Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 13. Regulation › Bribery and corruption

Bribery and corruption

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

Bribing a public official is now active cohecho in the new Penal Code, with four to ten years of prison and a fine of four to ten times the sum. Ley 448-06 also bans bribery in trade and investment, including of foreign officials, with minimum company fines of 75 minimum salaries. A company can lose the right to bid for up to five years or for good.

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 prison term, active bribery	10 yearsLey 74-25 art. 291, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Top prison term, transnational bribery	10 yearsLey 448-06 art. 5, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Minimum company fine, in minimum salaries	75 minimum salariesLey 448-06 art. 6, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Exception for facilitation payments	None in the texts read textLey 74-25 art. 291; Ley 448-06, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. Active bribery is proposing, directly or indirectly, offers, promises, commissions, gifts or other advantages to an official to get an act of office done or not done. Prison is four to ten years; the fine is four to ten times the sum, or of the official's salary if the sum is unknown.
Example: Bribe of RD$1,000,000: fine of RD$4,000,000 to RD$10,000,000 / US$65,680.69 to US$164,201.73Ley 74-25, Código Penal, consolidated with Ley 44-26, art. 291 and paragraph, 2025-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. An official who asks for or takes the advantage faces five to ten years and the same fine range.Ley 74-25, Código Penal, consolidated with Ley 44-26, art. 292 and paragraph, 2025-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Passive influence peddling is using a personal tie to an official to get a decision for gain, or offering to do it for pay, at five to ten years and the same fine range.Ley 74-25, Código Penal, consolidated with Ley 44-26, art. 294, 2025-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. A person or company responsible for active bribery or passive influence peddling can also get the complementary penalties in arts. 30, 34 and 41.Ley 74-25, Código Penal, consolidated with Ley 44-26, art. 295, 2025-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Public corruption is any act where an official uses their position to gain or to misuse public goods. Above 1,000 public sector minimum salaries the penalty is 10 to 20 years and a fine of 10 to 20 times the sum.Ley 74-25, Código Penal, consolidated with Ley 44-26, art. 284 and art. 285 paragraph II, 2025-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. The Code stays with special laws that define offenses not in the Code, and repeals what conflicts.Ley 74-25, Código Penal, consolidated with Ley 44-26, art. 391 paragraph and art. 392, 2025-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Anyone who offers, promises or gives an official something of value in matters affecting trade or investment commits national bribery, and anyone under Dominican jurisdiction who does so to a foreign official commits transnational bribery.Ley 448-06 sobre Soborno en el Comercio y la Inversión, art. 3 and art. 4, 2006-12-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. Individuals face three to ten years and a fine of double the reward, never under 50 minimum salaries. Professionals, owners or representatives can be barred for two to five years.Ley 448-06, art. 5 and paragraph, 2006-12-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. Companies face closure or intervention for two to five years and a fine of double the reward, never under 75 minimum salaries. The legal representative is also liable.Ley 448-06, art. 6 and paragraph I, 2006-12-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. Repeat cases bring five to ten years of closure or permanent closure, and a fine of four times the reward, never under 100 minimum salaries.Ley 448-06, art. 6 paragraph II, 2006-12-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. Accomplices get the same penalty as authors, the bribe is confiscated, and good faith reporters are protected.Ley 448-06, art. 7 to art. 9, 2006-12-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

12. A foreign official includes those in any branch of government, public agencies or companies and public international organizations.Ley 448-06, art. 1 literal b, 2006-12-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

13. Company penalties include temporary or permanent exclusion from public contests, up to five years if temporary, and loss of licenses and concessions.Ley 74-25, Código Penal, consolidated with Ley 44-26, art. 41 numerals 4 and 5, 2025-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Worked example

A company pays a RD$500,000 reward under Ley 448-06: fine of double, RD$1,000,000 (US$16,420.17), unless the 75 minimum salary floor is higher, plus closure or intervention for two to five years.

Step by step

Ban payments to officials in a written policy with no facilitation exception.
Vet agents, customs brokers and permit handlers, since indirect payment counts.
Log gifts and hospitality to officials.
Tie finance controls to the policy.
Train sales and permit staff.
Offer a reporting channel.

Common traps

The text covers offers and promises. No money needs to change hands.
There is no exception for small facilitation payments in the texts read.
The Penal Code and Ley 448-06 overlap on domestic bribery. The Code repeals what conflicts, and Ley 448-06 still fills the foreign official gap, since no provision on foreign officials was found in the Code. Expect debate over which law applies.
Debarment can hurt more than the fine for State suppliers.
Influence peddling reaches consultants who sell access.

Sources

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