Living in the Dominican Republic: residence, property and business

Plan relocation, housing and business in the Dominican Republic alongside separate consular visa and DGM residence requirements. Investment, pension and passive-income categories require different evidence.

Residence Overview

Three documented DGM residence categories; RS entry visa is a separate consular step. No property purchase automatically grants residence or tax relief.

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Minimum Investment

Category-specific capital or foreign income evidence

Processing Time

Editorial information, not legal advice. Translations are not independently lawyer-reviewed; MIREX and DGM decide visa and residence applications.

Residency Programs

Dominican Republic investor residence

Registered qualifying FDI ≥US$200,000

Investor residence requires documented qualifying foreign direct investment and the appropriate official certificate, not merely the purchase price of a home.

Dominican Republic pensioner residence

Qualifying foreign pension ≥US$1,500/month

This category is for qualifying retirees or pensioners receiving a foreign-source pension, not any monthly salary or bank balance.

Dominican Republic rentista residence

Qualifying passive foreign income ≥US$2,000/month

Rentista is for qualifying stable passive income from abroad, such as properly certified rents, deposit returns or dividends; employment salary is not the qualifying source.

Residence Benefits

Residence, real estate and relocation
Category-specific capital or foreign income evidence

Path to Citizenship in Dominican Republic

Confirm current consular, DGM, medical and guarantee charges directly; government charges are not investment capital and this guide offers no paid residence package. Law 171-07 tax benefits require their own legal eligibility and administrative procedure, not automatic exemptions from receiving a visa. Residence and naturalization are separate; no citizenship or decision-time guarantee.

Requirements

Obtain the appropriate residence visa (RS) from MIREX through the competent Dominican consulate. It is a single-entry visa valid for use within 60 days, not the DGM residence permit. Confirm consular instructions before travelling.
Prepare the valid passport, RS visa and documented entry, residence application and photographs in the current DGM format. Confirm passport validity and file specifications directly for your nationality and consulate.
Provide birth certificate and the applicable foreign police/criminal record, apostilled or legalized as required. Provide accepted official Spanish translations where documents are in another language; observe the current certificate validity periods.
Undergo the medical examination through DGM’s authorized procedure and provide the applicable guarantee evidence. Do not substitute a private overseas medical letter or assume that buying private insurance satisfies every DGM requirement.

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