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Dominican Peso is the official currency of the Dominican Republic. Its currency symbol is RD$, DOP.
Estimated at 16.9% of employees salary
Spanish is the official language, with 85% of the population speaking Dominican Spanish.
The population of the Dominican Republic is 10.95 million
Salaries in the Dominican Republic are generally paid on a monthly basis.
“To start growing your team in Dominican Republic, you must establish a local entity- including an account with a local bank, a local office and an address registered as a
subsidiary. This allows you to manage payroll, tax, benefits and compliance for your employees, but can take several months.”
Emerald can hire and payroll your workers, quickly and compliantly with their ready to go entity. Make growing your team simple with Emerald as a global partner.
Latin America and its fast-growing economies have become an exceptional market for business. The region’s lower cost of production and significantly reduced labour cost compared to other areas makes it an attractive business prospect. The Dominican Republic is amongst the top 10 best economies in Latin America, as well as being the largest economy in the Caribbean. Many companies outsource their IT work to the country to gain competitive cost savings on their workforces.
The main reason for the Dominican Republic’s economic growth is because of the IT and Technology sector. The government is invested in growing this further with initiatives like Republica Digital. The Dominican Republic is also home to some of the biggest telecom companies that have invested in the country’s IT infrastructure.
The Dominican Republic benefits from high English proficiency due to the language being introduced into the early years school curriculum.
However, the Dominican Republic is not the most attractive country for workers if they are looking to make lots of money. Low salaries mean that it can be difficult to earn well here, especially as an expat.
Remote working has never been easier and the Dominican Republic has quickly become a popular location for it.
The Dominican Republic places higher on the World Happiness Index than any other Caribbean nation. The quality of life provided is highly sought after, especially by expats.
As a foreign national, a visa is not always required to enter the country. Workers from countries such as the US, Canada and areas of Europe only need a tourist card to enter for 30 days.
Remote workers can benefit from low cost of living, large expat communities, a popular time zone, and low-cost private healthcare (as well as free healthcare from public hospitals).
Start growing your remote workforce now
| 16.9% on top of employee salary | |
| Pension and Disability (Maximum contribution 269,640.00 DOP) | 7.1% |
| Health Insurance (Maximum contribution 134,820.00 DOP) DOP) | 7.09% |
| Labor Risk (Maximum contribution 53,928.00 DOP) | 1.2% |
| Instituto Nacional de Formación Técnico Profesional (INFOTEP) | 1% |
Pension
Family healthcare
Labor risk insurance
Private healthcare
Optional global health insurance
Contracts in The Dominican Republic must include:
The Dominican Republic labour law does not require a written contract of employment for permanent employees. However, it is best practice for a written contract to be
provided. Any written contract must be provided in Spanish. Fixed term or temporary contracts must be provided in writing and include the length of the contract.
Probation periods are not statutory in Dominican Republic and, where implemented, should not last longer than three months
Emerald Technology can onboard employees in The Dominican Republic within 48 hours.
There are no specific laws on restrictive covenants after termination of employment, which means an employee can challenge these where implemented. Clauses pertaining to
competition and to solicitation of employees or clients/customers are recognised and may be enforceable under law. Restrictive agreements such as the three previously
mentioned after termination of employment must meet specific requirements to be applicable. In particular, they need to be reasonable and must be signed after the
employment contract has ended.
The quality of healthcare in the Dominican Republic varies in different parts of the country and between private and public hospitals. There are three tiers to healthcare in the Dominican Republic, as below:
Social Security in the Dominican Republic is a pay as you go system that covers employees within the private sector. Both the employer and employee contribute, this includes to the state pension fund (AFP) and public health insurance fund (SFS).
Social security contributions in Dominican Republic are the responsibility of the employer to deduct from an employee’s salary before payment. Both the employer and employee are subject to social security contributions. Below are approximate contribution rates for employers and employees, please note that these can vary.
| Employer | Employee | |
| Social Security | 25% – 33.58% | 1.65% |
| Retirement | 2% – 5.15% | 1.125% |
| National Housing Fund | 5% | N/A |
Expectant mothers are entitled to 12 weeks’ maternity leave which is usually taken six weeks before the expected due date and six weeks after. The cost is split between the employer and social security. Fathers are entitled to two days’ paternity leave, to be taken after the birth.
Fathers are entitled to two days’ paternity leave, to be taken after the birth.
There is no statutory law on sick leave in the Dominican Republic. It is at the employer’s discretion whether they choose to pay sick leave to employees.
As the legal employer, Emerald Technology requires the following employee documents to ensure complete compliance:
When an employer dismisses an employee it must be with just cause and they must give them notice. The notice period starts from the day after the employer notifies the employee of the termination. Notice must be given in accordance with the following schedule at a minimum:
The employee may unilaterally terminate the employment contract by providing notice in writing. Notice periods depend on length of service, as follows: | |
| Less than 3 months: | No notice required |
| 3-6 months: | 7 days’ notice |
| 6-12 months: | 14 days’ notice |
| 12+ months: | 28 days’ notice |
The same notice periods will apply to employers terminating employment without just cause. Employers may terminate employment with just cause alleging one or more of the specific causes listed within the labour code, article 88. Employers will need to provide evidence of the grounds for the termination. Employers will also need to provide written notice to the Department of Labour within 48 hours of dismissing the employee. If an employee is resigning with cause, they must also provide evidence. Employers are not able to terminate employees during pregnancy and for up to three months following the birth. | |
If an employee is made redundant, they are entitled to a payment based on years of continuous service.
If an employer terminates without just cause, they must pay the employee severance pay as per the below. | |
| 3-6 months | 6 days salary |
| 6-12 months | 13 days salary |
| 1-5 years | 21 days for each year employed |
| 5+ years | 23 days for each year employed |
Employees will also be entitled to severance pay if it is found that they have just cause for resigning from their position. Failure to prove the cause or provide notice within 48 hours will mean the employer is liable to pay severance to the employee. | |
Full-time employees who have been employed for at least one year are entitled to 14 days’ annual leave. After working at a company for five years, this increases to 18 days. Annual leave should not be split into periods of less than one week and can’t be replaced by another form of compensation.In addition to annual leave, employees are entitled to five days off for marriage and three days for the death of an immediate family member.
The national minimum wage in the Dominican Republic is RD$8,310 per month in Free Trade Zones. Outside of Free Trade Zones, it is between RD$9,412 and RD$15,448 per
month depending on the size of the company. For public sectors, it is RD$5,884 per month.
Standard working hours in Dominican Republic should not exceed 44 hours per week. Part time employees should not work over 29 hours per week. Overtime hours are paid at 135% of the standard salary. Hours in excess of 68 per week are paid at 200% of the standard salary. Overtime pay may not apply to company directors, managers, and employees in trust positions. An employee that works for more than 6 consecutive hours is entitled to a break of one hour. Full-time employees are entitled to a minimum uninterrupted rest period of 36 hours per week.
Salaries in the Dominican Republic are generally paid on a monthly basis. Employees are also entitled to a Christmas Bonus which is equal to 1/12 of their regular salary and is exempt from income tax.
Common for Christmas bonus equivalent to one month’s salary but not mandatory by law.
The Dominican tax year runs from January to December. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure taxes are paid from salaries before payments are made to employees. The
general personal income tax rates are listed below as a guidance and are based on annual income.
| Up to 416,220.00 DOP | 0% |
| 416,220.00 – 624,329.00 DOP | 15% |
| 624,329.00 – 867,123.00 DOP | 20% |
| 867,123.00 DOP | 25% |
Similar to other countries, the Dominican Republic has strict rules on classifying individual contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassifying your workers can put your business at risk of fines.
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