Guide · Moving Home & Money
Moving Back to DR for Good: The "Dominicano Ausente" Tax Break
If you're relocating back permanently, not just visiting, a decades-old law can cut what you pay in import duties on your household goods and one vehicle.
Most of what gets written about returning to DR is aimed at visitors. Less gets written about the diaspora members actually moving back for good — closing the apartment in the Bronx or Madrid and relocating the household. For that group, Law 168-67 is still active, and it's worth knowing before you ship a single box.
📦 What it covers
A partial exemption from tariffs and other import duties on household goods and personal effects you bring with you when relocating permanently — the exact percentage, between 20% and 60%, is set case by case by the Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda).
🚗 One vehicle, with a catch
The exemption can extend to one vehicle — but anything that benefits from it can't legally be sold or transferred for three years after it arrives in the country. Plan around that if a resale is part of your thinking.
📝 It's a request, not automatic
This exemption isn't applied automatically at the port — it has to be requested through the Ministry of Finance, which manages exemption requests for special laws like this one. Start that paperwork before your goods ship, not after.
Do this first: confirm your status as a returning "dominicano ausente" and start the Ministry of Finance exemption request before you pack a container — this is not something to sort out at customs after your things have already landed.
Official source: exemption requests are handled by the Ministerio de Hacienda (hacienda.gob.do); DGII's help portal also has guidance specifically for "Dominicanos Ausentes que regresan al país." Confirm current percentages and requirements before you commit to shipping dates.
Sources
1. Law 168-67 partial exemption terms (20-60%, three-year resale restriction) — reporting via cuantomecuesta.com's import-tax guide, citing Ministerio de Hacienda. 2. Guidance for "Dominicanos Ausentes que regresan al país" — Dirección General de Impuestos Internos help portal (ayuda.dgii.gov.do).
Criollo News guides are practical explainers, not legal or tax advice — exemption percentages are set case by case, so confirm your specific situation with the Ministerio de Hacienda before you move.