Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 7. Labor and employment › Apprentices, minors and internships in the Dominican Republic

Apprentices, minors and internships in the Dominican Republic

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

The minimum working age is 14, with extra limits up to age 16 and a hazardous work list up to age 18. Training contracts mix work and instruction, and INFOTEP is funded by the 1% payroll levy. Student internships under education rules do not create contractual duties for the company.

Key facts

Minimum working age	14 yearsLey 16-92 art. 245, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Age treated as adult for the contract	16 yearsLey 16-92 art. 17, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Maximum daily hours under 16	6 hoursLey 16-92 art. 247, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. Work by anyone under 14 is banned, save for individual Ministry permits for arts and science.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 245, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. A person of 16 or an emancipated minor is treated as an adult for the contract. Those of 14 to 16 need permission from parents or a tutor, and from a justice of the peace if they disagree.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 17, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Workers under 16 cannot work nights, cannot exceed six hours a day, need a medical certificate, and cannot do hazardous or unhealthy work, work as messengers or sell alcohol at retail.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 246 to art. 253, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Employers of minors must allow time for school and training.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 254, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Resolución 10-2023 lists 40 groups of hazardous and unhealthy work barred for those under 18. It repealed Resolución 52/2004 and modified the older list.Resolución 10-2023, Third and Sixth, 2023-11-13 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. A training contract has the worker give work and receive training, and the employer pays and teaches. Student internships under education law are excluded and create no contractual duties for the employer.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 255, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Workers have a right to training suited to their work, and training that the company requires is free and mandatory.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 256, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. The employer may set its own plans or join INFOTEP plans, but this does not lift its duties to INFOTEP.Ley 16-92, Código de Trabajo, art. 257, 1992-05-29 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. An apprentice's minimum pay follows art. 257 but on the hours of practical training done in the company.Resolución CNS-01-2025, Seventh, 2025-02-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. Internships under art. 255 can end without labor liability, but they cannot fill vacancies or replace staff, and a simulated internship can be treated as an indefinite contract. Internships set by special laws are outside this resolution.Resolución 8-2023, First and Second, 2023-08-24 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. INFOTEP receives 1% of the fixed monthly payroll from employers.Ley 116-80, art. 24, 1980 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Age	Rule
Under 14	Banned save for arts permits
14 to 15	Parental permission, six hours a day, no nights, no hazardous work
16 to 17	Adult for the contract, hazardous list still applies
18 and over	General rules

Age rules

Worked example

A hotel takes 10 university students on a required study internship. If it is part of their study plan under education rules, art. 255 keeps it out of the training contract title. If the students simply work shifts unrelated to study, the art. 15 presumption of a contract applies.

Step by step

Check IDs and age for every hire.
Get parental permission for those aged 14 to 15.
Screen tasks against the hazardous list.
Put internships in an agreement with the school.
Keep the 1% INFOTEP payment current.

Common traps

An unpaid intern doing a regular job is a worker in the eyes of art. 15.
Domestic work under 18 is banned outright.
Vacation cannot be split for minors under art. 177.

Sources

← Domestic workers in the Dominican Republic: Convention 189, the 2022 resolution and the RD$13,000 minimumDisability hiring quota in the Dominican Republic: the 2% rule for private employers →

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