Before you begin to send out your resume to any positions in Puerto Rico or before you register with a hiring agency, you will need several documents to present along with your application. In most instances companies will do background checks for you, but for other companies in Puerto Rico, you will not get a foot in the door unless you have certain documentation that states you are eligible to work in this country.

One of the first things you want to do is go to Police Headquarters to fill out a form for a Certificate of Good Conduct or Certificado de Buena Conducta o Antecedentes Penales. You can download this form on the internet or go to the police department and pick it up. Fill it out at the station and make sure you bring copies and originals of your social security card, birth certificate, passport, or valid driver's license. While you wait for them to process the paperwork, you will need to get government issued stamps from the Department of Rentas Internas to validate your certificate. This will cost you about $1.50 for each stamp. You will need to call the Headquarters to verify their office hours.

Another document you will need is a Certificate of Health or Certificado de Salud. This entails going to get blood drawn and tuberculosis shot. There are doctors who will do everything for you at their office. You will just need to check with your town's doctors or local residents to see who does both at the same time. Results and documentation may vary between forty-eight hours up to a week. The laboratory or doctor will sign the document stating a clean bill of health. There is also a fee for the documentation that should not cost more than $25.00.

There are a number of other documents the future employer may ask you for. They may ask you to fill out a Puerto Rico tax form regarding the last four years to show whether or not you owed any taxes in Puerto Rico. You can get these documents at Department of Hacienda or go online to see if they have a form for you to fill out.

Make sure you keep your cool while you wait in line at some of these government agencies. There are many people in the offices doing the same as you, so why not take a book with you to read or an industry magazine in order to maximize your efficiency.

Links:

Department of Human Resources in Puerto Rico
http://www.dtrh.gobierno.pr/index.asp

Departamento de Hacienda
http://www.hacienda.gobierno.pr/