Dominican Republic immigration pathways

The Dominican Republic separates entry visas, temporary or permanent residence, and the legal basis for work or investment. The correct route depends on why you are moving and whether you will work locally, invest, live from foreign-source income, retire, join a qualifying dependant, or progress to permanent residence.

Route map

• Temporary Labor Residence (RT-3) — for foreign workers entering for employment under a work contract.
• Temporary Residence (RT-9) — general one-year temporary residence for eligible applicants with the required residence visa.
• Permanent Residence — long-term status after the required temporary-residence history.
• Investor Permanent Residence — direct permanent residence for qualifying foreign investors.
• Rentista Residence — one-year residence for applicants with qualifying recurring foreign-source income.
• Pensioner Residence — one-year residence for qualifying foreign pensioners or retirees.
• Dependant Residence (RT-7) — one-year dependant residence linked to certain temporary-residence categories.

Digital nomads and remote workers

The reviewed DGM and MIREX framework does not publish a dedicated digital-nomad visa. A person working remotely from the Dominican Republic should not assume tourist status or business formation creates residence or work authorization. The applicable immigration path depends on the person's actual activity, employer, income source and intended length of stay.

Employees and intra-company staff

Local employment is addressed through the NM1 business visa for labor purposes and the DGM's RT-3 Temporary Labor Residence. MIREX also publishes a multinational-company version of NM1 for qualifying transferred staff, while DGM requires NM1 for the RT-3 residence application.

Freelancers, self-employed people and founders

There is no standalone official "freelancer visa" or "startup-founder visa" in the reviewed system. Founders and self-employed people need to separate company or investment steps from immigration status. Where the facts support it, the investor-residence framework may apply; otherwise a different residence category may be required.

Investors, pensioners and rentistas

DGM publishes dedicated residence categories for qualifying investors, pensioners and rentistas. The investor category is permanent residence; the pensioner and rentista categories are issued for one year and are administered through DGM's Foreign Investment Division.

Explore the Caribbean region, work visas, business visas, methodology, and the legal disclaimer.

Published pathways