Hello again all, extreme newbie here, still trying to figure out whether a move to the DR would be feasible for me. (Hope so! but need to be realistic.) I haven't seen my particular situation described here yet, forgive me if I've missed an earlier thread on this.
I'm semi-retired and still work occasionally as a freelance English-language editor and proofreader. I basically rely on the pension for survival expenses and on the freelance work for travel, rainy-day fund, small treats, etc. I communicate with clients by email (they don't visit me in person). My work area is approximately one square meter in my kitchen ;-) None of my current clients are in the DR.
The pension is enough to meet the Dominican Republic's minimum income requirement. And I think I get how taxes work and I'm not too worried about that.
What I need to figure out is the registration or permitting requirements I'd have to meet to keep freelancing, and how expensive and demanding the paperwork is for that.
I've seen advice for expats working remotely as employees — and for self-employed expats offering services locally — but I haven't seen any for expats offering services (1) remotely, (2) on a self-employed basis, (3) for clients outside the DR. I don't even know whether that would require a work permit, a business registration, or both — and if work permit, whether there's an upper age limit to those.
Does anybody know how this would work? or could point me to some online resources (in Spanish is fine) that would explain it?
As far as other practical issues — electricity, internet, banking, different expectations on noise — yes I know there will be challenges. For now I just want to focus on the legal/regulatory picture, to make sure there's no absolute deal-breakers in there for me.
So any insights on what I'd need to do to keep this freelance arrangement going in the DR would be very welcome. Thanks for reading this long post, and thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
