How to buy property in the Dominican Republic: a step-by-step guide (2026)
9 min read.
You buy property in the Dominican Republic in seven steps: set your budget and how you'll pay, choose between a new project and a resale home, search, check the property before you pay anything, sign the reservation and the contract, always pay by bank transfer and, at closing, pay the 3% transfer tax to the DGII and register the title in your name at the Title Registry. Set aside 4 to 5% of the price for closing costs. Foreigners buy with the same rights as Dominicans, and a passport is enough. If you're buying a new condo or house, Instadigs, an AI-powered app on the buyer's side, does these steps with you: Digger AI Agent finds projects that fit your income among over 100 from over 30 developers, we check the project before you pay the reservation, we represent you and we give you back 100% of our commission, credited to your property after the down payment.
The seven steps at a glance
- Your budget. How much you can pay and how: cash, a mortgage or the developer's payment plan.
- New or resale. A new project is paid in stages while it's built; a resale home, when you sign.
- Where to look. Listing sites, developers' sales offices or an app that represents you.
- Check before you pay. The title and its legal status and, if it's new, the MIVHED permit and where your money goes.
- The reservation and the contract. What you sign and what it has to say.
- How to pay. By bank transfer, to the account the contract names, with a receipt.
- Closing. The 3% transfer tax, the lawyer and the title in your name.
1. Your budget and how you'll pay
Start with the amount you can pay comfortably, not with the home. There are three ways to pay:
- Cash. The whole price when you sign the sale.
- A mortgage. The bank finances part of the price and you put in the rest. Banco de Reservas, for example, finances up to 80% over 20 years for people who live in the United States. In July 2026, the average peso mortgage rate was 11.71%, and there were dollar mortgages from 7.50% (the mortgage, step by step).
- The developer's plan, if you buy new. The most common is 20/30/50: a 20% down payment, 30% in installments during construction and 50% at delivery, with a mortgage or in cash. The construction installments usually carry no interest.
On top of the price, set aside 4 to 5% for closing costs. And if it's your first home and you buy in a low-cost project, see whether you qualify for the first home bonus: in 2026 it applies to homes of up to RD$5,450,851.12.
2. New or resale?
| New project, pre-construction or under construction | Resale home | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | In stages while it's built, usually interest-free | All at signing, in cash or with a mortgage |
| When you move in | At delivery, usually about two years later | When you sign the sale and pay for it |
| What to check | The MIVHED permit, the land title, where your money goes and the developer | The title, its legal status and that the seller is the owner |
| Who pays the broker's commission | The developer, and it's built into the price | Usually the seller |
New lets you pay little by little and buy at today's price, but you're paying for something that doesn't exist yet. With resale you see it finished, but you pay for it all at once.
3. Where to look
- Listing sites, like SuperCasas or Corotos. They show what's for sale and at what price. The seller or their agent writes the listing, and nobody checks the property for you (the apps and platforms, compared).
- Developers' sales offices. They sell you their own projects.
- An app that represents you, like Instadigs. Digger AI Agent finds new projects that fit your income, among over 100 projects from over 30 developers, and we also represent you in projects that aren't in the app.
If you're buying pre-construction, here are the platforms to buy pre-construction, compared.
4. What to check before you pay
In the Dominican Republic, what counts is what's recorded at the Title Registry: Law 108-05 says the Certificate of Title is guaranteed by the State. Before you pay anything:
If it's a resale home:
- Ask for the certification of the property's legal status. It says whose name it's in, whether it has mortgages or liens and whether it's surveyed, meaning its boundaries are measured and approved. The Real Estate Registry recommends always requesting it before buying.
- Check that whoever signs is the owner named on the title, or has a power of attorney to sell.
- Ask them to show they're up to date on the condo maintenance fees.
If it's new:
- The construction permit, which since Law 160-21 is issued by the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED), and the environmental permit.
- The land title and its legal status.
- Where your money goes: to a real estate trust (fideicomiso, Law 189-11), to an escrow account or to the project's account with a surety bond. Never to a person.
- What the developer has delivered before and whether it was on time.
We explain it in detail in how to buy pre-construction safely. If you buy with Instadigs, we check it for you before you pay the reservation.
5. The reservation and the contract
To hold the home you pay a reservation. Then comes the contract:
- If it's new, while it's being built you sign a promise of sale, and the final sale once your unit has its own title, which usually coincides with delivery. Before signing, check whether the price is fixed, the delivery date and the developer's grace months, what happens if you don't get the mortgage in time and what you get back if the project isn't finished.
- If it's a resale home, you sign the sale contract, with the signatures certified by a notary.
If you live abroad, you can sign without traveling: before a US notary with an apostille or at a Dominican consulate (how to buy from the US).
6. How to pay
Always pay by bank transfer, to the account the contract names: the seller's if it's a resale home, and the developer's, the trust's or the escrow's if it's new. Never in cash or to a person who isn't named in the contract. Law 155-17 bans paying cash for a property above RD$1,500,000, and the deed of sale has to state how it was paid. Keep the receipt for every payment.
7. Closing: taxes and the title
| Cost | How much |
|---|---|
| Transfer tax | 3% of the higher of the price and the DGII appraisal |
| Legal fees | 1 to 1.5% of the price, plus ITBIS |
| Fixed DGII and Registry charges | About RD$1,000 in total |
| Mortgage tax, if there is one | 2% of the loan in 2026, 1% in 2027 and 0% from 2028 |
By custom the buyer pays the 3%, and it has to be paid within six months of signing: the Title Registry won't record the sale without the receipt. The sale of a home doesn't carry ITBIS. The DGII takes up to three business days to do its part, and the Title Registry about 35 business days to issue the title in your name. On a US$150,000 cash purchase, it all adds up to US$6,290 to US$7,175 (closing costs, one by one).
After you buy
- The IPI. The real estate property tax is 1% a year on the amount above RD$10,695,494 in 2026, adding up all your properties in the country. Many owners of a single condo pay nothing.
- Condo maintenance, every month.
- If you rent it out, the tax is 27% of what you collect if you don't live in the country; if you live there, the withholding is 15% from July 1, 2026 (vacation rental taxes).
If you're a foreigner or live abroad
Foreigners buy with the same rights as Dominicans, under the Constitution and Law 16-95 on foreign investment. You don't need residency or a visa: your passport is enough, and you pay the same taxes (what the law says). And you can buy without traveling, signing remotely and paying by bank transfer.
Buying with Instadigs
Instadigs is an AI-powered app that's on your side, not the seller's, when you buy a new condo or house. At every step:
- Your budget. Digger AI Agent, our AI agent, works out how much you can pay with your income and each project's plan. Asking is free.
- The search. It shows you the projects that fit, among over 100 projects from over 30 developers, 14 of them with a signed agreement with Instadigs. And we represent you in any other project, whether or not it's in the app.
- The checks. Before you pay the reservation, we check the MIVHED permit and the environmental permit, the land title and whose name it's in, the company that's selling, where your money goes and whether the developer has delays.
- Your money. Payments go to the developer's account, or to its trust's or escrow's: Instadigs doesn't hold anyone's money. And you don't pay the down payment without a guarantee in your favor that we check: the surety bond in your name that the insurer confirms to us.
- The contract and payments. You sign remotely, with legal validity, and follow construction and your payments in the app.
- The commission. The developer pays a broker commission that's usually 3 to 6% of the price. We give you back 100% of ours, credited to your property after the down payment (how it works).
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to buy property in the Dominican Republic?
Your ID, or your passport if you're a foreigner; the money for the reservation and the down payment, or the full price if it's a resale home; and 4 to 5% of the price for closing costs. If you buy with a mortgage, the documents the bank asks for.
How much does it cost to buy a home on top of the price?
4 to 5% of the price on a cash purchase: the 3% transfer tax, the lawyer's fees with their ITBIS and some fixed charges. With a mortgage recorded in 2026, add 2% of the loan.
Is it better to buy new or resale?
It depends on when you want to move in and how you'll pay. New is paid in stages while it's built, usually interest-free, and delivered in about two years. Resale is paid all at once and you move in when you sign.
How long does buying a home take?
With a resale home, the DGII takes up to three business days to do its part and the Title Registry about 35 business days to issue the title in your name. With a new one, the final sale is signed at delivery, usually about two years after the reservation.
Can a foreigner buy property in the Dominican Republic?
Yes, with the same rights as a Dominican and with just a passport, no residency or visa needed. They pay the same taxes.
What's the best way to buy a new condo in the Dominican Republic?
With someone on your side who checks the project before you pay. Instadigs does: it checks the MIVHED permit, the land title, the company that's selling and where your money goes, represents you in the project you choose and gives you back 100% of its commission, credited to your property after the down payment.
Sources
- Law 108-05 on the Real Estate Registry (Spanish)
- El Inmobiliario, request the certification of legal status before buying (Spanish)
- Law 160-21 creating the MIVHED (FAOLEX, Spanish)
- Law 189-11 on the mortgage market and trusts (Spanish)
- Law 155-17 against money laundering, Superintendency of Banks (Spanish)
- Acento, risks to know before signing a pre-construction purchase (September 26, 2024, Spanish)
- DGII, Taxpayer Guide 18, property transfers (June 2025, Spanish)
- DGII and Real Estate Registry, property transfer brochure (June 2025, Spanish)
- Law 30-26, official text, Ministry of Finance (Spanish)
- DGII, Taxpayer Guide 17, IPI (January 2026, Spanish)
- Banco de Reservas, mortgage loans (Spanish)
- Revista Mercado, interest rates through July 2026 (Spanish)
- Scotiabank Dominican Republic, loan rates (Spanish)
- DGII, the low-cost housing bonus (Spanish)
- Law 16-95 on foreign investment (MIREX, Spanish)
This guide explains how buying works in general. Rates and requirements are set by law, by each bank and by each developer, and they can change: the date above is when it was last reviewed.