Family, marriage and partnerships

Foreigners who obtain a residence visa (Visa de Residencia RS) have 60 days to apply for the visa at the appropriate Dominican embassy or consulate and may enter the territory of the Dominican Republic after obtaining the visa. Visa holders must apply to the General Directorate of Migration for temporary or permanent residence upon entering the territory of the Dominican Republic.

A visa granted to a foreign national does not guarantee unconditional entry to the country; it can be revoked by the immigration authorities if any of the grounds for inadmissibility or deportation set out in Act 285-04 apply.

Marriages contracted abroad or registered partnerships under civil law are recognised in Switzerland and must be registered with the Swiss civil status authorities. Swiss nationals who get married abroad are required to register their marriage with the competent Swiss representation abroad. The representation translates and authenticates the marriage certificate and forwards it to the civil status authority in Switzerland free of charge. In exceptional cases, you can also notify your cantonal civil status authority, which will forward the marriage certificate and related documents to the representation abroad for translation and authentication. In this case you will be required to pay a fee.

You are advised to consult the relevant Swiss representation before your marriage regarding the rules you need to comply with so that the marriage can be recognised in Switzerland and entered in the civil status register as soon as possible.

The Dominican Republic has passed a law allowing same-sex marriage. This law also grants validity to the marriage and obliges the state to recognise it if it was contracted abroad under the law of the domicile of at least one of the spouses.