Buying from abroad, without flying down

First, what most people do not know

There is no restriction on foreigners owning property in the Dominican Republic. You do not need residency, a local partner, or a corporate structure. The same rights as a Dominican citizen.

Step 1 — Get everything in writing

Price, square meters, floor level, payment schedule, delivery date, and what is included. If it came to you as a WhatsApp voice note and not in writing, you do not have anything yet.

This is not distrust. It is that both sides' memory changes over time and paper does not.

Step 2 — Verify before you reserve

Title, Registry certificate, boundary survey (deslinde) and charges. All of it can be checked online from any country — here is how to do it yourself.

The order matters: verify first, reserve second. The other way around, your money is already in when the problem shows up.

Step 3 — The power of attorney

This is the piece that solves everything. You grant a special power of attorney at the Dominican consulate in your city, naming someone you trust to sign on your behalf.

If you sign it before a local notary instead of at the consulate, the document needs an apostille to be valid in the country.

Two pieces of advice:

• Make it special and limited to that one transaction — not a general power that lets someone do anything in your name.
• Have your attorney draft it, not the seller's.

Step 4 — Pay the trust, never a person

In serious projects the money goes into a separate estate administered by a regulated trust company (fiduciaria), not into the developer's account. If the project runs into trouble, that money is not mixed in with theirs.

If anyone asks you to wire to a personal account, the conversation ends there. No exceptions, no matter who recommended them.

What happens after signing

The transfer is recorded at the Registro de Títulos and the certificate is issued in your name. Your representative handles that with the power of attorney.

You should receive a copy of everything. Do not accept "I'll hold on to it for you."

And the part that surprises people

Our work costs you nothing. The commission is paid by the developer. You pay the same list price with us or without us — the difference is that the file was reviewed before you put a peso in.