank.

Also, consider renting for a year before you buy. Many newcomers to the D.R. experience expat fatigue and 80% return to their country of origin over time. Good luck to you......

Gentle reminder -  welcomes and introductions here please.  Everything else belongs in the various threads.

Steverino - this is great info. Would you start a thread on mortgages and copy and paste this please! It deserves its own thread!

Will do Darlene.....

Hi everyone, newbies and expats

I am Karin and I am from Ontario, near Toronto.  I am back in town again, residing inside the Cocotal Golf and Country Club (PUNTA CANA/BAVARO) where I am renting a nice condo.  I have been coming here for 20 years (starting out in hotels)  but but now I rent condos every winter.  I dont speak Spanish as its not on my bucket list.   

I retired 8 years ago from a stressful IT job. I really loved my job but it was hard on me as a single parent with so many demands from so many places.  Thinking back, retiring early saved my mental and physical health.

If you are Canadian you might know about The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton. It is a short novel on the basics of personal finance.  Bottom line,  be mindful and save 5-10% of your pay for many years, and you will have financial freedom in the long run.   I had the fortune to read that 45 years ago as a teenager and I applied these principles, so I am where I am now because of that.  Lucky me!   This is what we should tell our young people, if they will listen!

If you want to have a chat and share some experiences, do message me and maybe we can meet.

Karin

@Steverino7777 Your advice and welcoming words are received and very much appreciated 😊

Thank you!

Gracias!

@ddmcghee

It would be most wonderful to meet filks in Punta Cana.

I also frequent Santo Domingo.

Please reach out.

I'd love to be part of a community

Hello everyone,

my name is Simone,  I'm from Munich,  Germany and planning to relocate to Las Terrenas in a couple of years from now.  I'll be on and off the island until then.

Glad I found this forum, very cool!

I lived abroad before, spent about 7 years in Boston and another 7 years on the island of Bonaire (bit further south in the caribbean). Ill be in LT in March, so, if anybody needs something from germany, let me know.

Simone

Welcome to the forums!!!

@Julien

Hola! My name is Liz Fernandez and I'm planning a move to Punta Cana with my family in the summer of 2026. I work as a registered nurse, and my husband serves in the military. We have two wonderful boys, aged 10 and 4, with the younger one being on the autism spectrum and requires low support.

As we navigate this journey, I'm eager to connect with families who have experience with autism support in local schools. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.

As far as jobs go, I have no idea yet what the plan will be for employment, I just pray we figure it out by 2026

I'm excited about the prospect of immersing ourselves in the Dominican culture and would love to hear from those who've been through similar experiences. Your advice and shared stories would mean the world to us.

Looking forward to connecting with this wonderful community.

Best regards,

Liz

Hola! My name is Liz Fernandez and I'm planning a move to Punta Cana with my family in the summer of 2026. I work as a registered nurse, and my husband serves in the military. We have two wonderful boys, aged 10 and 4, with the younger one being on the autism spectrum and requires low support.

As we navigate this journey, I'm eager to connect with families who have experience with autism support in local schools. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.

As far as jobs go, I have no idea yet what the plan will be for employment, I just pray we figure it out by 20261f601.svg

I'm excited about the prospect of immersing ourselves in the Dominican culture and would love to hear from those who've been through similar experiences. Your advice and shared stories would mean the world to us.

Looking forward to connecting with this wonderful community.

Best regards,

Liz

Welcome Liz to the forums. There is a lot of great info throughout the forums.  Use the search function, read and read some more!  Ask questions throughout the various threads and open new thread as needed! 

@Julien

Good morning,

I am Jennifer, I currently live in the Orlando area and just returned from Puerto Plato after a glorious one week visit. Dominican Republic has really grown on me after 4 visits. So much so that I just put a contract on a condo in the Puerto Plata area, so I can live there a few months each year.

Now I am trying to find a reasonable furniture and appliance store to furniture the unit after closing.

Any advice?

It's wonderful to know there's an ex-pat community there.

Sunny Regards

Jennifer

Welcome Jennifer!  Lots of great info on here for you.  We keep this to introductions so best to start a thread on your topic honey! 

Hi everyone I'm Marvin I just left Puerto Plata last week on vacation and plan on moving there in 2 years. Lots of great info here. I love it.

Welcome to the forums!

By the way, this forum is awesome and so very informative. a big thank you to Planner and others here who contribute their time, knowledge and experience.  THANK YOU!

Hi Planner and Eveybody!

Moved from Myrtle Beach, SC to Cabarete in May 2023.    Currently leasing one bedroom with 24 hour security.  Interested in two bedrooms/2 baths in Cabarete.  I have a lot of questions about the area. 

Thank you for welcoming me.

Welcome to the forums!!! Lots of great info here! 

Thank you for the nice words.  It's a team effort here, lots of contributors who make things easier! 

Hi Everyone,

Currently in the process of building a villa in Cabarete/Sosua.  Planning to move there in a year or two to retire.  In the meantime it will be on a rental program.

Looking for advise to furnishe the villa.  Best place to buy indoor and outdoor furniture and accessories.

@nadegenjl Welcome! we keep this thread for intros and welcomes! Feel free to start a new thread for your questions.

Hello everyone

i have been following posts and I thank you all for the helpful info 

My husband and I purchased a condo in April of 2019 in Coral Bay 2   After countless delays and repeated visits to Punta to check progress we got the unit in December of 2023  Going back in another week to purchase furniture etc  We have spent a lot of money 

on taxis and would rather purchase a small car   We have been told that Santa Domingo is the best place to go, yet I have read on this forum to be cautious when purchasing used vehicles

Any direction you can give me would be greatly appreciated

Welcome to the forums.  Several threads on buying a vehicle.Any recommend contacting Cruffman! 

Just stumbled on this forum, My name is David Williams, Canadian and hoping to live part time in the North Coast

Welcome to the forums David!

Hi All,

My name is Herman, live in Toronto, Canada. Researching a possibility to relocate for retirement to Sosua area in few years. Currently, learning Spanish.

Welcome to the forums Herman! Lots of great info  on the various threads! 

@Julien

My husband and I are considering retirement in 2 years in the DR. 

I would love a budget sheet of expenses.  For instance: electric, health insurance, food, car insurance maybe, internet etc.  I realize this would be an estimate of items.  Many thanks!

Sherry and Bob

Welcome to the forums. Julien doesn't live in DR but is owner of the entire site.

Please start reading the various threads. Lots of info on the threads about budgets and expenses