How to Sell Property in the Dominican Republic: A Step-by-Step Guide for Foreign Owners (2026)

How to Sell Property in the Dominican Republic: A Step-by-Step Guide for Foreign Owners

Selling a home, condo, or land in the Dominican Republic as a foreign owner is very doable in 2026 — but it is not the same as selling back home. The paperwork is in Spanish, the tax authority (DGII) wants its cut, and the wrong agent or attorney can stall a deal for months. This guide walks you through the realistic process, the documents you'll need, who pays what, and the pitfalls that trip up non-resident sellers.

A note before you start: Dominican laws, tax thresholds, and fees change. Treat the figures below as orientation and confirm anything that affects your wallet with DGII, the Jurisdicción Inmobiliaria, and an independent licensed Dominican attorney — not the buyer's lawyer, and not the developer's.

Step 1: Get Your Title and Documents in Order Before You List

The single biggest reason DR sales fall apart is that the seller's paperwork isn't clean. Before you list, confirm you have:

• Certificado de Título (the modern, post-Law 108-05 title) in your name, with no liens or annotations on the back.
• Deslinde completed (individualized survey/cadastral plan). Older "Constancia Anotada" titles still exist and can be sold, but most serious buyers and their lawyers will discount the price or refuse until deslinde is done.
• IPI (annual property tax) receipts up to date with DGII, if your property is over the indexed exemption threshold.
• HOA / condominio account current, with a carta de no deuda (letter of no debt) ready from the administrator.
• CFE / Edenorte / Edesur electricity and water bills paid.
• Your cédula (if a resident) or passport, plus your RNC if you bought through a Dominican SRL.
• If you bought via an SRL: corporate books, last assemblies, and tax filings up to date.

Pull a fresh Certificación de Estado Jurídico del Inmueble from the Registro de Títulos. This is the official "status report" on your title and will be the first thing the buyer's attorney requests. Better you find a problem now than two days before closing.

Step 2: Price Realistically for the DR Market

Foreign sellers consistently overprice. Reasons:

• You're anchored to what you paid (often peak pre-construction) plus what you spent renovating.
• Listings in DR portals are asking prices, not sold prices — there is no MLS-style closed-sale database, so "comps" are noisy.
• The market is segmented by buyer type: cash foreign buyers in Punta Cana and Las Terrenas behave very differently from local-financed buyers in Santiago or Santo Domingo.

Get two or three independent opinions from agents who actually close deals in your micro-market (your specific tower, gated community, or beach town), and ask them for recent closed comparables, not active listings. If you have time, a private tasación (appraisal) from a licensed appraiser is worth the few hundred dollars.

Step 3: Choose an Agent — Carefully

The DR is moving toward more regulation of real estate agents (AEI and CNI registration, anti-money-laundering reporting), but the market still has plenty of unlicensed operators. When you interview agents:

• Ask for their AEI or association membership and their RNC.
• Get the commission in writing — typically 5–7% plus ITBIS (the 18% VAT) on the commission, but it is negotiable.
• Clarify exclusive vs open listing, and the term (90–180 days is normal).
• Ask how they handle foreign buyers, escrow, and remote closings.
• Confirm who pays for professional photos, drone, and marketing.

Avoid agents who pressure you to also use their attorney or their notary. You want independent professionals on your side.

Step 4: Engage Your Own Dominican Attorney

Your abogado — not the buyer's — drafts or reviews the Promesa de Venta (promise of sale), the final Contrato de Venta, the powers of attorney if you're selling remotely, and coordinates with the notary. Expect legal fees of roughly 1–1.5% of the sale price, sometimes a flat fee on higher-priced deals. Get the engagement letter in writing.

If you're abroad, you'll likely sign a Poder Especial (special power of attorney) in front of a notary in your home country, then have it apostilled (Hague Convention) and translated by a Dominican intérprete judicial. Build two to four weeks into your timeline for this.

Step 5: Promise of Sale, Deposit, and Due Diligence

Once you accept an offer, the buyer's lawyer will run due diligence (title certification, liens, IPI, HOA, utilities, planning permissions). You'll then sign a Promesa de Venta with:

• Final price and currency (USD or DOP — pick one and stick with it).
• A deposit, typically 10%, held in escrow by a law firm or escrow company.
• Conditions precedent, closing date, and penalties if either side walks.
• Allocation of costs (see next section).

Insist on a real escrow arrangement. Do not let the deposit sit in the buyer's agent's personal account.

Step 6: Understand Who Pays What

In a standard DR resale:

• Buyer pays the 3% transfer tax (ITI) to DGII, calculated on the higher of the contract price or the DGII appraisal value, plus registration fees and stamps. This often totals roughly 3.5–4.5% of value for the buyer.
• Buyer pays their own attorney and the notary.
• Seller pays the agent commission (plus ITBIS on it) and their own attorney.
• Seller clears any outstanding IPI, HOA, and utilities up to the closing date.

Anything that deviates from this norm — for example, a "net to seller" deal where the buyer absorbs commission — should be spelled out in the Promesa.

Step 7: Capital Gains Tax on the Sale

This is where bad internet advice abounds. There is no flat 27% capital gains tax for individual sellers. In the DR:

• For individuals, the gain is taxed as ordinary income on the progressive personal income tax scale (roughly 0% to 25% in brackets) — not a flat rate.
• The 27% rate is the corporate income tax rate; it applies if you sold through an SRL or other company.
• The gain is calculated on the inflation-adjusted acquisition cost (DGII publishes adjustment coefficients), and you can deduct documented improvements and certain closing costs from the original purchase.
• You may owe nothing if, after the inflation adjustment, there's no real gain — common for properties held only a few years in a low-inflation USD-denominated market.

Have a Dominican contador (CPA) run the numbers before you sign. Do not rely on agent rules of thumb. Confirm current brackets and the inflation index with DGII.

Step 8: Selling a CONFOTUR or Pre-Construction Unit

Two special cases:

• CONFOTUR (Law 158-01) projects: The tax exemptions (notably the 3% ITI exemption) realistically apply to the first buyer from the developer. When you resell, the next buyer usually does pay the 3% transfer tax. Don't market your unit as "CONFOTUR-exempt forever" — it isn't, and sophisticated buyers will push back.
• Pre-construction assignments: If you haven't yet received title and want to assign your purchase contract to another buyer, the developer must consent, and there is usually an assignment fee. Read your original contract — some prohibit assignment before delivery.

Step 9: Closing and Title Transfer

At closing:

1. Buyer and seller (or their attorneys-in-fact) sign the Contrato de Venta before a Dominican Notario Público.
2. Buyer's funds are released from escrow.
3. Buyer's lawyer files with DGII to pay ITI and obtain the tax clearance.
4. The deed and clearance are filed at the Registro de Títulos, which issues a new Certificado de Título in the buyer's name — typically several weeks to a few months later.

Only release the keys and possession when funds have cleared in your account, not just "sent."

Step 10: Repatriating Your Funds

Most foreign sellers wire proceeds out of the DR. Banks will ask for:

• Copy of the Contrato de Venta.
• Proof of ITI payment.
• Source-of-funds and ID documentation (KYC/AML).

There is no general restriction on repatriating sale proceeds, but the paperwork trail matters. If you originally wired money in to buy, keep those records — they make the outbound wire much smoother.

Quick FAQ

Do I need to be in the DR to sell? No. A properly apostilled power of attorney lets your lawyer close for you.

Can I be paid in USD? Yes, and most foreign-to-foreign deals are USD. Specify currency in every document.

How long does a sale take? From listing to closed funds, plan on 3–6 months in a normal market — longer if your title needs deslinde or your SRL filings are behind.

Will I owe US or Canadian tax too? Probably yes on the gain, with a foreign tax credit for what you paid in the DR. Talk to a cross-border accountant.

Selling well in the DR is mostly about clean documents, independent professionals, and realistic pricing. Get those right and the rest is logistics.

Laws, tax rates, and thresholds in the Dominican Republic change. Confirm current rules with DGII, the Jurisdicción Inmobiliaria, and a licensed Dominican attorney and contador before signing anything.