Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 5. FX and capital controls › Export proceeds and import payments in the Dominican Republic: no surrender rule, and the old free zone text to watch

Export proceeds and import payments in the Dominican Republic: no surrender rule, and the old free zone text to watch

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

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

Exporters are not required by Ley 183-02 to sell their foreign currency to the Banco Central, and importers buy dollars from banks or agents with no approval. The 1990 free zone law still speaks of exchanging currency at the Banco Central and of monthly reports. Those articles predate free convertibility, so confirm current practice before relying on either reading.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.9007 per US dollar for 29 October 2026, as shown on its home page on the verification date, rounded to the cent.

Key facts

Export proceeds surrender to the central bank	No general rule. Banco Central cannot require exclusive operations textLey 183-02 art. 28, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Term to bring export proceeds home	None found textLey 183-02 art. 28, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
External income test for generator of foreign currency	50 % of annual incomeCircular SB CSB-REG-202500011, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Approval to pay imports	None found textLey 183-02 art. 28, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. Foreign currency transactions are freely agreed, and the Banco Central may not require that any international exchange operation be done only with it or on terms that block free pricing.Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, art. 28, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Every impediment to free convertibility existing when Ley 183-02 took effect had one year to be eliminated, and the exchange commission was to be phased down on a Junta Monetaria schedule.Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, art. 85, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. All exchange operations go through authorized financial entities and exchange intermediaries, which issue numbered receipts for each purchase and sale.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 56 and art. 72 literal c, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Free zone companies, under the original text, must exchange at the Banco Central the currency needed for local costs such as wages, local inputs, insurance, rent and tax withheld, at the day's average rate.Ley 8-90 de Zonas Francas, art. 37 and art. 38, 1990-01-15 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Free zone operators and companies must report monthly to the Banco Central, companies within the first 15 days of each month and including local spending, for foreign exchange control purposes.Ley 8-90 de Zonas Francas, art. 12 and art. 18, 1990-01-15 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Generators of foreign currency are persons with regular external income of at least 50% of annual income, such as exporters, foreign tourism or remittance receipts. They fall outside the 25% bank credit cap.Circular SB CSB-REG-202500011, numerals 1 and 2, 2025-07-25 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Short term foreign currency finance for importing, up to one year, is excluded from the 25% cap on credit to non generators, as are credits to strategic sectors such as fuel and energy imports.Circular SB CSB-REG-202500011, numeral 1 literals a and b; numeral 2, 2025-07-25 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. Costs of purchases or payments in foreign currency are fully deductible at recorded values, backed by valid vouchers, if reasonable and in line with the market exchange rate. Deductible imports rest on the documents used for customs liquidation.Reglamento 139-98 del Impuesto sobre la Renta, art. 37 and paragraph II, 1998 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. A taxpayer must prove the origin of fund transfers to or from abroad when needed to assess tax. If the proof is not satisfactory, the tax authority may treat the funds as coming from Dominican source profits.Ley 11-92, Código Tributario, art. 272 paragraph, 1992-05-16 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Business	Status	Effect on foreign currency bank credit
Exporter with 50% or more external income	Generator	Outside the 25% cap
Tourism earning from abroad, 50% or more	Generator	Outside the 25% cap
Importer earning pesos	Non generator	Under the cap, except import finance up to one year
Energy and fuel importers	Strategic sector, non generator	Excepted from the cap

Who counts as a generator of foreign currency for bank credit

Worked example

An exporter receiving US$100,000 can hold it in a dollar account or sell it to its bank. At the 29 October 2026 reference buying rate of RD$60.4156 the sale gives about RD$6,041,560. Any peso costs it pays are its own conversion decision under Ley 183-02.

Step by step

Keep the export file with the foreign payment notice.
Hold the proceeds in a foreign currency account or sell them to a bank, and get the receipt.
For imports, buy through a bank and keep the customs file with the receipt.
Free zone companies should confirm with the Consejo Nacional de Zonas Francas and the Banco Central which Ley 8-90 reports still apply.

Common traps

Ley 8-90 art. 38 was not expressly repealed in the Ley 183-02 repeal list reviewed, but it conflicts with art. 28, which bars exclusive dealing with the Banco Central. Treat it as an open point rather than a free pass, and get written confirmation.
Ley 8-90 art. 39 still cites Ley 251 of 1964, which Ley 183-02 art. 91 repealed.
A generator that falls below the 50% test is reported as a non generator and needs four straight quarters to recover the status.
Unexplained transfers can be treated as Dominican source profits.
Dominican rules are only half of a trade with Argentina. The Argentine side is in The Argentine Thread guide.

Sources

Related: Dominican Republic country profile · live dashboard · central bank and release calendar · our posts on X · where Argentina is involved, see The Argentine Thread guide

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