Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 5. FX and capital controls › Registering foreign investment in the Dominican Republic: ProDominicana certificate, free of charge in 15 working days
Registering foreign investment in the Dominican Republic: ProDominicana certificate, free of charge in 15 working days
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Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Stable
Foreign investors register each investment with ProDominicana, the former CEI-RD, and receive the certificate that banks ask to see for remittances. Ley 98-03 says to register as soon as the investment is made, and the decree gives 180 calendar days. The service sheet shows no fee and 15 working days once the file is complete.
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 investment registration | Required by Ley 16-95, filed with ProDominicana textLey 16-95 art. 4 as amended by Ley 98-03 art. 12, as of 2026-10-30 · in force |
|---|---|
| Registration deadline in the decree | 180 calendar daysDecreto 214-04 art. 3, as of 2026-10-30 · in force |
| Time to issue the certificate | 15 working daysDecreto 214-04 art. 3, as of 2026-10-30 · in force |
| Registration fee | 0 DOPVentanilla Única service sheet, as of 2026-10-30 · in force |
| Reinvested profits filing deadline | 90 calendar daysDecreto 214-04 art. 3 paragraph IV, as of 2026-10-30 · in force |
| Certificates reported by ProDominicana in its 2025 report | 15 certificatesMemoria Institucional 2025, as of 2025-12-31 · in force |
The rule
1. Foreign direct investment is a contribution from abroad, owned by foreign persons or by Dominicans living abroad, to the capital of a company operating in the country. A foreign investor is the owner of a duly registered foreign investment.Ley 16-95 sobre Inversión Extranjera, art. 1 literals a and d, 1995-11-20 official text · verified 2026-10-30
2. Investment may take the form of freely convertible currency exchanged at an authorized financial entity or exchange agent, contributions in kind including tangible goods and intangible technology, and financial instruments the Junta Monetaria treats as foreign investment.Ley 16-95 sobre Inversión Extranjera as amended by Ley 98-03 (CEI-RD), art. 2; Ley 98-03 art. 11, 2003-06-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30
3. All investors must register as soon as the investment is made. Ley 98-03 moved the registry from the Banco Central to the CEI-RD, now ProDominicana.Ley 98-03 (CEI-RD), art. 9 and art. 12, 2003-06-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: Ley 98-03 of 17 June 2003 replaced the original 90 day term and the Banco Central registry.
4. The application is filed within 180 calendar days of each investment, and the agency has 15 working days to issue the certificate once the file is complete.
Cost to do it: Certificate fee RD$0 (US$0) per the Ventanilla Única service sheet. Lawyer and translation costs are extra and vary.Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 3, 2004-03-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
Cost to do it: Certificate fee RD$0 (US$0) per the Ventanilla Única service sheet. Lawyer and translation costs are extra and vary.Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 3, 2004-03-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
5. Cash investment needs proof of entry of the funds, by check copy or bank transfer notice, and the exchange document from an authorized entity. Cash used for a purpose under art. 3 of Ley 16-95 and agreed in convertible currency also needs a notarized contract showing the funds were fully used for it.Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 3 paragraph II, 2004-03-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
6. Investment in kind needs the commercial invoice, bill of lading and customs liquidation. Goods arriving in stages get a provisional certificate against a sworn statement, replaced by a definitive one when complete.Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 3 paragraph III literals a and b, 2004-03-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
7. Credit from abroad counts as foreign investment only if the loan is to the foreign investor, not to the company receiving the investment.Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 3 paragraph III literal c, 2004-03-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
8. Reinvested profits and new investment from profits are registered within 90 calendar days of the decision to distribute, with audited accounts, the shareholders' minutes and proof of tax paid. Once registered they are treated as direct investment.Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 3 paragraph IV, 2004-03-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
9. Free zone companies register through the Consejo Nacional de Zonas Francas de Exportación, which passes the information to the agency.Ley 98-03 (CEI-RD), new art. 4 paragraph III of Ley 16-95; Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 12; art. 2 literal b, 2003-06-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30
10. Technology licence contracts are also registered, with proof of the licensor's rights. Royalty and technical fee remittances under Ley 16-95 require the contract and amounts to have been approved by the agency.Ley 98-03 (CEI-RD); Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 13; art. 6, 2003-06-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30
11. Foreign investment is barred in disposal of toxic, hazardous or radioactive waste not produced in the country, activities harming public health or the environment, and production of defence materials without express Executive authorization. Foreign investors otherwise have the same rights and duties as nationals, save exceptions in this or special laws.Ley 16-95 sobre Inversión Extranjera, art. 5 and art. 6, 1995-11-20 official text · verified 2026-10-30
12. A lost certificate is replaced on a sworn statement. A certificate obtained by fraud is revoked. The agency can cancel or adjust a registration if the investor is not on the shareholder list or the stake does not match.Decreto 214-04, Reglamento de Aplicación del Registro de la Inversión Extranjera, art. 8, 2004-03-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Agency fee | RD$0 (US$0) | Ventanilla Única sheet; zero rate since 2021 per ProDominicana guide |
| Filing window | As soon as made; 180 calendar days in the decree | Ley 98-03 art. 12; Decreto 214-04 art. 3 |
| Issue time | 15 working days from a complete file | Decreto 214-04 art. 3 |
| Reinvestment filing | 90 calendar days from the decision to distribute | Decreto 214-04 art. 3 paragraph IV |
Registration cost and timing
Worked example
- A Spanish company capitalizes a new S.R.L. with US$250,000 by wire, about RD$15,225,175 at the reference rate. The bank's exchange document and the wire notice go into the file with the company documents. ProDominicana's fee is zero, and a complete file should produce the certificate in 15 working days.
Step by step
- Form or identify the receiving company and get its RNC.
- Wire the funds and sell them through an authorized entity, keeping the exchange document.
- Create a user on the Ventanilla Única de Inversión and upload the file. The sheet lists the investor, the receiving company, the amount in US dollars, sector, origin, jobs, constitutive documents and RNC.
- Answer the legal and financial review.
- Keep the original certificate. It is needed to repatriate capital.
Common traps
- Do not rely on the old 90 day term in copies of Ley 16-95 that omit the 2003 amendment, and do not wait for day 180 either: the law says as soon as possible.
- Keeping funds in dollars and never exchanging them leaves no exchange document, which the decree lists for cash investment. Plan the paperwork with the bank first.
- A ProDominicana transparency page still mentions a variable cost by amount. The service sheet and guide show zero, so confirm when filing.
- A shareholder loan to the company does not register as investment. It goes on the Banco Central form instead.
Sources
- Ley 16-95, DGII copy
- Ley 98-03, FAOLEX copy of the gazette text
- Decreto 214-04, DGII copy
- Ventanilla Única de Inversión, foreign direct investment registration sheet
- ProDominicana investment guide
- ProDominicana Memoria Institucional 2025
Related pages
- fx/fx-and-capital-controls
- fx/capital-contributions-and-repatriation
- fx/dividends-and-profit-repatriation
- entities/choosing-an-entity
- entities/branch-of-a-foreign-company
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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