#50: Re: Border crossing : another experience with a domini

[bcorbett@netcom.com]

From: Yacine Khelladi <yacine@aacr.net>


I have crossed the Malpasse border around 16 times in a year
(may98-may99), as i was
working in PAP but i'm based in Santo Domingo. I have an old 1982 diesel
patrol jeep, that is dominican matriculated. if the frontier is bad, the
worst part is getting the papers from dominican side that are:

- police "plan piloto" (robbery dept.): spend 5/6 hours waiting in line,
then 5 min inspection, come back 2 days later for the certification that
is valid one month (every month have to renew.)
- bring to the sec. of foreign affairs -haitian affairs dept. - a letter
requesting autrorization for crossing the border explaining why + 5
copies of plan piloto + 5 copies of passport and car papers +names of
ALL passengers traveling, two days letters come back to pick up 2
letters for custom and army
- bring a letter to the defense sec., pick a copy of letter 2/3 days
later
- bring a letter to custom central office, with a receipt to be bought
at the port office (that closes a 1 pm..) pick a letter for the jimani
custom officer 2 days letter

all this take around 10 days - a lot of lost time in lines - , and is
valid (if requested correctly) 3 months multiple, only the first paper
(police plan piloto) is valid one month - to renew each month.
 
At the dominican border you have many people that jump (literally) on
you when you arrive, to "help" you. and then after you have lined and
passed custom+migration office, the army officer, the DNCD (narcotics)
officer, the custom officer, the migration officer, and the security
(secret police) officer in turn come to check you all this papers trying
to find an error, and still, even if every thing is OK, ask you for
"something", for the "refrescos" (soda), each time i had to give
something... (a 3/4 US$)

i was told that with 500 pesos you can cross the border with no car
paper, but I never tried.

in the haitian side relatively quite easy and soft, police for 50Gds
give a authorization (but they were never able to tell me valid for how
long) and never asked any insurance paper.. usually custom quickly have
a look and check out. At the first passages i was never asked anything
else but i noted how slowly they were beginning to get the dominican
habits "ba'm yon ti kob"... hope they wont become as systematic in
establishing this direct tax, that is so so usual in DR.

when i come back from HT to DR it is usually faster, but still something
for the refrescos in the dominican side...


hope it helps someone

Yacine