Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 9. Trade and customs › Central America, CARICOM and Panama: the smaller Dominican trade deals

Central America, CARICOM and Panama: the smaller Dominican trade deals

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

Three older treaties still matter for regional trade. The Central America FTA and CARICOM FTA waive certificates for shipments up to US$1,000, while CARICOM certificates expire after 180 days. Panama is only a partial deal, covering 103 Dominican and 101 Panamanian products plus a free zone list.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.8594 per US dollar for 28 October 2026, the latest row in its published rate file on the verification date and the rate Aduanas lists for 29 October 2026, rounded to the cent.

Key facts

Central America certificate waiver	1000 USDFTA art. 4.26, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
CARICOM certificate validity	180 daysCARICOM FTA origin annex, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
CARICOM certificate waiver	1000 USDCARICOM FTA art. XXI, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Dominican products with free entry to Panama	103 productsMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Panamanian products with free Dominican entry	101 productsMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. The Central America FTA covers Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, and has 4 parts and 20 chapters.MICM; Tratado de Libre Comercio RD Centroamérica, Acuerdos vigentes, 2026-10-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. A Central America certificate may cover one export, or several of the same goods for up to one year to the same importer. The exporter keeps records for at least 5 years.Tratado de Libre Comercio RD Centroamérica, art. 4.22 and art. 4.23, 1998-04-16 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. No Central America certificate is needed where customs value is up to US$1,000, and the invoice must state that a commercial shipment qualifies. The waiver fails if a shipment was split.Tratado de Libre Comercio RD Centroamérica, art. 4.26, 1998-04-16 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. MICM says the CARICOM FTA was signed in August 1998 and has been in force since 2001, and that the country is not a CARICOM member. It gives duty free entry to the more developed CARICOM islands for goods meeting the origin rule.MICM; Acuerdo de Libre Comercio con CARICOM, Acuerdos vigentes, 2026-10-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. A CARICOM certificate is valid for 180 days from issue.Acuerdo de Libre Comercio con CARICOM, Annex on origin, certificate rules, numeral 7, 1998-08-22 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. An invoice with a sworn statement replaces the certificate where value is up to US$1,000, unless it is shown that the shipment is part of a split.Acuerdo de Libre Comercio con CARICOM, Annex on origin, art. XXI, 1998-08-22 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. The Panama treaty was signed on 17 July 1985. Its application regulation took effect on 2 November 2003, by exchange of notes.Tratado Comercial RD Panamá; Resolución 15-87, art. I and chronology, 1985-07-17 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. It is a partial scope deal: 103 Dominican products enter Panama free and 101 Panamanian products enter the Dominican Republic free, with a list for free zone goods.MICM; Aduanas summary of the Panama treaty, Coverage, 2026-10-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. A Panama certificate must include the origin declaration, and the producer's declaration lasts up to 1 year. Records are kept at least 5 years.Reglamento de Aplicación del Tratado Comercial RD Panamá, certificate rules, 2003-11-02 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Worked example

A shipment of US$900 to Jamaica under the CARICOM FTA can use an invoice with a sworn statement, saving the RD$300.00 form.
Two US$900 shipments to the same buyer on one order could be treated as a split, losing the waiver.

Step by step

Check that your good is on the relevant list.
Get the certificate from the competent office, since the Aduanas fee table lists the CARICOM and Panama forms.
Check validity on arrival, and do not split shipments to use a waiver.
Keep records for 5 years.

Common traps

Sources differ on who issues certificates. The Aduanas Panama summary names CEI-RD, now ProDominicana, and the fee table lists Aduanas forms. Confirm for your treaty.
CARICOM's less developed members get different treatment from the larger islands, so check the partner.
The Panama list is short. Most goods get no preference there.
No treaty with Haiti appears by name on the MICM list, so check before assuming any preference.

Sources

Related: Dominican Republic country profile · live dashboard · central bank and release calendar · our posts on X · where Argentina is involved, see The Argentine Thread guide

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