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Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 9. Trade and customs › Exporting from the Dominican Republic: no export duty on the way out, 20 days to ship

Exporting from the Dominican Republic: no export duty on the way out, 20 days to ship

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

Exporters declare electronically at least 48 hours before a ship sails or 4 hours before a flight, and the declaration lasts 20 calendar days. MICM says no taxes are paid at export. Exports are shipped through zones under customs control, and origin paperwork for the destination market is the job to plan.

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

Sea export declaration lead time48 hoursLey 168-21 art. 200, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Air export declaration lead time4 hoursLey 168-21 art. 200, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Export declaration validity20 calendar daysLey 168-21 art. 183, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Export dutyNone at export, per MICM textMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Export declaration fee300 DOPNorma General 01-2023, as of 2024-01-02 · in force

The rule

1. Definitive export is the exit of national or nationalized goods for use abroad. Sales to foreign flagged ships and aircraft in the primary zone count too, if invoiced as foreign sales.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 246, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
2. By sea the declaration goes in at least 48 hours before departure. By air it is 4 hours, except perishables. By land it is 48 hours, with a simplified route for border market trade.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 200, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
3. A declaration is valid for 20 calendar days from acceptance. If the goods do not ship, it is rejected and the process restarts. Aduanas may add up to 10 calendar days if the goods are already in the primary zone and logistics cause the delay.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas; Norma General 02-2019, Ley art. 183 and 186; Norma art. 6, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
4. The export file attaches the commercial invoice, or a packing list where there is no sale, and the non negotiable transport document, among others.Norma General 02-2019 de la DGA, art. 3 and art. 5, 2019-12-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
5. Exports are dispatched when the ship or aircraft leaves, or when the land transport passes the last Dominican customs control.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 196, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
6. Aduanas refuses boarding for cargo pending verification, without required permits or manifested in excess of the declaration.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 185, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
7. Any tax on an export is due right after approval of the declaration, if a law imposes one. MICM states that no additional taxes are paid at the exporting customs office.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas; MICM questions page, art. 101 paragraph, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
8. A definitive export declaration withdrawn by the declarant is simply left without effect.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 221 paragraph III, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
9. Temporary exit runs for 6 months, renewable once for the same period, and construction work can be extended as needed. Goods sent for processing abroad have 6 months plus 3.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 262 and art. 273, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30
10. Exporters get a registration card from the export center, needed only where an institution asks for it, and may claim refunds of ITBIS and selective tax on inputs incorporated in exports under the export law.Ley 84-99 de Reactivación y Fomento de las Exportaciones, art. 11 and art. 12, 1999-08-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30
11. Sales to industrial free zone companies count as in situ exports for those benefits.Ley 84-99, art. 13, 1999-08-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30
12. Export proceeds have no surrender rule in the exchange law, and that topic is covered in the FX section.Ley 183-02, art. 28, 2002-11-21 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Worked example

  • A cigar exporter books a vessel leaving on a Friday. The declaration must be accepted by the Wednesday before. Cost at customs is the RD$300.00 (US$4.93) declaration fee plus a RD$450.00 (US$7.39) EUR 1 certificate if selling to the EU, with no export duty.

Step by step

  1. Register as exporter, and get any product permit before shipping.
  2. Book transport and file the export declaration in SIGA within the lead time.
  3. Attach the invoice and transport document, plus origin certificates for the destination.
  4. Move the cargo to the primary zone once authorized, and pass any inspection.
  5. The carrier requests boarding, and the export closes at departure.
  6. Claim any duty or tax relief with the export file through the export center.

Common traps

  • Late cargo voids the declaration after 20 calendar days unless an extension was granted in time.
  • Mixed shipments need separate declarations, since one declaration cannot cover different regimes, per Norma 02-2019 art. 3.
  • Norma 02-2019 predates Ley 168-21 and cites Decreto 262-15, so check it against the law on any conflict.
  • A false origin certificate from a Dominican exporter is treated like a false import statement under DR-CAFTA art. 4.18.
  • Ley 84-99 still names CEDOPEX, while Ley 168-21 names CEI-RD, now ProDominicana.

Sources

Related pages

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

← Customs service fees in the Dominican Republic: flat charges per container, not a percentage of valueTemporary admission, drawback and other duty relief regimes in the Dominican Republic →

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