25
Mar

Obtaining the Dominican Republic residency by investment is one of the most commonly used options when looking for an expedited path to start residing in the Dominican Republic since this type immediately grants permanent residence, among other multiple benefits

Who qualifies for the Dominican Republic residency by investment?

The laws that govern the matter are: Law No. 171-07, Law No. 258-04 and the implementing regulation 631-11, all of them refer to various issues in the field of immigration in the Dominican Republic.

In the country, Law No. 171-07 is the one that introduces the topic of Special Incentives to Pensioners, Investors and Rentiers from a foreign source, and by reading it you can acquire all the details pertaining to this topic.

On the other hand, Dominican immigration law No. 258-04, article 33, defines and establishes who can be admitted as a Permanent Resident by Investment in the Dominican Republic, as seen below:

Foreign nationals who contribute their own goods to carry out activities of interest and economic growth for the country.

Decree No. 631-11, which is the Regulation governing the Application of the Immigration Law, establishes everything related to Foreign Investments and determines how and who can apply in articles 53 and its subsequent articles.

Article No. 55 of Decree No. 631-11, establishes that the minimum amount the foreigner must invest, in order to become eligible for this category, is Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$200,000.00). Consequently, those able to make investments equal or greater than that amount in the Dominican Republic, are eligible to apply for Residency by Investment.

How can this investment be made?

1. By contribution towards the Capital of a Commercial company, in accordance with the provisions of law No. 479-08 on companies.
2. Through an Investment Project, duly certified by the Export and Investment Center (known in Spanish as CIR-RD). On the other hand, if the project is related to a Free Zone, the certification will be issued by the National Council of Free Export Zones (known in Spanish as CNZFE).
3. Real Estate Investment.
4. Among other things that could be reviewed depending on the profile.

What are the requirements to apply?

In addition to those already established in the article, the other requirements are as follows:

•  Residence Visa (RS) with which you entered the country, granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX), through the Dominican Consulate in the country of origin of the alien (if the visa is handwritten, you must endorse it with a MIREX Certification). We elaborated on how to obtain a Residence Visa in one of our previous articles.
• Copy of the entry through the Immigration Post used to enter the Dominican Republic.
• Passport with eighteen (18) minimum months of validity. In this case, the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) is flexible and will consider the current situation of each country, along with the rigor of its regulations, for the issuance of passports.
• Full-length birth certificate (including all the information pertaining to the applicant’s parents), apostilled or legalized, as appropriate.
• In the event that the foreign national acquired a nationality other than his nationality of origin, and wishes to become a resident with that nationality, they would need to submit a copy of the naturalization, certified by the Department of Naturalization who issued it. This certification would need to be apostilled, legalized and translated into Spanish (if it is in a different language), by the Dominican Consulate in the applicant’s country of origin or by a Judicial interpreter in the Dominican Republic.
• In the event of a name change, the foreign national is required to submit the Act or document authorizing said change of name. This document would need to be apostilled and translated into Spanish (if it is in a different language), by the Dominican Consulate or by a Judicial interpreter in the Dominican Republic.
• Criminal Record Clearance Certificate, issued by the authority with jurisdiction in the country where they have resided in the last five (5) years, duly legalized or apostilled, and translated into Spanish (if it is in a different language). The kind of certifications which need to include fingerprints for verification purposes, will not be received by the General Directorate of Migration (due to the exclusion of some pieces of information from abroad on those certificates). As a result, the certification that will indeed be admitted will be the Federal certification. Additionally, if this is not your country of origin, you will need to have this certification verified with an identity document, issued in the country where you were domiciled for the past 5 years.
• Four (4) front view photos taken recently, 2×2 inch size and Four (4) right profile view photos with bare ears and without jewelry or accessories. The pictures also need to be taken in front of a white background. They must be part of a complete set of front and side view photos.
• If the name that the foreign national has registered in their passport is different from that of his birth certificate, they would need to deposit the document that legally substantiates the change. The supporting documents are the marriage certificate (if it includes the husband’s last name), the certificate of divorce (if you do not want to have your spouse’s last name listed), the adoption certificate, among others. The document needs to be apostilled and translated into Spanish if it is in a different language.
• Marriage certificate, certificate of unmarried status or proof of coexistence, if applicable, duly apostilled or legalized, as appropriate. In the event that the marriage has taken place abroad, you can attach an apostilled legible copy of the Marriage Certificate.
• Guarantee Policy contracted with the insurance company, authorized by the Directorate-General of Migration (Comercial de Seguros, Seguros Patria, and Dominicana de Seguros).

 What are the benefits of obtaining this type or category of Dominican Residence?

1. Immigration Law has established that the first residence is temporary, however, if you apply and obtain the Dominican Republic residency by investment , you are granted Permanent Residency. The latter needs to be renewed every four years (4), whereas the provisional residence is annual (1).
2. The process can be completed faster in the Directorate-General of Migration. In other words, your documentation (Dominican Residence and ID) is granted quicker this way than with other categories.
3. There is a special window for you to submit the required documentation.
4. You can choose the Dominican Nationality, shortly after obtaining Residency by Investment.
5. You can get a percentage of real estate transfer tax exemptions (on the first purchase in the Dominican Republic) and other taxes. 

Difficulties to apply for this category of Residence

We understand that the main problem is to support your case and make the investment in the Dominican Republic. You would immediately have to make use of the minimum of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars (US$200,000.00). Otherwise, we do not see major drawbacks, but a lot of benefits instead.