In business in the Dominican Republic

Foreigners to the Dominican Republic have contributed much to the overall business community of the country, owning, managing and working with hundreds of companies based both in the country and outside it. This fertile ground offers much to the entrepreneur, whether in the area of a small, local business catering to a local need or in the realm of International trade, manufacturing inside one of the Dominican Republic’s free zones and exporting to the world.

Like in any country, unauthorized foreign persons, i.e., those without permission to work here, may not seek employment, however upon gaining legal residence, foreigners may seek work in many areas of the local economy, and many opportunities exist in the areas of foreign trade, language instruction and translation, property development, education, medicine, agriculture, construction trades…the list is long.

Additionally, those wishing to create a new business or purchase an existing one will find a climate ripe for many endeavors. The Dominican Republic will provide an employer with reasonably priced labor at all skill-levels and will reward him or her for intelligent decision-making in the pursuit of success. Additionally, regulation is reasonable and vastly more workable than in many highly developed countries.

Successful businesses are everywhere in this beautiful island country. Persons wishing a change of lifestyle have come with skills and made a lovely life Sosua and Cabarete, for instance. A European couple with experience in aqua-culture, started a freshwater shrimp farm 20 years ago and now ship all over the country as well as abroad. A Canadian teacher brought his skills and now heads one of the best private schools on the island. An American architect sold his US firm and came to live the dream of designing villas for others, and himself. A German lady, highly educated and realizing that something was missing in her life, came here and, more than a decade ago, started a Dominican Republic real estate company called Select Caribbean Properties…