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AML penalties

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

Administrative fines under Ley 155-17 were updated in 2024, so the amounts printed in the law are stale. Non financial firms now face up to RD$5,569,610 and financial firms up to RD$13,924,025. Directors can be fined personally up to RD$4,177,207, and a criminal conviction can dissolve a company.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.9007 per US dollar, as shown on its home page on 30 October 2026, rounded to the cent.

Key facts

Top administrative fine, financial sector13924025 DOPResolución CONCLAFIT-2024-01, as of 2024-07-03 · in force
Top administrative fine, non financial5569610 DOPResolución CONCLAFIT-2024-01, as of 2024-07-03 · in force
Lowest administrative fine, non financial417721 DOPResolución CONCLAFIT-2024-01, as of 2024-07-03 · in force
Top personal fine for directors4177207 DOPResolución CONCLAFIT-2024-01, as of 2024-07-03 · in force
Minimum criminal fine for a company2000 minimum salariesLey 155-17 art. 8, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. Obligated subjects and their staff answer for breaches, after due process under Ley 107-13. The supervisor applies sanctions.Ley 155-17 contra el Lavado de Activos y el Financiamiento del Terrorismo, art. 66 and art. 67, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30
2. Very serious breaches include not filing suspicious reports, not cooperating with a written UAF request, obstructing inspection, and repeat serious breach within five years.Ley 155-17 contra el Lavado de Activos y el Financiamiento del Terrorismo, art. 69, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30
3. Financial sector fines are RD$6,962,014 to RD$13,924,025 for very serious, RD$3,481,008 to RD$6,962,012 for serious and RD$1,392,402 to RD$3,481,006 for minor breaches.
Example: US$22,863.48 to US$228,634.89Resolución CONCLAFIT-2024-01 on art. 74, First, 2024-07-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: 3 July 2024: amounts in art. 74 updated by the consumer price index; law text showed RD$1,000,000 to RD$10,000,000.
4. Non financial fines are RD$2,784,806 to RD$5,569,610 for very serious, RD$1,392,404 to RD$2,784,805 for serious and RD$417,721 to RD$1,392,402 for minor breaches.
Example: US$6,859.05 to US$91,453.96Resolución CONCLAFIT-2024-01 on art. 75, First, 2024-07-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: 3 July 2024: amounts in art. 75 updated; law text showed RD$300,000 to RD$4,000,000.
5. Directors responsible for a very serious breach pay RD$696,201 to RD$4,177,207 each, and can be removed and barred for up to 10 years.
Example: US$11,431.74 to US$68,590.46Resolución CONCLAFIT-2024-01 on art. 78; Ley 155-17 art. 72 and art. 78, First, 2024-07-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: 3 July 2024: art. 78 amounts updated from RD$500,000 to RD$3,000,000.
6. For very serious breaches or repeat cases, a licensed entity can be suspended or lose its license. Final sanctions are published.Ley 155-17 contra el Lavado de Activos y el Financiamiento del Terrorismo, art. 76 and art. 77, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30
7. Very serious breaches lapse in five years, serious in three, minor in one. For continuing activity, time runs from the end of the activity.Ley 155-17 contra el Lavado de Activos y el Financiamiento del Terrorismo, art. 80, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30
8. Fines are graded by amount, gain and other listed factors.Ley 155-17 contra el Lavado de Activos y el Financiamiento del Terrorismo, art. 79, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30
9. A company found criminally liable pays at least 2,000 minimum salaries or up to the value laundered, and can face closure, an activity ban, loss of licenses and dissolution.Ley 155-17 contra el Lavado de Activos y el Financiamiento del Terrorismo, art. 8, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30
10. Notaries and registrars who process banned cash deals without proof face six months to a year, and notaries lose office.Ley 155-17 contra el Lavado de Activos y el Financiamiento del Terrorismo, art. 4 numeral 11, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30
11. Failure to report changes at the Registro Mercantil draws 10 to 40 minimum salaries.Ley 155-17, amending Ley 3-02 art. 25, art. 108, 2017-06-01 official text · verified 2026-10-30
LevelFinancialNon financial
Very seriousRD$6,962,014 to RD$13,924,025RD$2,784,806 to RD$5,569,610
SeriousRD$3,481,008 to RD$6,962,012RD$1,392,404 to RD$2,784,805
MinorRD$1,392,402 to RD$3,481,006RD$417,721 to RD$1,392,402
Director, very seriousRD$696,201 to RD$4,177,207RD$696,201 to RD$4,177,207

Administrative fines from 3 July 2024

Step by step

  1. Use the 2024 table, not the law's amounts.
  2. Check for a newer CONCLAFIT resolution.
  3. Brief directors on personal exposure.
  4. On a finding, weigh the art. 79 factors in your defense.
  5. Fix Registro Mercantil data, which also feeds beneficial owner checks.

Common traps

  • Older law firm summaries quote RD$10 million at the top. That is now out of date.
  • Fines are per infraction, so several gaps can add up.
  • Non filing of a suspicious report is very serious, even without any laundering.
  • For due diligence breaches, limitation runs from the end of the relationship.
  • Directors are liable on top of the entity.

Sources

Related pages

Related: Dominican Republic country profile · live dashboard · central bank and release calendar · our posts on X

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