Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 5. FX and capital controls › Contracts and prices in foreign currency in the Dominican Republic: valid, payable as agreed, but the peso stays legal tender

Contracts and prices in foreign currency in the Dominican Republic: valid, payable as agreed, but the peso stays legal tender

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

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

A contract can be set in dollars or any other currency, and money debts are paid in the agreed currency. The peso remains the only legal tender and official books are kept in pesos. Crypto is not legal tender and not foreign currency for the exchange regime, and cash limits apply in any currency.

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

Foreign currency contracts	Valid. Debts are paid in the agreed currency textLey 183-02 art. 24, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Currency of official accounts	Dominican peso textLey 183-02 art. 24, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Legal tender status of cryptocurrency	Not legal tender, not foreign currency under the exchange regime textDGII consultation of 10 October 2023, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. The national currency is the only legal tender with full discharging effect for all public and private obligations in the country.Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, art. 24, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Money debts are paid in the agreed currency and, without an express agreement, in national currency.Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, art. 24, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Accounting of public and private entities for official matters is kept exclusively in the national monetary unit.Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, art. 24, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Exchange operations include buying and selling foreign currency and, in general, acts that create, change or extinguish an obligation payable in foreign currency, even with no movement of funds to or from abroad.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 4 literal s, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. The reference rate published by the Banco Central applies for accounting, legal and reporting purposes, and a written rate is available on request.Reglamento Cambiario, Primera Resolución JM 250911-01, art. 61 literal b and art. 72 literal b, 2025-09-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Refusing to receive national notes and coins at face value is punishable, along with currency offences, by fines of RD$500,000 to RD$2,500,000 and three to ten years in prison.
Cost to do it: Fine up to RD$2,500,000 (about US$41,050.43)Ley 183-02 Monetaria y Financiera, art. 80 literal c, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Payment in cash, in pesos or any other currency, is barred above set amounts for real estate, vehicles, boats and aircraft, jewellery and art, company shares and other listed operations.Ley 155-17 contra el Lavado de Activos, art. 64, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. The Banco Central has warned that cryptocurrencies are not legal tender. DGII records that, as restated by the Banco Central on 30 September 2021, they are not regulated or supervised, are not foreign currency under the exchange regime and are not guaranteed as a means of payment.DGII technical consultation G.L. 3667XXX, citing Constitution arts. 228 to 230 and Ley 183-02 art. 24, Consultation text, 2023-10-10 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Monthly lease	US$ contract	Peso contract
Agreed amount	US$5,000.00	RD$304,503.50
Effect of peso at 58.3402	RD$291,701 for the same dollars	RD$304,503.50, or US$5,219.45
Effect of peso at 63.9866	RD$319,933 for the same dollars	RD$304,503.50, or US$4,758.86

Same contract in two currencies at reference rate RD$60.9007

Worked example

A US$5,000 monthly lease costs a peso earner RD$304,503.50 at the reference rate. Using the highest and lowest 2026 selling rates in the Banco Central file, the same lease costs between RD$291,701 and RD$319,933, a swing of about RD$28,232 a month.

Step by step

State the currency, the payment place and the rate source in the contract.
If the contract may be paid in pesos, name the conversion rate, for example the Banco Central reference selling rate on a set date.
Book the transaction in pesos using the reference rate.
Check the art. 64 cash limits for property, vehicles and shares.

Common traps

Art. 24 and art. 80 pull in different directions if a creditor refuses pesos under a dollar contract. Art. 24 supports the agreed currency, while art. 80 punishes refusal of pesos at face value. Add a clear clause and take advice if this could matter.
A contract with no currency clause is payable in pesos.
Crypto is taxed as a capital asset since Ley 30-26, but that does not make it legal tender or an exchange channel.
The cash limits apply in any currency, so a dollar cash closing on real estate is not a way round them.

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

← Foreign currency accounts and bank credit in the Dominican Republic: dollar deposits, the 25% cap and new risk weightsForeign currency in Dominican tax and accounts: year end exchange differences and the DGII closing rates →

Get rule changes weekly

Free. One email a week from The LatAm Thread.

One more step after you press the button: we take you to Substack, where your email is already filled in. Confirm there to start. No spam, unsubscribe anytime, we never share your address. By subscribing you agree to the privacy policy.