Importing From China to the Dominican Republic: Customs, ITBIS 2026

The Dominican Republic is, according to the US Department of Commerce's trade guide updated on February 25, 2026, the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central America: 11.43 million inhabitants, a nominal GDP close to $124.48 billion in 2024, real growth of 5.1%. Tourism, agriculture, free-zone manufacturing, mining and services form its pillars.

According to the WTO's World Tariff Profiles 2026, the country imported $32.7 billion in goods in 2024, of which $27.2 billion were non-agricultural products: manufactured goods dominate external purchases. The Dirección General de Aduanas, the DGA, manages more than 25 offices, 11 ports, 7 airport zones and 6 border crossings, with an average clearance time of two days once the file is complete, according to the same guide.

The Dominican Republic and China established diplomatic relations in 2018, as the Chinese embassy in Santo Domingo notes for the eighth anniversary of that establishment, marked in 2026. As of September 27, 2026, no free trade agreement links the two countries: the list of Dominican agreements published by the US Department of Commerce on March 17, 2026 does not mention any agreement with China.

The country remains a member of CAFTA-DR with the United States and Central America, ratified on September 6, 2005 and in force since March 1, 2007, as well as agreements with CARICOM and the European Union via CARIFORUM, according to the same source. A Chinese good therefore enters under the general tariff regime.

The DGA's Arancel de Aduanas, 2022 edition, applies duties of 0% to 99% depending on the product, states the US Department of Commerce's trade guide of February 25, 2026. The WTO's 2025 tariff profile gives an applied average of 7.3% across all lines, 12.8% on agricultural goods, 6.4% on non-agricultural goods; the final bound average at the WTO, the allowed ceiling, reaches 34%.

On non-agricultural goods, 59% of lines enter duty-free in 2025, while 25.6% face a rate of 15% to 25%, the range where the most common 20% ceiling sits. Non-essential goods also carry an Impuesto Selectivo al Consumo of 15% to 60% for vehicles, perfumes, alcohol, jewelry and tobacco, separate from ITBIS.

ITBIS, the Dominican tax equivalent to VAT, applies at the standard rate of 18%, according to the tax summary consulted on September 27, 2026; exports and free-zone sales are exempt, while a free-zone sale to the local market carries 3.5%. As an illustration, on a CIF value of $10,000 with a 20% duty: duty $2,000, ITBIS base $12,000, ITBIS at 18% equals $2,160, total $4,160. Confirm the exact base with the DGII before the proforma invoice.

The customs declaration is filed electronically through the Ventanilla Única de Comercio Exterior, VUCERD, linked to the DGA's platform, with more than fifty digital services since September 2025. Tariff classification is checked through the DGA's Buscador de Productos.

According to the US Department of Commerce's trade guide of February 25, 2026, most goods require no general license. Exceptions: a five-year Registro Sanitario for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and cleaning products; a permit for agricultural products; per-shipment authorization from the Ministry of Agriculture for agrochemicals and fertilizers. Basic documents: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, plus a phytosanitary certificate for agricultural goods and Spanish-language labeling for ready-to-eat food.

Our sources did not allow us to confirm an exhaustive list of prohibited goods beyond the regimes already mentioned: check with the DGA or the MICM before any sensitive order.

The Instituto Dominicano para la Calidad, INDOCAL, the public body for standardization, metrology and conformity, publishes NORDOM standards and Reglamentos Técnicos Dominicanos, mandatory requirements for certain product families, measuring instruments, medical devices and foods linked to the Codex Alimentarius, according to its website consulted on September 27, 2026. It sits on the ISO, COPANT, OIML, IEC and SIM.

Our sources did not identify a general pre-shipment inspection program applying to all goods. Compliance with a NORDOM standard should be checked with INDOCAL before starting production in China, rather than at loading.

The US Department of Commerce, in its guide of March 17, 2026, identifies the main entry points: Haina Oriental, Haina Occidental, the multimodal port of Caucedo, the Las Américas International Airport and the port of San Pedro de Macorís, all on the country's southern coast, near Santo Domingo.

Our sources did not allow us to confirm a set transit time between southern Chinese ports, Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Yantian, and Dominican ports: that time is negotiated with the freight forwarder. FOB suits an importer who arranges its own transport; CIF when an intermediary handles freight and insurance. DDP remains discouraged, since the Chinese supplier is never the customs declarant at destination.

The Dominican peso floats under a managed exchange regime run by the Banco Central de la República Dominicana, around 59.3 to 59.6 pesos per dollar as of September 25, 2026. A Chinese supplier is almost always paid in dollars, which shields the purchase from exchange-rate risk until resale in pesos. Common practice: a deposit followed by a balance before shipment, paid to the Chinese company's business account, never a personal account; any change of bank details received by email should be verified with a direct call before wiring funds.

A first order follows a precise sequence: specifications, factory verification, an approved sample, a proforma invoice with the chosen Incoterm, milestone-based production tracking, a pre-shipment inspection, freight to Haina, Caucedo or San Pedro de Macorís, then filing through VUCERD and customs clearance by the client on arrival.

Sorva is a sourcing and trading house based in Guangzhou, in the Tianhe district, backed by a Chinese subsidiary whose corporate purpose covers buying, reselling and exporting goods, and by a parent company in France. Without a free trade agreement with China, the lever is not tariff-based but operational: our Chinese-speaking team finds and vets factories, arranges visits and samples, negotiates prices and terms, has quality checked before loading, and arranges freight to Haina, Caucedo or San Pedro de Macorís.

Our base offer is invoiced in dollars, a currency already familiar to a Dominican buyer, complemented by options specific to other regions, quoted on request. Sorva never acts as the official importer in the Dominican Republic, does not file the customs declaration on-site, and does not export vehicles without a licensed Chinese exporter.