Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 13. Regulation › Consumer protection

Consumer protection

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

Ley 358-05 protects consumers and users, favors them in any doubt and fills gaps in sector laws. It sets a legal guarantee on durable goods, voids abusive clauses and lists fines up to 500 minimum salaries. In 2024 the Constitutional Court said the law lacks a clear grant of power for Pro Consumidor to fine, and asked Congress to fix it.

Key facts

Top fine before the value based alternative	500 minimum salariesLey 358-05 art. 112, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Value based alternative	5 times the value of goodsLey 358-05 art. 112, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Limit for actions	2 yearsLey 358-05 art. 134, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. The law applies between suppliers and consumers, public or private, Dominican or foreign, and in doubt reads in the consumer's favor.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 1, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. It is mandatory and supplementary to sector laws.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 2, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Durable goods carry a legal guarantee for defects, and no extra charge can apply for the guarantee or its repairs.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 66 and art. 67, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. In the guarantee, the holder gets free repair. If that fails, the holder picks replacement, a price cut or a refund.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 70, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. Final suppliers must pull expired goods from sale.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 44, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Adhesion contracts must be in Spanish at least, legible, clear and expressly accepted. Clauses excusing the supplier or waiving rights are void.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 83, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Suppliers must issue a dated invoice or document, written or digital.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 99, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. Producers, importers, distributors and sellers are jointly liable for harm, under civil law.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 102, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. Infractions are graded minor, serious or very serious by health risk, gain, intent, social effect, spread and recidivism.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 107, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. Minor: warning or fine up to 20 minimum salaries. Serious: 20 to 100, or up to five times the value of the goods. Very serious: 100 to 500, or up to five times that value.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 112, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. On high health or safety risk, the Executive Directorate can order precautionary steps, some only with a court order.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 111, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

12. The Constitutional Court rejected the challenge to arts. 17.j, 23, 31.j, 42, 112 and 117, urged Congress to pass a clear, express and unequivocal grant of sanctioning power, and held that the law lacks a power to sanction administratively. It struck the words in Ley 166-12 art. 112 that said Pro Consumidor would sanction.Sentencia TC/0723/24, Second to Fifth, 2024-11-15 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: November 2024: court urged reform and struck part of Ley 166-12 art. 112 with effect for the future.

13. Courts can order restitution of overcharges and publication of the ruling, and impose coercive fines.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 113 and art. 114, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

14. Actions lapse in two years from the last violating act, unless a different term applies.Ley 358-05 General de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor o Usuario, art. 134, 2005-07-26 official text · verified 2026-10-30

15. PENDING, press only. The Senate passed in first reading a bill to amend several articles in December 2024. No later stage was found.Bill amending Ley 358-05, press, not applicable, 2024-12-12 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Step by step

Put terms in Spanish, clear and legible.
Write a guarantee policy that fits art. 66 to 70.
Give invoices with all items.
Set a claims desk; Pro Consumidor runs conciliation.
Pull expired stock at once.
Keep sector rules first: banks, power, telecoms and insurance have their own.

Common traps

Pro Consumidor reads the ruling as strengthening its powers, while the ruling's fourth point says the law has no administrative sanctioning power. Contest a fine with that text, but expect inspections, seizures with court orders and conciliation to continue.
The ruling upheld art. 112 as constitutional, and arts. 113 and 114 speak of courts, so a route through the courts stays open.
Fines are not limited to the 500 cap: the five times value option can exceed it.
The law does not define minimum salary, so the base is open to debate.
The fault of a supplier does not shield an importer, since liability is joint.
The law's text gives no promulgation date in the copy read. The date shown is the Senate's approval date.

Sources

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