How to start a business in Dominican Republic as a foreigner (2026)
Starting a business in Dominican Republic as a foreigner: moderate.
The Dominican Republic permits 100% foreign ownership in nearly all sectors without prior governmental approval, granting foreign investors national treatment under Law No. 16-95. Company formation involves three mandatory sequential steps, trade-name registration (ONAPI), mercantile registry (Chamber of Commerce), and tax-ID registration (DGII/RNC), typically completed in 2-4 weeks. The process is accessible but requires apostilled foreign documents, Spanish-language filings, and sector-specific capital thresholds, placing it in the moderate category.
Legal framework
Law No. 479-08 on Commercial Companies and Individual Limited Liability Enterprises (as amended by Law 31-11); Law No. 16-95 on Foreign Investment; Law No. 3-02 on Commercial Registration
Key points: starting a business in Dominican Republic
Foreign ownership
100% foreign ownership is permitted in virtually all sectors. Law No. 16-95 guarantees national treatment and imposes no prior-approval requirement except in regulated sectors (e.g., banking, insurance) where domestic investors face the same approval. Prohibited only for activities involving disposal of foreign-origin hazardous waste, activities that damage public health/environment, and production of national-defence materiel.
Entity types & minimum capital
The main forms are SRL (LLC, minimum DOP 100,000 capital, 2-50 shareholders), SA (Joint Stock, minimum DOP 30,000,000 capital, paid-up deposit required before registration), SAS (Simplified Joint Stock, flexible), and EIRL (sole-shareholder LLC). SRL is the most common choice for foreign SMEs.
Incorporation steps
Three mandatory steps: (1) Register trade name with ONAPI (National Office of Industrial Property); (2) File articles of incorporation and obtain Mercantile Registry Certificate from the relevant Chamber of Commerce and Production; (3) Register with DGII to obtain an RNC (National Taxpayers' Registry number), DGII processes online submissions within 3 business days (up to 15 if economic-activity verification is needed).
Foreign-document requirements
Foreign shareholders must supply apostilled identity documents (passport) and any corporate documents in Spanish or with certified Spanish translation. A local legal representative is required for the filing; the representative may themselves be a foreigner.
Foreign investment registration (CEI-RD / ProDominicana)
To access the treaty protections and benefits of Law No. 16-95 (e.g., free repatriation of profits, protection against expropriation), foreign investors must register with ProDominicana/CEI-RD within 180 days of completing the investment. CEI-RD issues a registration certificate within 15 business days. This step is optional for operating the company but required to claim statutory investment protections.
Typical timeline & costs
End-to-end incorporation (ONAPI → Mercantile Registry → RNC) typically takes 2-4 weeks. There are government fees at each stage (ONAPI name search/registration, Chamber filing fee proportional to capital, 1% incorporation tax on authorised capital paid to DGII). No exchange controls and no restrictions on repatriating funds.
Timeline of decisions
- Guidance · officialUS State Dept 2025 Investment Climate Statement: Structural Reform Gaps Persist
The annual US assessment found that despite strong FDI inflows and ProDominicana's investment-promotion support, foreign investors continue to cite lack of transparency and poor enforcement of existing laws as key barriers; measures to simplify business-registration bureaucracy remain deprioritized by the Abinader government.
US Department of State
- Law · officialLaw 155-17: AML/CFT Act Mandates Beneficial Ownership Disclosure at Formation
The Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act required all companies to identify and declare to the DGII any natural person holding ≥20% of share capital as the ultimate beneficial owner; the disclosure is embedded in the RNC registration form (RC-02) and annual tax filings, adding a compliance layer to the business-formation process.
FATF / UAF República Dominicana
- Decision · officialFormalízate One-Stop Shop Launched, Consolidating Registration Steps
The government rolled out the Formalízate digital single-window platform integrating commercial registry, DGII tax-ID issuance, and fee payments into one process; IDB research confirmed the program produced a statistically significant increase in micro-firm formalization, particularly in commerce and tourism, and improved women's labor-market participation.
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
- Law · officialLaw 31-11: Simplified Anonymous Company (SAS) Introduced for Entrepreneurs
Amendment to Law 479-08 created the Sociedad Anónima Simplificada (SAS), a flexible corporate form requiring no minimum capital and permitting single-shareholder formation by one natural or legal person, specifically designed to lower the barrier for entrepreneurs and SMEs to incorporate formally.
WIPO Lex / Dominican Republic Congress
- Law · officialLaw 3-02: Mandatory Commercial Registry (Registro Mercantil) Established
Law 3-02 created a unified, mandatory, and publicly accessible Commercial Registry administered by the Chambers of Commerce under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, requiring all enterprises to register within one month of formation; the registry became the primary legal gateway for any business seeking to operate lawfully.
Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y MiPymes (MICM)
Sources
- practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/doing-business-in-2025/dominican-republic
- simv.gob.do/wpfd_file/ley-no-479-08/
- ayuda.dgii.gov.do/conversations/registro-nacional-de-contribuyentes-rnc/ca1892-qu-debo-
- state.gov/reports/2021-investment-climate-statements/dominican-republic
- amcham.org.do/en/entendiendo-la-legislacion-mercantil-y-como-se-organizan-los-negoc
- archive.doingbusiness.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/dominican-republic
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