Osinachi Okafor holding the almighty “White Paper” confirming her visa renewal approval at the American Embassy in Santo Domingo. June, 2025.
I renewed my visa at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in the first week of June, this Summer. It had to be Summer because, like many international students, I got my U.S. visa issued during the Summer ahead of the Fall semester. One of the motivating factors that led to my visa renewal was the rejection I faced with some apartment admins during my Apartment hunting quest at the end of the Spring semester, which almost everyone who stays/stays in the Rice Housing Apartments would face after their first or second year or later, as the case may be (See PART I of this blog).
I chose Santo Domingo because many African students have recorded a measurable number of successes with their visa renewals compared to our originating countries (in my case, Nigeria), and it is near the United States, too. Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic. It's a Spanish-speaking country. That Spanish they speak was one of the challenges I encountered as an English speaker from a British colony (Nigeria). Google Translate saved me as much as my phone battery allowed until my visa was renewed. While they have few English speakers there, they are warm and hospitable, which made my brief visit there much easier. Santo Domingo is a vibrant city to visit, especially during summer, due to its rich culture and historical sites, such as Boca Chica Beach. It is one of their tourist sites, including La Zona Colonial, Agora Mall, and Lago Los Tres Ojos. For more details on where to go for sightseeing, visit this site. Never forget, though,visa renewals are very sensitive; therefore, you must ensure that you have it sorted out before putting on your tourist hat! This is precisely what I did: Business before Pleasure!
Here are the steps to renew a US student visa in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
- First, apply for your Non-Immigrant Visa.
- Do not forget to put Santo-Domingo, Dominican Republic, as your country of choice.
- Fill your DS-160 (Your previously filled DS-160 when you applied to the US would show up, so edit where necessary).
- Create your non-immigrant visa application (if you have not already done so)
- Submit your DS-160
- You will be charged a non-refundable visa application processing fee of $185 to schedule an appointment.
- Visit this website to book the visa interview appointment or expedite it where necessary.
- Wait for a response from the US Embassy in Santo Domingo confirming your appointment date before booking your flight and hotel. Their emails usually begin with “Yatri: U.S. DoS Visa system”. Please watch out for it. You will also receive an email with this same heading when your visa has been successfully renewed.
- If you are comfortable with the dates given, go ahead and book your flight and accommodation; if not, write a letter to them to expedite your date with your date of choice and why the dates you were given were not okay with you. The reason could be that the dates are too close. I expedited mine, and they gave me the exact dates I had given them! So, be very positive and open-minded. And I will add advice from my kind advisor, Dr. Young, gave me; ‘Always learn to negotiate.”
- First, book your flight. I used Expedia for both my flight and hotel bookings.
- The Dominican Republic needs a special Entry and Exit E-ticket apart from your flight ticket. Please get it here.
- Then, book your accommodation. Most of us (the Nigerian students who have gone) booked with the Botanic Garden via Expedia because it was close to the Biometric venue at SAMBIL and the American Embassy. You must visit these two most crucial venues for your visa renewal. Here is the direct link on Expedia for the Botanic Garden Hostal. It is nothing fancy, but comfortable enough to house you until your visa is renewed.
- Please make sure to check with the OISS before executing this journey. It is safer to go with an expiring visa than an expired visa, in case you cannot renew it, so you can easily leave the country before the expiry date.
- On the appointed day of your journey, be on time, and ensure you have all your necessary documents. Original coloured copies of your DS-160, coloured scanned copy of your Passport Visa and ID card pages, in case you need to present them anywhere when your visa is still being processed, as was my case, because they will take your passport booklet from you for up to 3 days, Your updated i-20 (Go to OISS and request for an update), your passport booklet, a few clothes ( You could buy more there, their Dominican pesos are affordable too. Don’t you want some Caribbean clothes and stuff? I bought a straw bag from Santo Domingo for a few Pesos! Very cute). Do not forget your E tickets! Very important.
- On arrival, change some dollars, maybe 100 or 200, at any of the bureau exchanges at the airport. You may never see one again till you return to the US. Some places, like the beach and restaurants, only accept cash. Other places accept even credit cards, debit cards, or both. Go with all: Cash, credit card, and debit card. You never want to be stranded.
- Uber works very well. Just use the airport Wi-Fi to book your ride to your apartment (the apartment will email you about their gate codes and other necessary information)
- Do not forget to download the offline and online versions of Google Translate. It is a lifesaver!
- On the day of your biometrics at Sambil, go with a clear bag containing all your necessary documents. Nothing fancy. Use the apartment’s Wi-Fi to book your ride to Sambil.
- Ask for directions to the biometric hall. Everyone knows it! It is on the ground floor. Ask security guards only! Get in the queue and ask the security officer how to do biometrics for your US Visa renewal. You could be on the wrong queue, so ask! Ask! Ask!. If they don’t understand English, use Google Translate. But you must switch off all your electronic devices before entering the hall. Remember, a clear bag only!
- Once you are done, you may get a SIM card at any local network office in the same plaza. The same floor. This is because some places you may visit may not have working wi-fi, your offline Google Translate may disappoint you (it happened to me), and you do not want to risk your Uber taking you to the wrong location, as was my case. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.
- Now that you have a working SIM card with data in it, explore the SAMBIL plaza. It has a lot of eateries, salons, and shopping malls. When you are tired, go home and wait for your interview day.
- Before the D-day, have all your documents together and ready. Read articles on the OISS websites on how to answer visa interview questions. Be more than prepared. I always go over-prepared for someone who has been denied a visa once. I watch visa interview videos online. A reliable source is Argo Visa. When I first failed my US Visa interview to come to Rice in 2023, a friend of mine in Nigeria helped me prepare for the interview. He shared Argo visa videos with me. He wanted me to get accustomed to the visa vocabulary. He trained me till I went for my second interview. This time, I was more confident and I got it. I am very thankful to Smith!
- My advisor had reminded me of that unfortunate ordeal, so I went prepared. When it was my turn, the interviewer asked: “Are you from Rice University?” I replied: “Yes, Ma’am”. “Are you fully funded?”. “Yes, Ma’am”. Your visa has been approved! Easy-peasy! Your case might be as different as the Nigerian guy behind me, drilled for over 20 minutes. Please, always be overprepared, and if you are as religious as I am, add prayer and fasting in case of your “village people,” as Nigerians would term unforeseen circumstances.
- Emails on how to obtain your passport booklet back will follow. So always watch out for that “Yatri..” email.
- Follow the prompts, get your visa, tour the city, and return safely to the US.
My detailed explanation will be beneficial if you ever choose to renew your visa in Santo Domingo. Some students finish their studies with their expired visas because the I-20 validates the expired visa (please consult OISS to confirm the information, as visa rules are constantly changing). I had to renew mine because I wish to visit my home (Nigeria) at least once a year. If you want to renew yours, I hope this guideline helps you, and yes, Summer is the best time to get it done! Go beat the summer heat in the beautiful, busy waters at the Boca Chica Beach of Santo Domingo!
Extra tip:
If my guidelines are not clear enough or you need more descriptions, please watch this video clip, this one, or this one.
About the author:
Osinachi Okafor was born in Aba, Abia State. She hails from Ebenator village, Azigbo town in Nnewi LGA of Anambra State, Nigeria. She is a current Ph.D student in Art History. She got her B.A in Fine and Applied Art at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria in 2017. Read more.
Further Reading: