How to buy in the Dominican Republic from the United States
Foreigners can buy property in the Dominican Republic with the same rights as Dominicans. What changes is the distance: almost everything is decided over photos, video calls and wire transfers. This guide sums up the process and what to check before moving money.
Leer en español · Updated 2026-10-18
1. What you need before you start
- A valid passport and, if you will sign remotely, an apostilled power of attorney to someone you trust in the DR.
- A Dominican lawyer independent from the seller and the agent: checks the title, drafts the contract and attends the signing.
- Clarity about the use: living, seasonal rental or second home changes the area, the property type and the fixed costs.
2. How payment works from abroad
The usual route is an international wire in US dollars to the seller or to the lawyer (escrow) after signing the promise-of-sale contract. Always get bank details in writing and confirm them through a second channel: last-minute account changes are the most common scam.
On SIP you can verify an agent by name, @username, phone or CBR before sending money, and use the Safe Purchase checklist inside the app.
3. Taxes and closing costs
A property transfer pays a 3% tax on the value set by the DGII (the higher of the price and the official appraisal), plus legal and notary costs that usually run between 1% and 1.5%. New low-cost homes through a trust may be exempt. The closing-cost calculator estimates the total with source and date.
4. What to check in the title
- Title certificate in the seller's name and a legal-status certification (no mortgages or oppositions) issued by the Title Registry.
- Survey (deslinde): the parcel must be individualised; without it, land is an undivided share of a larger plot.
- Property tax (IPI) paid up and, in condos, no maintenance arrears.
- In projects under construction: permits, trust or developer guarantee and a written delivery schedule.
5. After the purchase
The change of owner at the Title Registry takes weeks; keep the DGII receipt and the contract. If you will rent seasonally, check the condo rules and the Ministry of Tourism registration. If you will live there, residency by investment is a separate process with its own lawyer.
See every listing, with the map, filters and the calculators, in the SIP app.
See all in the app
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- Founding Agents: publish for free on SIP
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Check every figure with a professional before deciding.