Import Regimes in the Dominican Republic: Choosing the Right Customs Treatment Under Law 168-21 Two companies import identical machinery into the Dominican Republic. One pays full duties and taxes at the port; the other pays nothing, because it declared the goods under a temporary admission regime tied to export production. The difference is not luck, […]
Stopping Counterfeits at the Border: The DGA’s IP Rights Registry in the Dominican Republic A brand owner discovers that a container of counterfeit goods bearing its trademark is about to clear Dominican customs. What can it do before the merchandise disperses into the market? Dominican law provides a border enforcement toolkit, but it works best […]
CONFOTUR Tax Exemptions for Tourism Projects: What Law 158-01 Still Offers After the 2026 Reform. Tourism and real estate together attracted roughly 42 cents of every dollar of foreign direct investment that entered the Dominican Republic in 2025, a record year at over US$5 billion. Much of that flow rests on a single statute from […]
Dominican Republic Residency by Investment or Retirement: The Fast Track Most Applicants Overlook A retired couple with a USD 1,500 monthly pension can skip the line. While most foreigners must first hold Dominican temporary residency and wait years to upgrade, the country’s special incentives regime for pensioners and rentiers grants permanent residency directly, often the […]
Dominican Free Zone Installation Permit: The 8 Requirements Every Applicant Must File Before a single machine is installed or a lease signed, every company seeking Dominican free zone status must clear one gate: the installation permit from the National Free Zones Council (CNZFE). The Council requires applicants to appoint a Dominican law firm as legal […]
Law 57-23: Tax Exemptions for Airlines and Aviation Operators in the Dominican Republic For an airline, the tax on an aircraft lease payment can decide whether a route to the Caribbean is profitable. The Dominican Republic understood this when it enacted Law 57-23 in October 2023, creating a dedicated tax exemption regime for national and […]
Law 173 Dealer Protection in the Dominican Republic: What Foreign Suppliers Risk by Registering a Distributor A foreign manufacturer terminates its Dominican distributor after years of disappointing sales, and receives a claim for damages calculated under a statutory formula, in a Dominican court whose jurisdiction cannot be contracted away. This scenario, familiar to trade lawyers […]
Joint Ventures in the Dominican Republic: A Partnership Without Legal Personality and Why That Matters The most consequential fact about a Dominican joint venture is what it is not: a company. Foreign investors accustomed to incorporating a JV vehicle discover that Dominican law recognizes joint ventures as purely contractual arrangements, ‘joint participation’ entities, with no […]
Border Zone Tax Incentives Under Law 12-21: A 30-Year Exemption Most Investors Overlook. While most foreign capital crowds into Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, seven provinces along the Haitian border offer something no beachfront project can match: a 30-year, 100% income tax exemption. The trade-off is location; the opportunity is a tax horizon longer than […]
Dominican Republic Visas Explained: Tourist Entry, Business Visas, Work Permits and Direct Permanent Residency Most visitors clear Dominican immigration with nothing more than a passport. But the moment a foreigner intends to work, do sustained business or settle, the country’s immigration system splits into categories with sharply different requirements, and choosing the wrong entry path […]
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