Dominican Republic Immigration, residence and work visas are subject to different legal requirements.

Any foreigner that enters the Dominican Republic falling within the several Dominican immigration categories is considered a (temporary or permanent) “resident” or a “Non Resident”.

Generally, a valid Passport and a Tourist Card which may be purchased upon arrival at the airport is sufficient to enter the country. All nationals of countries that are able to legally enter the European Union, the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom may enter the Dominican Republic with a valid Passport and a Tourist Card. Citizens of certain countries only need a valid Passport (Argentina, Chile, Israel, Japan, Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador and South Korea). Any other foreigner that enters the Dominican territory, regardless of their travel purpose should obtain the corresponding visa from the Dominican Consulate abroad.

A business visa is needed for people doing business in the Dominican Republic whose stay in the Dominican Republic would not exceed 60 days. It may have multiple entries and extended by the authorities for an extra 60 days.

A work visa is needed in any case of working as an employee in the Dominican Republic during their stay. They are still subject to existing admissions regulations (priority of nationals, control of wages), but they have been granted significantly more mobility in the interest of labor market flexibility. The application for a work visa may be filed by the future employee. In all cases, a written work proposal registered before the Ministry of Labor is required. The principle of the priority of local employees does not apply in some exceptional cases as e.g.:

-Those who have executive or managerial functions, exclusively.
-Technical specialists that, under the view of the Ministry of Labor, are unable to be replaced by available Dominicans.

The following applicants may directly apply for Dominican immigration permanent residency status without having to exhaust Dominican immigration temporary residency application and status:

A. Investors of at least 200,000 USD in local businesses (including free zones and government contracts).

B. Applicants with monthly passive income of at least 2,000 USD for at least five years, which may derive from e.g.: deposits and/or investments in foreign banks, remittances from banks or finance companies established abroad, investments from business enterprises located abroad, income from foreign real estate rentals, interest from securities denominated in foreign currency issued by business located abroad, income derived from bonds issued by the Dominican Government, in foreign or local currency, provided the capital for the purchase of these bonds was generated abroad and the resulting income is converted into Dominican currency.

C. Retirees with a monthly pension of at least 1,500 USD. Such retirees may also benefit from various tax incentives in the Dominican Republic.

D. Applicants related to foreigners with permanent residency status in DR (spouses and children).

Our Immigration professionals can assist you.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dra. Maria Arthur Rodger is a Partner leading the Tax & Private Client areas at Arthur & Castillo Law Firm and Attorneys in the Dominican Republic. She specializes in tax and real estate advisory (Tax LLMs in Georgetown Law Center in Washington, D.C. & Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona) with more than 20 years of experience. Dra. Maria Arthur is also a CPA, Certified Bankruptcy 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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