Foreigners residing in the Dominican Republic for more than 3 months must apply to obtain a Dominican identification card and driver’s license. Most foreigners are not aware about the correct process to obtain both of these documents since they usually use the driver’s license from their country of origin for driving in the Dominican Republic and basically ignore that Law No. 241-67 on transit penalizes all individuals who drive a vehicle without having the corresponding permit, in this case a valid Dominican driver license.
Pursuant to said law, all foreigners who have a valid driver license issued in their country of origin will be able to drive in the Dominican Republic for a period of 90 days from the last date they entered the country. Once this period ends, foreigners will have the obligation of applying for a Dominican driver license before the corresponding institution.
It is also quite frequent for foreigners to confuse the Dominican ID, also known as the “Cedula”, with a driver’s license. They understand that by having a Dominican ID they will be able to legally drive a vehicle in the country, however, that is incorrect. In this regard, below you will find the main differences between these two permits and the procedure to obtain both of them.
First, what is a Dominican ID or Cedula? A Dominican ID is an identity card issued by the Central Electoral Board of the Dominican Republic which is used to identify each individual. In the Dominican Republic this document is issued to both foreigners and Dominican citizens who are of legal age (18 years old). Having a valid Dominican ID is mandatory for all the residents of the country. This document allows foreigners and nationals to open bank accounts, request driver licenses, hire services (such as phone lines, electricity…), sign contracts, work and study, among others.
The process to obtain a Dominican ID is included in the
process to obtain a Dominican residence.
The Dominican driver’s license, on the other hand, is a personal document which allows foreigners and nationals to legally drive in the country and cannot be transferred to any other person. The Dominican institution in charge of issuing this permit is the
Ministry of Public Works and Communications.
The process for obtaining a valid driver’s license consists in requesting a driver’s learning permit before the Ministry of Public Works and Communications, which entitles taking a written exam. After having the provisional permit for 45 days the applicant shall request a permanent driver’s license for which the applicant must take a driving test.
But if I am a foreigner residing in the Dominican Republic, do I have to follow the same process as Dominicans?
As mentioned before, the first step to request a Dominican driver’s license is obtaining the Dominican ID or “Cedula”. Once you have this document you will be ready to request a driver’s license.
As for the main requirements to drive in the country according to Law 241 on transit of vehicles, all individuals must, among others, be:
• Physically and mentally capable of driving.
• Able to write and read.
• Of legal age (18 years old in the Dominican Republic).
If the applicant fulfills the requirements mentioned above and he/she holds a foreign driver’s license, they will be exempt of having to take the written and driving test. They must only request a diplomatic certificate from the consulate of the country where their driver’s license was issued which must specify the validity of the permit.
Once the foreigner has obtained this document, he/she must attend to the Ministry of Public Work and Communications in order to get a medical exam done as well as for paying the corresponding taxes for the issuance of the Dominican driver’s license.
It is important to mention that when foreigners request a driver’s license, they must have a valid residence card and a Dominican ID as well as a valid foreign driver’s license. If the applicant does not have a valid foreign driver’s license, then he/she must complete the entire process (taking the written and driving test), which is described above.