Work and Business 

Decent work in the Dominican Republic and a successful job search are directly related to a foreigner's education, skills, experience and language skills. You will need to prepare a CV that meets the requirements of local employers.Apply for employment in large companies.   It is essential that you have at least some working knowledge of Spanish before trying to find a job in the Dominican Republic. Your CV should be written in English and Spanish.

When choosing a region, first of all, focus on the capital of the Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo - the economic and business center of the country, as well as the provinces - Puerto Plata and La Altagracia, which offer vacancies in tourism. Actively use social networks and forums, register in professional social networks.

As usual, networking is one of the easiest ways to find a job, but additionally, there are several online publications with job offers in the Dominican Republic. In addition, you can apply directly to international companies based in the country or NGOs. Foreign embassies, especially the U.S. Embassy, also employ expatriates from their land.

There are also lists of international schools(in the latter case, the appropriate certificate is required), and Free Zone companies on the DR1 forum have a job board. In any case, be sure to update your CV in accordance with local standards. Knowledge of Spanish can significantly diversify the list of professions that foreigners can count on. 

Many expats work online for companies all over the world. The work ranges from writing, translating, managing, and designing websites or entering data. Working online is not one of the categories to obtain residency, nor a work visa, so to obtain the first one, you must qualify under another category (such as being the spouse of a Dominican citizen, or receiving a pension, for example). Full details are available in our article about general visa requirements for the Dominican Republic.

The free tax zones are responsible for creating many jobs and granting competitiveness to their due countries while their investment grows.The facilitation of processes by the government contributed to the integral development of the industry. Most of the Free Zones are owned by expats and are manufacturers of tools, footwear, clothing, and jewelry.In addition, there are several call centers that hire native English speakers.

These jobs are pretty easy to find and are all over the country, as there are Free Zones in most large cities. The experience in the Dominican Republic is not far from everyday experience around the world. The variety of backgrounds, as always, is notorious; and there will be no shortage of people who had a bad experience in their job search. It is also advised to conduct a search pre-arrival in the Dominican Republic as in any country.There are several multinational companies in the Dominican Republic, especially in telecommunications, NGOs, the United Nations, the World Bank, and Canadian mining companies.

Many expats set up their own businesses in the Dominican Republic. They usually, but not always, cater to the expat market, such as restaurants, bars, and real estate in expat areas, or cater to tourists. The latter includes bars and restaurants in areas of hotels that are not all-inclusive, in addition to tourism companies, car rental, or travel agencies.

Real estate

The field of real estate belongs to one of the most profitable in the Dominican Republic due to the country's growing development and growth. When we talk about real estate, we refer to a building, land, or other related, and the term explains something fixed on the ground. In recent years many international construction companies and real estate businesses have started to build in the Dominican Republic.

If you want to do any kind of work in the Dominican Republic, remember  that you must have a residence or work visa.

In the Dominican Republic you can not work with a tourist visa or tourist card. A work visa or a business visa is required for employment.

Working visas types

SIMPLE BUSINESS VISA (NS) REQUIREMENTS

Business visas are issued for travelers with business, professional or commercial purposes. They are granted for one (1) entry within 60 days of issue and may be renewed upon request within the period of validity. Business visa with multiple entries will be issued if the person needs to travel more frequently to the country. This visa is valid for one (1) year during which the beneficiary may not remain in the country more than two consecutive months.

- visa form filled out and duly completed by typewriter or in legible print. Available at the headquarters of the consular offices or in the service portal.

- Visa application letter (without notarizing), addressed to the consul, signed by the company or institution to which the beneficiary belongs, containing the name of the beneficiary, nationality, place of residence, activity to which he/she is engaged, financial means available and purpose of country trip. This document must be issued by the company or institution to which the beneficiary belongs on a stamped and stamped sheet.

- One (1) photograph size 4 x 5 centimeters, front and white background.

- Original passport with a minimum validity of six (06) months.

- Legible photocopy of the Residence Card. (If apply)

- Certificate of No Criminal Record (Not required for minors) issued (less than 12 months after the request) by the competent authority (federal authority in the case of federated States) of the countries in which they have resided in the last 5 years, duly legalized or apostilled, as appropriate.

- Dominican visas and those of other countries in force or expired.

- Labor Certification, indicating your date of entry into the company, position you hold in the company, salary.

- For the guarantor in the DR:

1. Guarantee letter Duly notarized and legalized in the Attorney General's Office, this document must be presented by the applicant along with the other documents on the day of his interview at the Dominican consulate, it is essential that this letter of guarantee contain the following clause, so that can be accepted by our Diplomatic or Consular Mission.

2. Documents that demonstrate economic solvency: bank letter(s) from your savings account, passbook, checking account or bank certificates, Labor Certification, Indicating your date of entry into the company, position you hold in the company, salary, Title deeds of your residence, business, farm or land, or vehicle registration if you have them.

MULTIPLE BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS (NM) (ONE YEAR)

1) Visa application letter (unnotarized), addressed to the consul, signed by the company or institution to which the beneficiary belongs, containing the name of the beneficiary, nationality, place of residence, activity to which he/she is engaged, financial means available and purpose of travel to the country. This document must be issued by the company or institution to which the beneficiary belongs on a stamped and stamped sheet.

2) Completed and duly completed visa form typed or in legible print. Available at the headquarters of the consular offices.

3) One (1) photograph size 4 x 5 centimeters, front and white background.

4) Original passport with a minimum validity of six (06) months.

5) Labor Certification, indicating your date of entry into the company, position you hold in the company, salary.

6) Migratory status. These are: legible photocopy of the National Identity Document of the country of nationality and legible photocopy of the Residence Card, if you reside in a second country.

7) Travel History, photocopies of Dominican visas and other countries.

8) Certificate of No Criminal Record issued by the corresponding authorities of the last country in which the interested party was domiciled, duly legalized or apostilled, as appropriate.

9) For the guarantor in the DR:

a) Guarantee letter Duly notarized and legalized in the Attorney General's Office, this document must be presented by the applicant along with the other documents on the day of his interview at the Dominican consulate, it is essential that this letter of guarantee contain the following clause, so that can be accepted by our Diplomatic or Consular Mission.

b) Documents that demonstrate economic solvency: bank letter(s) from your savings account, passbook, checking account or bank certificates, Labor Certification, Indicating your date of entry into the company, position you hold in the company, salary, Title deeds of your residence, business, farm or land, or vehicle registration if you have them.

MULTIPLE BUSINESS VISA (NM1)

Business visas for work purposes are granted to those people who, due to the nature of their occupation, remain in the country for one year, without necessarily having to go abroad. They are generally granted to people who fulfill fixed-term contracts in public or private companies established in the country, and can be renewed for the same period of time, for the duration of the contract in each case.

All citizens of the world who wish to do business for work purposes in the Dominican Republic can apply for a Business for Work Purposes visa at the consular offices of the Dominican Republic.