Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 11. Real estate and land › Buying and owning property in the Dominican Republic

Buying and owning property in the Dominican Republic

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

Foreigners buy on the same terms as Dominicans, with no permit, and ownership passes against third parties only when the deed is registered. The buyer pays a 3% transfer tax within six months and files at the Registro de Títulos, which has up to 30 working days to decide. Work from a certified title check, reserve priority for the closing, and pay above RD$1.5 million through banks.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.9007 per US dollar for 29 October 2026, the latest row in its published rate file on the verification date, rounded to the cent.

Key facts

Foreigners may own real estate directly	Yes, same rights as nationals, subject to law Constitución art. 25, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Form of transfer	Authentic deed, or private act with notary legalized signatures, then registration Res. 788-2022 art. 35; Ley 108-05 art. 90, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Maximum time for the Registrar to qualify a file	30 working daysRes. 788-2022 art. 50 paragraph, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Real estate transfer tax	3 %Ley 173-07 art. 7, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. Foreigners have the same rights and duties as nationals, subject to the exceptions in the Constitution and the laws. No general permit to buy real estate appears in the texts reviewed.Constitución de 2024, art. 25, 2024-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Everyone has the right to enjoy and dispose of their property, and the State guarantees it, with a social function.Constitución de 2024, art. 51, 2024-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Between the parties, a sale is complete and ownership passes once the thing and the price are agreed, even if neither has been delivered or paid.Código Civil, art. 1583, 1884-04-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Registration is constitutive and validating. The content of the registry is presumed exact, with no contrary proof except review for material error or fraud.Ley 108-05 de Registro Inmobiliario, as amended by Ley 51-07, art. 90, 2005-03-23 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Acts can be physical or digital, in Spanish and metric. A physical act may be an authentic deed before a notary or a private document with signatures legalized by a notary.
Cost to do it: Notary fee from the Ley 140-15 scale. See real-estate/transfer-tax-and-closing-costs.Resolución 788-2022, Reglamento General de Registro de Títulos, art. 35 literals a and f, 2022-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Deeds affecting real estate rights must be drawn up by a notary of the territory where the property sits.Ley 140-15 del Notariado, art. 19, 2015-08-12 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. The act must identify the parties with nationality, marital status and spouse details. Non resident foreigners give the same data with the number of a permanent official identity document.Resolución 788-2022, Reglamento General de Registro de Títulos, art. 36 literal a numeral 1, 2022-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. A foreign party files a passport and an official identification from the country of origin.Dirección Nacional de Registro de Títulos, Guía de Requisitos, Note on foreign applicants, transfer requirements, 2020 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. Transfers pay a unified 3% on the value of the property, within six months of completing the act.
Cost to do it: On RD$20,000,000 (about US$328,403.45): RD$600,000 (about US$9,852.10).
Example: RD$20,000,000 value, RD$600,000 tax / US$328,403.45 value, US$9,852.10 taxLey 173-07, art. 7, restating Ley 288-04 art. 20, 2007-07-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. The Registrar has up to 30 working days to qualify a file unless a different term applies. Curable defects get up to 30 calendar days, with one further 30 day extension.Resolución 788-2022, Reglamento General de Registro de Títulos, art. 50 paragraph; art. 60 and paragraph I, 2022-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. Asset tax falls on companies and sole proprietors, and its base expressly includes real estate on the balance sheet, net of depreciation. Rural land and farm real estate are excluded. Companies are not in the DGII description of the IPI, so the holding vehicle changes the yearly tax.Ley 11-92, Código Tributario, Title V, art. 401 and art. 402, 1992-05-16 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Step	Who	Term
Certification of legal status	Seller as owner asks the Registro de Títulos	Issued on request; no fixed term found
Certification with reserve of priority	Owner or holder of a registrable right	Decided in 4 working days, valid up to 15 working days
Pay transfer tax at DGII	Buyer	Within 6 months of the act
Discharge at DGII	Seller	DGII answers in 10 working days
Qualification and registration	Registrar	Up to 30 working days

Timeline for a registered property, from the legal maximum terms

Worked example

A non resident buys an apartment at RD$20,000,000 (about US$328,403.45) with a RD$10,000,000 (about US$164,201.73) mortgage in 2026. Transfer tax is RD$600,000 (about US$9,852.10), mortgage registration at 2% is RD$200,000 (about US$3,284.03), and the notary scale for a contract of up to RD$20,000,000 is RD$50,000 (about US$821.01). Budget about RD$850,000 (about US$13,957.15) before legal fees, registry charges and the small stamps.

Step by step

Agree price and form of payment, and identify the property by cadastral designation and matrícula.
Have the seller request the Certificación del Estado Jurídico and check the title chain, encumbrances and any constancia anotada.
Check IPI or asset tax is current, zoning and use, and condominium dues if any.
Sign before a notary of the place of the property, stating how each payment was made.
Pay the transfer tax at DGII and obtain the receipt.
File at the Registro de Títulos with the duplicate, the act, the IPI certification, tax receipts and stamps.
Collect the new Certificado de Título and register the property with DGII for IPI.

Common traps

An unregistered sale binds the parties but does not protect the buyer against a later registered act. Register fast.
A power of attorney signed abroad needs apostille for DGII purposes. See real-estate/title-registration-and-due-diligence.
Spouses cannot sell to each other outside narrow cases under Civil Code art. 1595, whatever the matrimonial regime, as DGII also states in Guide 18.
Buying a house does not by itself give residence. See immigration/investor-residence.

Sources

← Tax treatment of Dominican capital market operations: Ley 163-21 and the estate regimeForeign ownership and the border zone →

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