Dominican Republic Tourism Sector Land Use and Organization Plan

After the approval of the Manual of Norms and Procedures for the Processing of Tourism Projects of March 9th of 2012, establishing the requirements for the processing of No Objection to the use of Land and Design Parameters, the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic (MITUR) has issued several Resolutions establishing the “Tourism Sector Land Use and Organization Plan” and modifying the Urban and Construction parameters for Samaná and Las Terrenas, the Punta Cana, Bávaro- Macao Area and the Cabarete Area, respectively, as well as other developing areas such as the Coast of Miches, and the provinces of El Seibo, Hato Mayor and Pedernales.

The purpose of these Resolutions is to regulate the urban categorization, classification and implementation of touristic projects and of any other nature with a view to promote a harmonious touristic development.

These resolutions govern matters such as the preservation of natural resources, the revaluation of the urban surroundings, the diversification of the touristic offer and the preservation of the traditional touristic model of these areas, among other aspects.

Each one of these Tourism Sector Land Use and Organization Plan Resolutions outline its scope of application, structuring, and that of the Normative Regulation. In its turn, the Normative Regulation sets the maximum soil occupancy levels, the green areas ratio, maximum permitted height and residential density that shall apply to all kinds of touristic real estate, touristic complementary or of any other nature to be developed in each of these Areas.

These Tourism Sector Land Use and Organization Plan Resolutions replace the previous resolutions on this subject and are being implemented by the Planning and Projects Department of the Ministry of Tourism, constituting a mandatory reference prior to purchasing Dominican Republic real estate or proposing tourism and real estate development projects in these areas.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Felipe Isa Castillo is a Partner leading the Foreign Investment, Real Estate & Tourism areas at Arthur & Castillo Law Firm and Attorneys in the Dominican Republic. He specializes in foreign investment, real estate and international business (International Legal Studies LLM in Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. & Masters in International E- Business in Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona) with more than 20 years of experience in Foreign Investment, Free Trade Zones, International Business and Cross Border Real Estate practice. Dr. Castillo is a Certified Bankruptcy Conciliator and Liquidator and Legal Interpreter.

Email: [email protected]

 Disclaimer: This publication is not intended to provide legal advice or suggest a guaranteed outcome as individual situations will differ and the law may have changed since publication. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.

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