Moving to Dominican Republic from Canada

More than US$2,100 a month: Rentista residence under Law 171-07 (article 3) asks for stable income at a set monthly minimum, or the equivalent in pesos (to be safe, have more than US$2,100 a month), plus a set extra amount a month for each dependant (to be safe, add more than US$300 a month for each). The pensioner route asks for a pension with a monthly minimum (to be safe, have more than US$1,600 a month) plus a set extra amount per dependant (to be safe, add more than US$300 a month for each). Both are written for income from abroad that is not pay for work: the law lists deposits and investments in banks or companies abroad, remittances from banks or from property, interest and dividends, and MIREX and DGM both say income from salaries does not count. The rentista must show the income has run for at least five years (article 6, paragraph II). The central bank's selling rate at the close of 14 October 2026 was RD$61.6788 per dollar and the Bank of Canada's rate that day was CA$1.4263 per US dollar, so the peso and Canadian-dollar equivalents move with those rates. To be safe, have more than US$2,100 a month. We found no DGM text that accepts freelance fees under either route, and none that says whether a Canadian pension (CPP, OAS, a registered retirement income fund or an employer plan) counts as a pension, so confirm with a Dominican consulate in Canada before relying on one.

Until 31 December 2026 Canadians can enter as tourists with a passport valid for the length of the stay; for other purposes, and for the residence visa, the passport must be valid for at least six months. You complete an electronic entry and exit form (e-ticket) before each flight, and you may be asked for proof of funds, an address and a return or onward ticket. A stay can be extended up to 120 days at the Migration Department in Santo Domingo, before your tourist card expires: DGM's page (archived October 2025) lists RD$3,500 for 30 to 90 days and RD$5,600 for 90 to 120 days and asks for your passport, entry stamp, return ticket, proof of funds and a medical certificate, while the Montreal consulate's FAQ says an extra month is charged at the airport on exit at RD$2,500 (about US$50), so the two pages disagree on the charge. Canada's government warns that overstaying can mean deportation or refusal of re-entry. The Atlas Visa Map records 30 days for Canadians and no extension. We found no source saying a visitor may or may not work remotely, so that is unknown; if you plan to work for a year, research the residence routes.

Law 171-07 also asks for copies of cheques or transfer notices showing the money entering the country. MIREX asks for a criminal record from a federal authority in each country you lived in during the last five years, apostilled and issued within a year; in Canada that points to the RCMP's certified, fingerprint-based record check, which you can apply for through a police service or an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting company, but no consulate page says so, so confirm. The Dominican Republic has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 30 August 2009 and Canada since 11 January 2024: Global Affairs Canada issues the apostille at no fee, and on 15 October 2026 it was processing requests received 25 business days earlier, plus mailing time. Documents not in Spanish need a translation by a judicial interpreter, and originals must be notarised, legalised or apostilled. MIREX gives 10 to 20 working days for a visa decision, and the RS visa is valid for 60 days for one entry. After arriving you have 30 days to start the process with DGM. DGM's rentista and pensioner pages give 90 working days; the law says the approval letter and card come within 45 working days, and DGM's investor page also gives 45 working days. DGM fees on its pensioner and rentista pages are RD$28,800 for the file, RD$3,500 for the card and RD$6,300 for medical exams, RD$38,600 in total (about US$626, or about CA$893); the investor total for an adult is RD$37,000. The guarantee policy premium was not published, so it is unknown. Applications left inactive for 90 days expire automatically. These are archived pages, so confirm current fees and times with DGM.

A foreigner becomes a tax resident after more than 182 days in a year, and under article 271 starts paying tax on foreign-source income from the third year after becoming resident. The Tax Code lists income from personal work and professions among Dominican-source rents without saying where the payer is. We found no DGII text on pay from a foreign employer or fees from foreign clients for work done in the country, so whether that is taxable is a question to settle with a Dominican adviser before you arrive. Canada has a tax convention with the Dominican Republic, which has its own rules for pay and fees for work done in each country.

DGII's April 2025 ruling exempts interest paid to someone who holds permanent residence by investment from the 10% withholding. The same law gives a 50% reduction of property tax and mortgage taxes and an exemption from transfer tax on a first property.

If you keep significant ties you may still be a factual resident of Canada, which means tax on your worldwide income. You usually become a non-resident on the latest of the date you leave, the date your spouse and dependants leave and the date you become a resident of the country you settle in. A factual resident who is also resident in a country Canada has a tax treaty with may be treated as a deemed non-resident, and Canada has one with the Dominican Republic; Form NR73 asks the CRA for its opinion. If you emigrate you are treated as having sold most property at fair market value on the day you leave. Canadian real estate, RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs and pensions are among the exceptions. Form T1161 applies if your property was worth more than CA$25,000, and Form T1244 lets you defer the tax until you sell, with security needed if the federal tax owing is more than CA$16,500 (CA$13,777.50 for former residents of Quebec). If you stay a Canadian resident, the federal foreign tax credit (Form T2209) lets you claim foreign income tax you paid, up to the Canadian tax on the same income, and Form T1135 applies if foreign property such as a Dominican bank account or flat cost more than CA$100,000 in total at any time in the year. This describes the mechanism, not your bill.

British Columbia ends MSP at the end of the month you leave if you move permanently outside Canada. The Government of Canada says good health care is only available in major cities, public hospitals may lack supplies, and private hospitals and doctors may require payment in advance or proof of insurance; ambulances are more reliable in Santo Domingo, Santiago, Punta Cana and Puerto Plata, and it advises insurance that covers medical evacuation and hospital stays. The guarantee policy DGM requires is described as a guarantee policy (and a repatriation policy for dependants), not as health cover. We found no priced private health plan, so that cost is unknown.

The file, card and medical fees on DGM's rentista and pensioner pages total RD$38,600 (about US$626, or about CA$893), plus the visa fee and the policy premium, which was not published. MIREX warns that meeting the checklist is not an approval and advises against buying non-refundable flights before the visa arrives.

How to open a Dominican account as a non-resident or new resident is not described in the sources we read, so that is unknown. The Government of Canada says card and ATM fraud, including skimming, is common, so use ATMs inside banks or businesses. The Montreal consulate says a Canadian driving licence is valid only for your legal stay (30 days, or the term of your visa). If you emigrate, tell the CRA your departure date and tell Canadian banks and payers that you are no longer resident.