Dominican Branch registration may be possible for foreign companies interested in doing business in the Dominican Republic (DR).

To begin the process, qualified legal counsel is required for evaluating the company incorporation documents, drafting, preparing and filing the required corporate documents for branch registration and requesting, responding, following up and obtaining a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) in the Dominican Republic.

Usually, the Dominican Branch registration to pursue general, unregulated and taxed commercial activities may be accomplished by pursuing the following:

1. a) Business Registry: The Dominican Branch registration process begins in the Business Registry of the Chamber of Commerce. A registration fee is calculated based on the authorized capital. In order to obtain Dominican Branch registration, the company must file all documents which evidence its proper incorporation in the home country and that representatives are fully authorized to register the 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 should file copy of the Business Registry indicated above and the corporate documentation evidencing Dominican Branch registration may be required by such Tax Administration. Also, it shall present a valid corporate domicile in the DR which may be subject to verification.

In order to successfully complete a Dominican Branch registration, corporate documents shall be certified, notarized and duly legalized by all applicable foreign and local authorities according to local and international law, and translations by a certified Dominican judicial interpreter shall be completed for all documents that are not in Spanish language.

Finally, the foreign company documents shall prove its valid incorporation and existence, contain all requisite general and specific information as well as proper authorizations; reasons why each request of Dominican Branch registration is always considered and processed individually.

The Dominican Branch registration of a foreign company will enable the owners of the foreign entity to conduct their business in a similar way and equal rights as a Dominican business entity.

Our experienced corporate registration professionals can assist you in evaluating foreign company documents, request and draft any additional corporate documents required to register a Dominican branch in accordance with legal and tax requirements.

Do you want more information about foreign branch registration in Dominican Republic? Contact Us.

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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