Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 14. Disputes › Commercial litigation in the Dominican Republic: court levels, summons, default, costs and digital filing

Commercial litigation in the Dominican Republic: court levels, summons, default, costs and digital filing

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Changing

There is one civil and commercial track: first instance chambers, courts of appeal and the Supreme Court, with a lawyer on record throughout. A suit starts with a bailiff summons at the defendant's domicile, with an 8 day term inside the country and longer fixed terms for people abroad. The loser pays costs, foreign claimants post no security under Ley 544-14, and digital filing and virtual hearings exist with consent.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.8594 per US dollar for 28 October 2026, the latest row in its published rate file on the verification date, rounded to the cent.

Key facts

Time to appeal	1 monthCódigo de Procedimiento Civil art. 443, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Summons term in the country	8 daysCódigo de Procedimiento Civil art. 72, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Security for costs from foreign claimants	None yes/noLey 544-14 art. 9, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Minimum Supreme Court judges	16 judgesConstitución art. 152, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Virtual hearings need consent	Yes yes/noLey 339-22 art. 14, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Rate used for USD conversions	60.8594 DOP per USDBanco Central reference selling rate, 28 October 2026, as of 2026-10-28 · in force

The rule

1. The Supreme Court sits in a First Chamber for civil and commercial matters, a Second for criminal, a Third for labor, land, administrative and tax, and United Chambers for second cassation appeals.Ley 2-23 sobre Recurso de Casación, art. 6, 2023-01-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Courts of appeal and first instance courts exist as the law determines, and appeals go to the courts of appeal.Constitución de 2024, art. 157, art. 159 and art. 160, 2024-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. In personal actions the defendant is summoned before the court of its domicile. With several defendants the claimant may choose the domicile of any of them.Código de Procedimiento Civil, art. 59, Poder Judicial compilation official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. A company is summoned at its registered house while it exists. The summons must state the claimant, its lawyer and a summary of the grounds, on pain of nullity.Código de Procedimiento Civil, art. 61, art. 69 num. 5 and art. 70, 1940-05-31 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. The ordinary term to appear is the octave, 8 days, for people domiciled in the country. The president may allow a shorter term in urgent cases. A day is added per 30 kilometres of distance.Código de Procedimiento Civil, art. 72 and art. 1033, 1940-05-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Procedural objections must be raised together and before any defence on the merits, or they are inadmissible.Ley 834 de 1978, as printed in the Código de Procedimiento Civil, art. 2, 1978-07-15 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. If the defendant does not appear, the court pronounces default, but the claim only succeeds if it is fair and rests on lawful proof.Código de Procedimiento Civil, art. 149 and art. 150, 1978-07-15 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. The losing party pays costs, though judges may split them when each side loses in part. Costs fall due once the judgment on the merits is final.
Cost to do it: Costs are procedural sums, not a full recovery of private counsel fees. No official fee schedule was verified, so no figure is given.Código de Procedimiento Civil, art. 130 and art. 131, 1941-07-25 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. A first instance judgment can be enforced during appeal only if provisional enforcement applies by law or was ordered, usually with security. An appeal otherwise suspends it. The president of the court of appeal can stop provisional enforcement if it is banned or manifestly excessive.Ley 834 de 1978, as printed in the Código de Procedimiento Civil, art. 127, art. 128, art. 130 and art. 137; Código art. 457, 1978-07-15 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. A foreign claimant gets access on equal terms and no security for costs can be imposed for being foreign or for lacking a domicile.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 9, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. Users can choose a digital judicial mailbox for notices. Virtual hearings exist in all matters but criminal, need the parties' prior consent, and the default is in person.Ley 339-22, art. 10 and art. 14, 2022-07-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

12. Filing stamp taxes set in 1991 are nominal: RD$3 to RD$25 per filing or conclusion, for courts from peace courts to the Supreme Court, with labor cases exempt.
Cost to do it: RD$25 (about US$0.41) on a cassation brief in the 1991 text. Later changes were not checked.Ley 33-91, art. 2 in the DGII copy, 1991 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Stage	Term	Source
Summons, party in the country	8 days plus distance	CPC art. 72, 1033
Appeal	1 month from notice	CPC art. 443
Cassation	20 working days	Ley 2-23 art. 14
Referimiento appeal	15 days	Ley 834 art. 106

Core procedural terms

Worked example

A company sues for RD$3,000,000 (about US$49,293.95) and wins. Unless the judgment orders provisional enforcement, an appeal within one month stops collection until the court of appeal rules.

Step by step

Confirm the defendant's domicile and registered house.
Have a bailiff serve the summons with lawyer details.
Ask for provisional enforcement in the claim itself.
Choose the digital mailbox at the start if wanted.
Serve the judgment to start appeal time.

Common traps

Peace court amount limits: the Poder Judicial compiled code still prints old figures for art. 1 next to a note of change by Ley 38-98, and bills to raise them exist, so confirm the current limit with counsel before filing a small claim.
Costs do not cover real counsel fees, so model a net recovery.
A press report of 22 October 2026 says the Senate passed a reform of arts. 5, 12 and 14 of Ley 339-22. Promulgation and the final text were not found, so virtual hearing rules may change.
The old foreign claimant bond in Código Civil art. 16 still appears in the code, but Ley 544-14 art. 9 is later and bars it.

Sources

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