Yet another Dominican visa scandal

Santo Domingo.- The Foreign Relations Ministry yesterday held an emergency gathering of Dominican consuls in Haiti, just two days after reports that Dominican visas are being sold publicly in the neighboring nation for as little as US$180.

It’s the latest scandal in the business of Dominican visas, and dates back at least 10 years when a Russian national reportedly visited the Dominican Embassy in Washington and asked “who is the person who sells your passport.”

Consular and Immigration Affairs Deputy minister Nelly Pérez headed the meeting in the ministry, where the consuls were asked to respond to the press reports citing several Haiti agencies travel which offer Dominican visas, including the legal procedures at the Dominican consulates.

Though Perez admitted that the situation isn’t new, she affirmed that the authorities had managed to halt the illegal practice in the past.

US$180 visa “special”

Local media report that one-year Dominican visas are being offered for US$180 in Haiti, through posters in beauty salons, barber shops and restaurants and delivered to persons interested within 48 hours, “without delay.”