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The Centre for Export and Investment of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD) is the Government department created with the purpose of promoting the favourable investment climate of the Dominican Republic as well as promoting the vast resources available for international trade.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Dominican Republic Embassy in The Hague has a CEI-RD representative, offering free Foreign Investment couseling as well as import-export advice services to prospect Dutch customers willing to do business in our country. Please email your query to our Minister Counselor Dr. Eugenio Matos at drembassy@gmail.com
The CEI-RD acts as a facilitator to engage in commercial activities in the areas of Trade and Investment, optimising and diversifying the offer of product and services to secure access to the international markets in a competitive manner.
Currently, foreign investment is regulated by Law 16-95 on Foreign Investment, adopted on November 20, 1995, and the Presidential Decrees 380-96 and 163-97. This legislation provides an attractive legal framework for foreign investors and one of the main tools to promote the flow of capitals to the country.
Law 16-95 allows almost any type of foreign investors to buy through the commercial banks the foreign currency needed to remit abroad all the capital invested and the dividends obtained from the investment.
This law also sets the principle of equal treatment between nationals and foreign investments, securing them the same legal protection, without any discrimination. In that sense, Law 16-95 abolished Article 12 of Law 173 of 1966 on the Protection of Agents and Licensees, thus allowing foreign persons and companies to register under such law as agents or representatives of foreign firms, and benefit from the protection granted to the local agent in case of unjust termination of its agreement by the foreign company.
Foreign investors may participate in any sector of national economy, without any limitation outside those provided in the special laws that regulate each sector.
The foreign investments can take form of capital contributions, in-kind contributions, intangible technological contributions, such as trademarks, product models, industrial procedures, technical assistance and others, and financial instruments issued and traded abroad that have been authorized by the Monetary Board. Those foreign investments can be destined to the capital of any type of business association, including branches of foreign companies, the purchase of real property, and the acquisition of shares or other financial instruments authorized by the Monetary Board.
As registration procedure the investor has just to notify its investment to the Central Bank within 90 days after it placement in the country in order to obtain automatically a Certificate of Foreign Investment Registration.
During the last decades, the Dominican economy has experienced a deep structural transformation. A transition from an agricultural economy generating more than 80% of its exports in traditional commodities, mainly sugar, and a model based on import substitution, from 1948-1960, to a service oriented economy accounting for more than 35% of its exports during the decade of 1991-2000.
The model of Free Export Processing Zone introduced in the decade of 1971-1980, based on the unilateral US market access preferences gained through the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) proved to be of paramount importance in this transformation. Exports from the FTZ represented 51% of DR’s total exports from 1991-2000.
The results of this transformation which included less government intervention through the elimination of price controls, exchange rate liberalization, and capitalization of state owned enterprises, brought economic growth above the Latin American average and a tremendous inflow of foreign capital.
· Made in the Dominican Republic (electronics, software, medical devices)
· Free Export Zones
· Agriculture
· Tourism
· Information Technology
· Telecommunications
· Service Outsourcing
· Apparel and Textiles
· Construction
Investment Incentives
1 - Equal Treatment for local and foreign investments
2 - Minimum investment restrictions
3 - Free access to foreign exchange through local banks and the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic
4 - 100% repatriation of benefits
5 - Technology transfer recognized as investment
6 - Investment Protection through the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
Founding Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Geographical advantages of the Dominican Republic
More maritime and flight connections than any other Caribbean location
Competitive transportation costs
United States as main trade partner; 4th trade partner for USA in Latin America and Caribbean (2004)
Transportation
11 seaports with distribution to Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, including Caucedo mega port (whose maritime terminal and logistics centre operates under the Free Zone Regime)
Excellent highway system connecting all major provinces
8 International Airports: 2 in Santo Domingo, also in Santiago, Samaná, La Romana, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Barahona
More than 20 daily flights to and from the U.S. and Europe
Investment opportunities in Tourism
The Dominican Republic is the No. 1 tourist destination in the Caribbean
Tourism sector represents more than 20% of the GDP in Dominican Republic
70% of the total rooms offered at the tourism sector have been constructed and operated by foreign hotel chains
DR currently offers than 3,000 rooms are under construction at new hotel projects
During 1995-2000, the total hotel room offer in the Caribbean grew an annual rate of 4.1%; the DR grew 7.9 %
Investment opportunities in Free Zones
There are currently:
58 Industrial parks in operation
582 Companies installed (as of April 2005)
Over 185,000 direct jobs
Exports: US$4.4 Billion
Occupied area: 2.1 Million of sq. mts
Cyber Park of Santo Domingo: a technological Free Zone
5 minutes from Las Americas International Airport
Uninterrupted Energy service
Water Supply System
Redundant Fiber Optic Ring
ISDN Central
Internet 2MB Stream
Fiber Optic Connectivity and Linkups
EXPORTS
Principal exports
In 2000, the majority of exported items were clothing and other goods manufactured in the duty free industrial zones. Other major exports were cigars, ferronickel, sugar, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, fertilizers, beer, fresh (bananas) and processed fruits and vegetables, flowers and tropical plants.
Principal imports
Food produce, petroleum and derivative products, industrial and agricultural raw materials, capital goods, vehicles, wood and pharmaceuticals.
ORGANIC EXPORTS
Main organic products from the Dominican Republic:
Fruits:
Bananas
Cocoa and its derivates (raw, butter, powder, liqueur, etc.)
Mangoes (Puree)
Persian Lemon
Melon
Pineapples
Oranges
Coconut
Sugar Cane (Sugar syrup and Molasses)
Grains:
Coffee (green, roasted and processed)
Vegetables:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage Lettuce
Pepper
Cosmetics:
Niem-tree based products
Others:
Ginger
Cassava bread
Honeybee
Aloe Vera
INVESTMENT
Why invest in the Dominican Republic?
1 - Strategic geographical location
2 - Economic and political stability
3 - Profitable legal framework for foreign investment
4 - Preferential access to the United States, Europe, Central America and the Caribbean
5 - Competitive and qualified labour force
6 - Modern transportation infrastructure (airports, ports, highways)
7 - Most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in the Caribbean
8 - Support services (bank, airlines, maritime services, universities, real estate)
9 - Competitive operation cost for doing business
10 - Good quality of life
USEFUL ADDRESSES IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
CEI-RD (Centre for Export & Investment of the Dominican Republic)
Ave. 27 de Febrero, Esq. Luperon
Santo Domingo
Tel. 001 809 530 5505
Fax 001 809 530 8208
Website: www.cei-rd.gov.do
Ministerio de Agricultura (Agriculture Department)
Autopista Duarte, Km. 6½, Jardines del Norte
Santo Domingo
Tel.: 001 809 547-3888
Fax: 001 809 227-1268
www.agricultura.gov.do
Ministerio de Industria y Comercio (Department for Industry and Commerce)
Edificio de Oficinas Gubernamentales Juan Pablo Duarte, 7mo. piso
Santo Domingo
Tel.: 001 809 685-5171
Fax: 001 809 686-1973
www.seic.gov.do
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Department for the Environment and Natural Resources)
Presidente González esq. Tiradentes, Edificio La Cumbre, piso 10
Santo Domingo
Tel.: 001809 567-4300
Fax: 001 809 540-2667
www.ceiba.gov.do
Adoexpo (Dominican Association for the Exporter)
Director de Comercio Exterior
Avda. Winston Churchill 5
Santo Domingo
Tel. 001 809 5326779
Fax 001 809 5321926
Email: adoexpo1@codetel.net.do
Web: http://www.adoexpo.com
http://www.see.gov.do/portalSEE/index.htm
For general travel information in English, German, Italian, Spanish or French about the Dominican Republic please visit: http://www.dominicana.com.do | 
