Dominican Branch may be registered by foreign companies interested in doing business in the Dominican Republic (DR). Under Dominican law, a registered foreign company branch office can enter into contracts and execute and settle transactions in its own name, and can sue and be sued at its place of business.

In order to successfully complete a DR branch registration, the foreign company documents shall prove its valid incorporation and existence, contain all general and specific information as well as proper authorizations; corporate documents shall be certified, notarized and duly legalized by all applicable foreign and local authorities according to local and international law.

The registration of a foreign company branch before local authorities will enable the owners of the foreign entity to conduct business in a similar way and equal rights as a DR business entity.

Branches of foreign corporations are in general treated the same way as legal entities for tax purposes. They are however not subject to issuance stamp tax upon formation. Profits of a Dominican branch office are exempt from taxation (Dominican withholding tax) in the partner-nation under the double-taxation agreements which Dominican Republic has signed.

To register a branch in the DR, it is necessary to provide certified company incorporation, shareholder and manager verification and a power of attorney to qualified attorneys who will draft, prepare and file the request of branch registration at the business register and request and obtain a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) in the Dominican Republic.

Usually, the registration of a branch to pursue general, unregulated and taxed commercial activities may be accomplished by pursuing the following:

1. a) Business Registry: The Company should be registered in the Business Registry of the Chamber of Commerce where its local domicile will be located. A registration fee is calculated based on the authorized capital. In order to obtain this registry, the company must file all documents which evidence its proper incorporation in the home country and that representatives are fully authorized to register the foreign company branch.
2. b) TIN: Issued by the Tax Administration. It is a number that shall serve for identifying the business’s taxable activities and for the control of the duties and obligations derived therefrom. To obtain such registration, the company shall file copy of the Business Registry and the corporate documentation that may be required by such Tax Administration. It shall also present a valid corporate domicile in the DR which may be subject to verification.

We provide a complete range of company incorporation and branch registration services and corporate advisory.

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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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