Buying in Cap Cana as a foreigner: what the law requires (2026)

Yes, in your own name

Article 25 of the Constitution gives foreigners the same rights and duties as Dominicans, with the exceptions set by the Constitution and the law. Article 51 guarantees the right to property.

The foreign investment law (Law 16-95) allows investment in real estate in the country (Article 3) and gives foreign investors the same rights and obligations as nationals (Article 6).

Cap Cana doesn't change any of that. You buy in your own name, or through a company, whatever your nationality or immigration status. The general picture is in the guide for foreigners.

The documents you'll be asked for

• Your passport. To record the purchase at the Real Estate Registry, a foreigner files their passport and, as a second document, the ID from their home country.
• Who you are and where the money comes from. Law 155-17 requires developers, real estate agents, and the lawyers and notaries involved in a purchase to identify you, verify your identity and understand the purpose of the transaction (Articles 33 and 38). Keep your bank statements handy.
• If you buy through a company. You'll be asked for its taxpayer number (RNC), the resolution authorizing the signer and who the beneficial owner is, that is, the person who controls it.
• Everything in Spanish. A power of attorney or any document in another language is translated by a court-certified interpreter before it's filed.

How you pay

1. By bank transfer, to the account named in the contract. Never to a person who isn't named in it.
2. No cash above the limit. According to DGII Notice 27-25, since the resolution of September 1, 2025, you can't pay more than RD$1,500,000 in cash when buying property. The notary must require proof of payment.
3. The deed itemizes the payments, both made and pending. And if you travel with money, Law 155-17 requires you to declare it to Customs when entering or leaving the country from US$10,000.

Opening an account at a Dominican bank isn't among the transfer requirements published by the DGII and the Real Estate Registry. If you take a mortgage from a local bank, each bank sets its own requirements (mortgages from the US).

Taxes when you buy

• The 3% transfer tax. It's calculated on the higher of the DGII valuation and the contract price, and it's paid within six months of signing. To complete the transfer you must be up to date on the IPI.
• The IPI, every year. Individuals pay 1% on the amount above RD$10,695,494 (2026), adding up all their properties in the country. It's paid in two installments, on March 11 and September 11. If you don't go over that amount, you pay nothing.
• CONFOTUR, only if the project has it. The tourism incentive law (Law 158-01) is applied by the Tourism Development Council (CONFOTUR), which approves each project with a resolution. If the project is classified, the taxes on the first transfer of each unit are exempt, and its first buyer who is an individual pays no IPI. Being in Cap Cana doesn't grant it: ask for the resolution and check that it covers your unit.

On CONFOTUR, Pellerano & Herrera explains that Law 195-13 extended the exemption to 15 years from the end of construction, and that Law 30-26 doesn't expressly repeal or change it, but each project's scope has to be reviewed case by case. The other costs are in closing costs and taxes.

Buying without traveling

You can sign everything from your home country. The notary law (Law 140-15) gives you two options:

• At a Dominican consulate. Consuls act as notaries for documents to be executed in the Dominican Republic (Article 21).
• Before a notary in your country, with an apostille. The Dominican Republic has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since August 30, 2009, and Law 140-15 gives those documents legal effect when they're legalized under that convention.

You can also give a power of attorney to your lawyer or someone you trust in the country to sign for you. The power follows the same rules: consulate or notary with an apostille, and in Spanish. The rest of remote signing is in how to buy from the US.

The title in your name

1. Before you pay, ask the Title Registry for the certification of legal status. It shows whose name the property is in and whether it has mortgages, oppositions or other liens. If you buy pre-construction, ask for the one on the land (how to buy pre-construction safely).
2. At closing, with the tax paid, the contract is filed at the Title Registry with the owner's duplicate title. The registrar has up to 30 business days to decide.
3. You receive the Certificate of Title in your name, the official document issued and guaranteed by the Dominican State that proves you own the property. Check that your name and the property description are correct.

Residency

Buying and getting residency are separate processes. Law 16-95 says nothing about residency, and the General Directorate of Migration has an investor residency category with its own requirements. If you want to use your purchase for residency, read the residency guide and confirm it with your lawyer before buying.

What's specific to Cap Cana

Cap Cana presents itself as a private, planned destination city, with controlled access points and private patrols. Its website doesn't publish its rules, its fees or its design approvals, so ask for them in writing before you sign.

What to check there (the two sets of bylaws, the condo's and the community's, the fees and where the lot starts) is in buying in Cap Cana. If you plan to rent, also see vacation rental taxes.

Buying in Cap Cana with Instadigs

Digger finds new construction in Cap Cana, checks its permit, who's building it and whether it's delayed, and recommends up to three projects that fit you. See projects in Cap Cana or all projects.

Instadigs gives you back 100% of the commission it earns, as a credit to your property after you pay the down payment (it can't be used for the down payment). We explain it in how the commission works.