Reference
Glossary of Dominican property terms
The words you meet buying a new-build in Punta Cana, from carta constancia to fideicomiso, in plain English. Each links to the guide or calculator that goes deeper.
- Carta Constancia
Evidence of a right within a larger parcel that has not yet been individually surveyed and registered. Ownership is real, but the boundaries are not fixed in the registry until the deslinde is done.
- Certificado de Título (title certificate)
The definitive title to a specific, surveyed, individually registered parcel, issued by the Registro de Títulos. A purchase is complete when a new certificate is issued in the buyer’s name.
- Condo-hotel
A building whose units are sold to owners but run as hotel rooms under one operator, with the rental income shared under a management agreement. Parking and use by the owner are usually limited.
- CONFOTUR
The Council for the Promotion of Tourism (Consejo de Fomento Turístico) under Law 158-01. A unit in a project it approves is exempt from the 3% transfer tax on first transfer and from IPI for 15 years. The exemption belongs to the project, not the buyer.
- Contrato de Venta (deed of sale)
The signed, notarised deed that transfers the property. On its own it does not make the buyer the registered owner: the transfer must still be registered.
- Deslinde
The cadastral survey that carves an individual parcel out of a larger registered holding and registers it separately, producing a Certificado de Título for that parcel.
- DGII
Dirección General de Impuestos Internos, the Dominican tax authority. It appraises property for the transfer tax and publishes the IPI threshold each year.
- Entrega (delivery)
The handover of a finished unit to the buyer. In a pre-construction purchase the last part of the price is paid at delivery, and the transfer tax and registration happen then.
- Fideicomiso (trust)
A trust under which a trust company (fiduciaria) holds a project’s land and buyers’ payments, regulated by Law 189-11. In pre-construction it protects buyers’ money if the developer runs into trouble; ask whether a project has one.
- IPI (annual property tax)
Impuesto al Patrimonio Inmobiliario: 1% a year on the value above an exempt threshold that the DGII re-indexes every year. For individuals it looks at all their Dominican property together. CONFOTUR exempts it for 15 years.
- Línea blanca (white goods)
The kitchen and laundry appliances (fridge, stove, oven, washer, dryer). Price lists say whether a unit includes them; some developers include them only with certain payment plans.
- Lock-off
A unit designed to split into two independently rentable parts, for example a one-bedroom apartment with a separate studio, each with its own door.
- Mantenimiento (HOA fee)
The monthly fee owners pay for a building’s or community’s common areas, security, staff and amenities. It rises over time; ask for the current figure and its history.
- Plan de pago (payment plan)
How a pre-construction price is paid: usually a reservation, a percentage at signing, instalments during construction and the balance at delivery, for example 10% / 40% / 50%.
- Planta eléctrica (backup power)
A building’s backup generator. Many developments charge for it separately from the maintenance fee.
- Preventa / sobre planos (pre-construction)
Buying a unit before or during construction, against a promise of future delivery. Prices are usually lower than at delivery, and the risk is different from a finished unit.
- Price per m² ($/m²)
The price divided by the area. Dominican price lists may give interior area only or total area including terraces, so compare like with like.
- Promesa de venta (promise of sale)
The notarised, binding contract signed before the deed: price, payment schedule, delivery date and what happens on default. In pre-construction it governs the relationship for years.
- Registro de Títulos (title registry)
The registry that records transfers and issues the Certificado de Título. A buyer becomes the registered owner when the transfer is recorded there.
- Reserva (reservation)
A deposit that takes a unit off the market, usually a few thousand dollars, normally credited against the signing payment. Agree in writing what happens to it if due diligence fails.
- Status: available, reserved, sold, blocked
How a developer’s price list marks each unit. Reserved units have a deposit but no signed contract yet; blocked units are held back by the developer and not for sale for now.
- Transfer tax (Impuesto de Transferencia)
3% of the higher of the price paid and the DGII appraisal, paid once when ownership transfers, normally by the buyer. Exempt on first transfer in a CONFOTUR project.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm anything you intend to rely on with a Dominican attorney.