Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 9. Trade and customs › Trade agreements of the Dominican Republic: five treaties, 49 markets, and origin proof for each

Trade agreements of the Dominican Republic: five treaties, 49 markets, and origin proof for each

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

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

MICM lists five trade agreements reaching 49 markets: DR-CAFTA, the EPA with the EU, Central America, CARICOM and a partial deal with Panama. Each has its own origin rule and paperwork. No preference is listed with Argentina, Mercosur or China, so most of those goods pay the full tariff.

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

Trade agreements listed	5 agreementsMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Markets reached	49 marketsMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Agreement with the United States	DR-CAFTA textMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Agreement with the European Union	CARIFORUM EU EPA textMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Agreement with Argentina	None listed by MICM textMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force
Customs union membership	None listed. Not a CARICOM member, per MICM textMICM questions page, as of 2026-10-30 · in force

The rule

1. MICM lists five trade treaties giving access to 49 international markets: DR-CAFTA, the CARIFORUM EU EPA, the Central America FTA, the CARICOM FTA and the Panama trade treaty.MICM, Integración Comercial, questions page, Acuerdos vigentes, 2026-10-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. Origin rules decide who gets the preference, and the importer must hold valid proof. Under DR-CAFTA, a claim may rest on a certification by the importer, exporter or producer.DR-CAFTA, Chapter Four, art. 4.1 and art. 4.16, 2004-08-05 official text · verified 2026-10-30

3. Customs treats wrong origin as a tax customs fault, fined at twice the tax unpaid.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 370 literal e, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Duties overpaid because no preference was claimed on originating goods can be refunded within the law's term, unless the agreement says otherwise.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 97 paragraph II, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. An advance ruling can settle preferential origin and marking before shipping.Ley 168-21 de Aduanas, art. 212, 2021-08-09 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Aduanas may verify origin at the producer's site, at home or abroad, following each agreement's procedure.Decreto 755-22, Reglamento General de Aplicación de la Ley 168-21, art. 45 numeral 4, 2022-12-23 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Goods stored in a logistics operator keep originating status if handled only in allowed ways.Ley 30-24, art. 71, 2024-07-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

Agreement	Partners	In force	Origin proof
DR-CAFTA	United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua	March 2007 for the Dominican Republic	Importer, exporter or producer certification
EPA	European Union, within CARIFORUM	January 2009, per MICM	EUR 1 certificate listed in the Aduanas fee table
Central America FTA	Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua	Date not verified	Certificate of origin, none needed up to US$1,000
CARICOM FTA	CARICOM states	In force since 2001, per MICM	Certificate valid 180 days, invoice statement up to US$1,000
Panama	Panama	Regulation since 2 November 2003	Certificate with origin declaration

Agreements listed by MICM, with origin proof rules from the treaty texts

Worked example

A buyer imports US$100,000 of US made machinery on a 14% line. With a valid DR-CAFTA claim and no remaining phase out, it saves US$14,000 of duty and US$2,520 of ITBIS on that duty. Check the phase out for the line.
That is RD$1,005,397.29 of cash saved at the border.

Step by step

Find the origin rule for your tariff line in the relevant agreement.
Compare the preference with the normal rate, including any quota.
Get the certificate or statement before the goods clear, and check its validity period.
Keep the records for at least 5 years where the agreement sets that.
Ask for an advance ruling if the rule is unclear.

Common traps

Preferences need proof. Without it the importer pays the full rate and must seek a refund within 3 years.
The Dominican Republic is not a member of CARICOM, despite having an FTA with it.
Argentine goods do not appear in any listed agreement, so they pay the normal tariff. For the Argentine side, see The Argentine Thread.
MICM's list has no date, so check for new deals before relying on it.

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

← Courier and low value imports in the Dominican Republic: US$200 and the splitting ruleDR-CAFTA: tariff preferences with the United States and Central America →

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