Import guide · Dominican Republic
How to Import Cars from China to the Dominican Republic
One rule shapes every Dominican import decision: passenger vehicles more than five years old cannot be imported. That single line, from Ley 147-00, rules out most of the cheap used stock that circulates around the Caribbean and pushes the economics towards new and nearly-new units — which is exactly where Chinese manufacturers are strongest on price.
The second thing to know is that the taxes stack. Import duty, the CO₂ levy, ITBIS at 18% and the Primera Placa first-registration tax are applied in sequence, so the landed cost is meaningfully above CIF and a low FOB price matters more here than in a market with a single flat duty. Electric and hybrid vehicles get relief under Ley 103-13, which is the largest lever available in this market.
Sino Gear is a vehicle exporter, not a customs broker or a tax adviser. The duty, tax and age figures on this page were collected from the sources listed at the foot of the page and last checked in August 2026. They are set by Dominican Republic's authorities and change without notice — several were revised during 2026 alone. Figures we could not confirm against a primary government source are listed explicitly below. Nothing here is legal, tax or customs advice: confirm the current position with a licensed customs broker in Dominican Republic before you commit money to a shipment.
What the landed cost is made of
| Cost block | Indicative level |
|---|---|
| Vehicle (FOB China) | Model-dependent — see the catalog. The five-year rule means new stock is usually the right comparison, not old used units |
| Ocean freight + insurance | Roughly US$1,500–2,500 per car as a container share to Caucedo. Caucedo is a DP World transshipment hub, so sailing options are better than most Caribbean destinations |
| Import duty (arancel) | Chinese-origin vehicles pay the most-favoured-nation rate; there is no China–DR free-trade agreement. US-origin vehicles enter duty-free under DR-CAFTA, which is why local price comparisons can mislead — confirm the rate for your HS code with DGA |
| CO₂ emissions levy | A selective levy assessed on emissions per kilometre under Ley 253-12. Low-emission and electric units sit at the bottom of the scale, which compounds with the Ley 103-13 relief |
| ITBIS (VAT) | 18%, calculated on the duty-inclusive value rather than on CIF alone |
| Primera Placa (first registration) | A first-registration tax under Ley 557-05, paid to DGII before INTRANT issues plates. Budget for it separately — it is not part of the customs bill |
| Clearance & handling | Licensed customs broker (agente de aduanas), terminal handling at Caucedo or Haina, and local delivery |
The taxes are applied in sequence rather than side by side, so the difference between a US$18,000 and a US$22,000 CIF value is amplified by the time plates are issued. Every rate on this line-up should be confirmed against your specific HS code before you commit: DR-CAFTA gives US-origin vehicles duty-free entry, so any duty figure you hear locally may well be for a US unit and not apply to Chinese-origin stock. The electric and hybrid relief under Ley 103-13 is the one lever big enough to change which model you order. Figures on this page are indicative as of August 2026 and are set by Dominican Republic’s authorities, not by us — your customs broker confirms the exact charge for a specific VIN on the day of entry.
Five years, and it decides your whole sourcing strategy
Passenger vehicles imported into the Dominican Republic must be no more than five years old. Heavy vehicles — trucks and buses — are permitted considerably older, but for cars and SUVs the five-year line is firm and it is enforced at clearance, not negotiated afterwards.
The practical effect is that the Dominican Republic is not a market for cheap old stock. A ten-year-old unit that would clear in Ghana or Curaçao simply cannot enter. What is left is new vehicles and lightly used ones, and that is the comparison Chinese manufacturers win: a new Chinese SUV frequently lands below a four-year-old Japanese or American equivalent with a clean title.
Confirm with your broker whether the five years is counted from model year or from date of manufacture before you buy anything close to the line. In practice brokers apply it consistently, but the distinction decides borderline units, and a rejected unit at Caucedo is an expensive way to learn the answer.
Left-hand drive, Spanish paperwork, licensed broker
The Dominican Republic drives on the right and left-hand drive is required — right-hand-drive units are not a route into this market. Every vehicle we ship is LHD as standard.
Clearance runs through a licensed Dominican customs broker on a Declaración Única Aduanera, and the document set is read in Spanish. We issue the Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of Lading and Certificate of Origin, and provide Spanish-language copies where your broker wants them rather than making them translate ours.
Registration is a two-authority process: DGII collects the Primera Placa tax, then INTRANT issues plates. Neither happens until customs releases the unit, so build the sequence into your cash-flow plan — the vehicle is landed, taxed and still not sellable for a short window at the end.
Our minimum order is one unit. A 40′ HC container takes about three cars, so dealers testing a new model commonly mix three units in one box and split the freight rather than paying single-unit rates.
The process, step by step
- 1Quote & spec
Send the model, condition (new or used), quantity and your port — Multimodal Caucedo (or Río Haina for RoRo). You get a CIF quote with the vehicle price, ocean freight and documentation listed as separate lines, plus confirmation that the unit clears Dominican Republic's age and compliance rules before you commit.
- 2Deposit & inspection
Standard terms are a 30% T/T deposit with the 70% balance against the Bill of Lading. Before shipment you receive the VIN, a photo and video condition report, and — for EV and plug-in hybrid units — a battery state-of-health check.
- 3Shipping
Container loading (typically 3 cars per 40′ HC), usually via a regional transshipment hub out of Shanghai, Ningbo or Shenzhen, then roughly 30–40 days to Multimodal Caucedo (or Río Haina for RoRo). Container-loading photos and the container number go to you before the vessel sails, followed by the Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of Lading and Certificate of Origin.
- 4Clearance & registration
Your Dominican customs broker clears the unit (import duty, the CO₂ levy, ITBIS and then the Primera Placa registration tax) and registers it. We supply whatever document set the clearance needs — including a Spanish-language document set for your agente de aduanas — and reissue anything customs queries.
Routing to Multimodal Caucedo (or Río Haina for RoRo)
Caucedo is a DP World transshipment hub, which makes the Dominican Republic one of the better-connected Caribbean destinations from Asia — sailings are more frequent and transit more predictable than for the smaller islands. Río Haina handles RoRo and general cargo and sits closer to Santo Domingo; for consolidated container loads Caucedo is normally the better routing. We book the option with the fewest transfers available on the day rather than the cheapest on paper.
What sells in Dominican Republic
Non-conventional-energy vehicles carry reduced duties under Ley 103-13, and they also sit at the bottom of the CO₂ levy scale — the two reliefs compound. On an island with short driving distances and a growing charging network, this is the largest single lever on landed cost available in the market.
See electric & hybrid stockThe five-year age limit removes the cheap old imports this segment usually competes against. A new Chinese compact SUV lands against four-year-old Japanese stock — a comparison that favours new far more here than in markets with no age rule.
See SUV catalogTourism drives constant rental-fleet replacement, and fleets buy in batches on a cycle. A mixed container of sedans lands at a per-unit cost that makes scheduled batch replacement straightforward.
See sedan catalogFrequently asked questions
Passenger vehicles must be no more than five years old, under Ley 147-00. Heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses are permitted considerably older — confirm the limit for your specific category. The rule is enforced at clearance, so a unit outside the limit is not a negotiation, it is a rejected shipment. If you are buying anything close to the line, ask your broker whether the five years runs from model year or date of manufacture before you commit.
Four charges stack in sequence: import duty, a CO₂ emissions levy under Ley 253-12, ITBIS at 18% on the duty-inclusive value, and then the Primera Placa first-registration tax paid to DGII before plates are issued. Because the Dominican Republic gives US-origin vehicles duty-free entry under DR-CAFTA and has no agreement with China, any duty figure quoted to you locally may be for a US unit and not apply to Chinese-origin stock. Get the rate confirmed against your specific HS code with a licensed Dominican broker before ordering.
Yes. Ley 103-13 provides incentives for non-conventional-energy vehicles, and low-emission units also sit at the bottom of the CO₂ levy scale, so the two reliefs compound. The incentive is well established, but the exact reductions in force and how long the regime runs should be confirmed with DGII or your broker before you price a shipment around them — it is large enough to change which model you order.
Multimodal Caucedo for containers — it is a DP World transshipment hub, so sailings from China are more frequent and transit more predictable than for smaller Caribbean ports. Río Haina handles RoRo and general cargo and sits closer to Santo Domingo. For a consolidated container of two or three cars, Caucedo is normally the better routing.
Yes. Our minimum order is one unit. A 40′ HC container holds about three cars, so most Dominican buyers testing a new model consolidate two or three units — mixing body styles if they like — and split the freight rather than paying single-unit rates.
Roughly 30–40 days to Caucedo, usually including one transshipment, plus 5–10 working days of document preparation and booking before the vessel sails. Clearance and then registration through DGII and INTRANT add further time after arrival, so plan the cash-flow gap between landing the unit and being able to sell it.
Sources & verification
Figures on this page were last checked in August 2026 against the sources below.
- Dirección General de Aduanas (DGA) — Dominican customs authority, tariff and vehicle import procedures
- Dirección General de Impuestos Internos (DGII) — first-registration tax (Primera Placa) and the CO₂-based vehicle levy
- INTRANT — Instituto Nacional de Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre, vehicle registration and roadworthiness
- Named in the legislation rather than a single page: Ley 147-00 (vehicle age limit), Ley 557-05 (first-registration tax), Ley 253-12 (CO₂ emissions levy), Ley 103-13 (incentives for non-conventional-energy vehicles). Ask your broker to quote the current article and rate.
- The 20% general import duty applied to Chinese-origin passenger cars. The Dominican Republic gives duty-free entry to US-origin vehicles under DR-CAFTA and has no free-trade agreement with China, so a most-favoured-nation rate applies — but we could not read the current figure for each HS code out of a primary DGA source.
- The percentage bands of the CO₂ emissions levy introduced by Ley 253-12. The levy is assessed on emissions per kilometre, and the bands have been revised more than once.
- The 17% first-registration tax (Primera Placa) under Ley 557-05, and the exact base it is calculated on.
- The current relief for electric and hybrid vehicles under Ley 103-13. The incentive is real and well established, but the exact duty and levy reductions in force today, and how long the regime runs, need confirming with DGII or a Santo Domingo broker before you price a shipment around them.
- Whether the five-year age limit is counted from model year or from date of manufacture. Brokers apply it consistently in practice, but the distinction can decide a borderline unit.
We publish this list rather than presenting every number as settled. If any of it decides your purchase, have a licensed customs broker in Dominican Republic confirm it in writing first — and tell us what they say, so we can correct the page.
Get a CIF Multimodal Caucedo (or Río Haina for RoRo) quote
Send the model, condition and quantity — you get the full cost build-up, VIN photos and the shipping schedule before any payment. Minimum order is one unit.
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