Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 11. Real estate and land › Foreign ownership and the border zone

Foreign ownership and the border zone

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

The Dominican Republic has no general limit on foreign ownership of land: the Constitution gives foreigners the same rights as nationals unless a law says otherwise. The one constitutional carve out is the Zona Fronteriza, where the rules on acquiring land must favor Dominicans, but no implementing law was found in force on 30 October 2026. Bills filed in late 2025 would add limits, so check their status before any border deal.

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

Foreign ownership of urban land	No limit found Constitución art. 25, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Foreign specific limit on rural land	None found; latifundio rule applies to all owners Ley 314 de 1972 art. 1, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Border zone regime	Constitution calls for specific requirements; no implementing law found Constitución art. 10 numeral 2, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. Foreigners have the same rights and duties as nationals, with the exceptions and limits set by the Constitution and the laws.Constitución de 2024, art. 25, 2024-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. A foreigner enjoys the civil rights granted to Dominicans by treaties of the foreigner's nation. This 1884 reciprocity text remains printed in the code, but the later Constitution sets the general rule of equal rights.Código Civil, art. 11, 1884-04-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Acquiring and transferring real estate in the Zona Fronteriza is subject to specific legal requirements that favor ownership by Dominicans and the national interest.Constitución de 2024, art. 10 numeral 2, 2024-10-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. DGII states that a foreign owner can register a property for IPI using a passport, and the registry accepts passport and home country identification, so no separate foreign buyer status appears in the filing rules.DGII Guide 17 on IPI, 2026 edition, Registering a property, 2026 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Non resident foreigners are identified in registrable acts by their 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

6. Ley 16-95 closes only three activities to foreign investment and sends the rest to sector laws. Land ownership is not one of the three.Ley 16-95 sobre Inversión Extranjera, art. 5, 1995-11-20 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. A Senate bill of November 2025 would require a special authorization from the Ministry of Defence for purchases by foreigners within 50 km of the border line, without retroactive effect. It went to the border affairs committee. Press report, bill text not reviewed.Diario Libre report on the Senate border bill (press), Bill status, 2025-11-27 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: Pending only. No approval or promulgation found by 30 October 2026.

Worked example

A foreign company buys a RD$50,000,000 (about US$821,008.63) beach lot in Samaná. No foreign ownership approval applies. The same purchase in a border province should be reviewed against art. 10 and any law passed after this date.

Step by step

Confirm whether the land lies in the Zona Fronteriza.
Search Congress for the current status of the 2025 border bills if it does.
Decide on holding directly or through a company. See entities/choosing-an-entity.
Keep bank evidence of funds entering, and consider registering foreign investment made through a company with ProDominicana. See fx/foreign-investment-registration.

Common traps

Press accounts give different distances for different bills, so no border width is stated as law here.
A foreign investment certificate is built around capital in a company. Do not assume a personal home purchase fits it.
The Civil Code reciprocity article has not been expressly repealed in the printed code, so counsel should confirm no treaty issue arises for an unusual nationality.
Restrictions from the coast, protected areas and agrarian parcels apply to everyone, foreign or not.

Sources

← Buying and owning property in the Dominican RepublicTitle registration and due diligence →

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