Guides → buying · Updated 2026-07-12
How a foreigner buys property in the Dominican Republic
The exact paperwork sequence — RNC, title check, deslinde, promesa de venta, closing costs — for foreign buyers in the DR, step by step.
Good news first: the Dominican Republic has no restrictions on foreign property ownership. You buy with the same rights as a Dominican citizen. The process is simpler than most of Latin America — which is exactly why buyers get casual, skip verification steps, and fund the country’s real-estate horror stories.
The sequence
1. Retain your own lawyer. Not the seller’s, not the developer’s, not the “closing attorney the agency always uses.” Budget ~1% of purchase price. This is the single highest-leverage decision in the entire transaction.
2. Get your RNC. The tax registry number you need to transact. Your lawyer obtains it with your passport; a few days, minor cost.
3. Title verification. Your lawyer pulls the Certificado de Título at the Registro de Títulos and confirms: the seller actually owns it, no liens or encumbrances, and the deslinde (survey individualizing the parcel) is complete. A property without finished deslinde can be bought — but you inherit the delay and risk. On Caribe Scout, the “title verified” badge means these documents are on file.
4. Promesa de venta. The binding purchase contract. For preconstruction, insist on staged payments tied to construction milestones and ask where deposits are held — true escrow is not the DR default.
5. Closing. Sign the definitive contract before a notary, pay the 3% transfer tax on the government-appraised value, then register the title in your name. Registration to new-title-in-hand commonly takes weeks to months; on new builds, title delivery 6–12 months after handover is normal (annoying, but normal — plan for it).
Total transaction costs
Budget roughly 4–5% on top of price: 3% transfer tax, ~1% legal, plus small registration and notary fees. Annual carrying: 1% IPI on assessed value above the exemption (~RD$10M, adjusted yearly).
The three mistakes that cost real money
Using the seller’s lawyer. Wiring deposits before title verification. Signing a promesa with a payment schedule that outruns construction. Every expensive story we’ve collected starts with one of these.
This is research, not legal advice — confirm every step with your own DR attorney.