Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 14. Disputes › Enforcing foreign judgments in the Dominican Republic: exequatur under Ley 544-14

Enforcing foreign judgments in the Dominican Republic: exequatur under Ley 544-14

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

Foreign contentious judgments are recognised unless a listed ground applies: public order, defective service in default, a conflicting earlier decision, exclusive Dominican jurisdiction or lack of authenticity. The request goes to the civil and commercial chamber in the Distrito Nacional in a non contentious procedure, with an apostille and Spanish translation. Treaties prevail, and arbitration and insolvency follow their own rules.

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

Exequatur court	Cámara Civil y Comercial, Primera Instancia, Distrito Nacional courtLey 544-14 art. 91, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Recognition court	Cámara Civil y Comercial, Primera Instancia, Distrito Nacional courtLey 544-14 art. 91, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Reciprocity listed as a ground	No yes/noLey 544-14 art. 90, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Merits review listed as a ground	No yes/noLey 544-14 art. 90, 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. Foreign judgments in contentious matters are recognised.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 89, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Recognition is refused if manifestly contrary to public order, if the defendant was in default without proof of being summoned in person or at home, if it conflicts with an earlier recognisable decision on the same case, if it ignores exclusive Dominican jurisdiction, or if it lacks authenticity and validity conditions.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 90, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. The court is the Cámara Civil y Comercial of the First Instance Court of the Distrito Nacional, acting in a non contentious procedure once art. 97 is met. Its decision can be appealed under general rules.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 91, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Foreign public documents must meet the rules of the place of issue and carry a legalisation or apostille plus any other requirement for authenticity.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 97, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Documents not in Spanish need a translation, which can be private. If it is challenged within five days, an official translation is ordered.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 98, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Exclusive jurisdiction covers land rights and leases in the country, validity and dissolution of Dominican companies, Dominican registry entries, registered IP filed there, enforcement of foreign decisions, conservatory measures enforceable there and nationality.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 11, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Foreign voluntary jurisdiction decisions are recognised without any procedure if art. 92 conditions are met.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 93, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. Treaties prevail over Ley 544-14 in any conflict.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 3, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. Commercial arbitration and insolvency are outside the law, save as stated in it.Ley 544-14 de Derecho Internacional Privado, art. 2, 2014-12-18 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. Foreign judgments are enforceable in the manner and cases the law provides.Ley 834 de 1978, as printed in the Código de Procedimiento Civil, art. 122, replacing art. 546, 1978-07-15 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. Exequatur of foreign judgments is one of the matters where cassation lies against final merits decisions.Ley 2-23 sobre Recurso de Casación, art. 10 num. 1, 2023-01-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Worked example

A Florida court awards US$200,000 (about RD$12,171,880) against a Dominican company that was served in person. The creditor files the apostilled judgment and a Spanish translation in the Distrito Nacional. If granted, it can then seize local assets.

Step by step

Get a certified judgment and proof of service.
Apostille it.
Translate into Spanish.
File the petition in the Distrito Nacional.
Serve the decision and enforce.

Common traps

Default judgments fail without proof of effective summons, so keep the service record.
A foreign ruling on Dominican land or company status fails under art. 11.
Art. 90 does not name finality or reciprocity, but the fifth ground imports requirements of the country of origin, so bring proof that the judgment is final.

Sources

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