What closing really costs, with your number

Current Dominican law, calculated on your price. There is no buyer's commission line because here the seller pays it.

Property price

US$

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The project has CONFOTUR Law 158-01. Waives the 3% and the IPI for up to 15 years. First buyer only, not on resales. I am 65 or older Exempt from the IPI if this is your only property in the country. I will finance with a bank Adds the 2% mortgage registration tax, on a 60% loan, which is what banks usually lend to foreigners.

Total at closing

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Transfer tax 3% on the greater of your price and the DGII assessment.

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Lawyer and transfer 1% to 1.5%, and below around US$150,000 firms tend to charge a flat minimum. Title search, contracts, notary, registration and the certificate in your name.

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Service tax on legal fees 18%. In the Dominican Republic legal fees carry a service tax. It is the line almost nobody shows you.

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Real estate commission The seller pays it. The buyer pays no commission.

US$0

IPI, every year

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Figures verified on 4 September 2026 against the DGII and current legislation. Transfer tax is due within 6 months of signing; after that there are surcharges, and the property is not registered in your name until it is paid. The IPI exempt threshold rises each year with inflation.

Buying a finished home is not the same as buying off plan

The taxes are the same. What changes is the lawyer's work and, above all, when the money leaves your pocket.

Resale

One single closing

The lawyer investigates a title that already exists and checks it is clean.
The deed of sale is signed and the transfer tax is paid the same day.
It usually includes a surveyor to confirm the plot measures what the title says.
Once the transfer tax is paid, the certificate in your name takes about 45 working days.

You need the full closing money on signing day.

Off plan

A promise first, the deed at the end

You sign a promise of purchase-sale, not the deed: the house does not exist yet.
You pay in stages as it is built, following the contract's schedule.
The lawyer stays with you through the whole build, until the final payment.
The deed and the 3% transfer tax come at the end, once the house is finished and paid for.

You do not need the closing money at the start: you need it at handover.

In both cases the transfer tax is calculated on the government appraisal, not on what you paid, and the exact amount is only known after closing, once a tax official has inspected the property. That is why you see a range here and not a single figure.

The title

In the Dominican Republic ownership is full and registered in your name, both land and building, exactly as in North America or Europe. There are no restrictions on foreigners: no local partner, no trust, no residency required.

You can buy personally or through a company. Before signing, the lawyer checks the title is clean: no debts, no liens, and the survey properly registered. That check is what separates a quiet purchase from a problem that lasts years.

Have a property in mind?

Tell us which one and we'll send you the exact figure, with the real assessment, the law firm's quote and whether the project has CONFOTUR.

Ask for the exact figure