Dominican Republic

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Cargo Transport Operator Registration Required

Yes

Yes, for the company operating the trucks. The Cargo Transport Regulation (Reglamento de Transporte de Cargas, Decree 258-20) applies to every individual or company that provides cargo transport on public roads. An operator, meaning the person or company responsible for the administrative, financial, technical, operational, logistics, and safety side of the service, must enrol in INTRANT’s National Register of Operators (Registro Nacional de Operadores). To register, the operator provides its identity and tax number, its addresses, the types of cargo service it will offer, a description of its organization, a list of its vehicles (owned, leased, or third-party, all registered), and its insurance certificates. INTRANT issues a certificate of registration. The Regulation ties the operator’s annual permit renewal to filing its driver register with INTRANT.

Ownership or Nationality Conditions

None found. The Cargo Transport Regulation sets no nationality, minimum capital, or minimum fleet condition for operators. The Foreign Investment Law (Law 16-95) closes only a few sectors to foreign investment, and transport is not among them; it gives foreign investors the same rights and obligations as Dominican investors, subject to sector laws.

Vehicle Registration and Inspection Required

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Every truck, trailer, and similar goods vehicle must be entered by its owner in INTRANT’s National Register of Cargo Transport Vehicles, free of charge and online. This registration is a condition for circulating and for renewing the annual circulation tag (marbete). Each goods vehicle must pass an annual technical inspection. Trucks must carry reflective side markings and reflective rear plates, may not be more than 30 years old, must carry their registration, insurance, permits, and driver’s licence on board, and must transmit a GPS or equivalent tracking signal.

Driver Licensing Required

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Truck drivers need a driving licence in the category and cargo subcategory that matches the vehicle. INTRANT’s heavy-vehicle categories are Category 03 (for example, two-axle trucks) and Category 04 (for example, trucks with more than two axles and articulated trucks). Applicants must meet minimum age and prior-licence requirements, pass theory and practical tests, and provide a criminal record certificate. The Regulation also limits driving time (no more than 5 hours without a break and 12 hours a day) and requires a 0.0 blood alcohol level for cargo drivers.

Compulsory Insurance Required

Yes, for the company operating the vehicles, at two levels. First, every motor vehicle must carry compulsory motor liability insurance under Law 146-02, covering injury, death, and property damage to third parties; the Superintendency of Insurance sets the minimum limits. This does not insure the goods being carried. Second, the Cargo Transport Regulation requires every cargo operator to hold both contractual civil liability insurance (covering loss of, damage to, or late delivery of the goods it carries) and non-contractual civil liability insurance (covering damage to third parties) as a condition of registration. INTRANT sets the required coverage by resolution. An operator that does not keep its contractual liability insurance in force loses the right to rely on the liability limits that would otherwise apply.

Carrier Liability Rules

Set by the Cargo Transport Regulation. The operator must issue a signed transport document, the remesa terrestre de carga, when it receives the goods; it records the parties, a description of the goods, the vehicle and driver, origin and destination, and the price. If the operator fails to issue it, the operator is presumed to have received the goods as the customer described them and at the value the customer declared. The operator is liable for loss of and damage to the goods declared in the transport documents from the moment it receives them until it delivers them. It is exempt only if it proves the loss was caused by hidden defects in the goods or the customer’s packaging, false documents or declarations by the customer, a customer declaring a higher value than the goods actually had, or an unforeseeable event or force majeure. A customer may declare the value of the goods, and the operator must record that declaration. No removal-specific liability rules were found.

Consumer Protection

Yes. The General Law on the Protection of the Rights of Consumers or Users (Law 358-05) is the Dominican Republic’s consumer protection law. It created the Instituto Nacional de Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor (Pro Consumidor), which administers it.

Consumer Complaint Resources (For Movers Not Vetted as ITMs)

Yes. Pro Consumidor accepts consumer complaints (reclamaciones) online, by phone, and in person, and offers conciliation between the consumer and the business. Its contact details are on its website, proconsumidor.gob.do. Consumers keep the right to take a dispute to the ordinary courts.

Industry Association

None found. No dedicated Dominican household-moving trade association was identified in this research.

OverviewOverview & Scope

The Dominican Republic regulates the carriage of goods by road through INTRANT, the national transport authority created by Law 63-17. The detailed rules are in the Cargo Transport Regulation of 2020, which sets up national registers of operators, vehicles, and other logistics actors. Rather than granting a licence subject to tests of good repute, financial standing, or professional competence, the Regulation requires the operating company to register, declare its vehicles and insurance, and comply with vehicle, driver, documentation, and insurance rules. These obligations attach to whichever company operates the trucks. A mover that uses its own trucks must meet them directly; a mover that subcontracts the trucking depends on the carrier meeting them. The same Regulation sets the carrier’s liability for the goods, which runs from pickup to delivery, and requires a signed transport document at pickup. Consumer complaints go to Pro Consumidor.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing

1. Register the business, including Commercial Registry (Registro Mercantil) entry with the local Chamber of Commerce and Production, renewed every two years, and a Taxpayer Number (Registro Nacional de Contribuyentes, RNC) from the Dirección General de Impuestos Internos (DGII), the tax authority.
2. Where the mover operates its own trucks, register as a cargo transport operator with INTRANT, renew the operator permit as INTRANT requires, and hold contractual and non-contractual civil liability insurance as an operator, at the levels INTRANT sets.

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

3. Register every truck and trailer in INTRANT’s National Register of Cargo Transport Vehicles, keep the annual technical inspection and circulation tag current, and fit the required markings and tracking.
4. Keep compulsory motor liability insurance in force for every vehicle.
5. Ensure every driver holds the correct licence category for the truck, observe the driving-time and alcohol limits, and file the driver register with INTRANT.

Subcontracted transport

6. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Customer practices

7. Where the mover is the operator carrying the goods, issue a signed transport document (remesa terrestre de carga) at pickup, record any value the customer declares, and carry the required trip documentation.
8. Ensure consumer-facing practices and contracts comply with Law 358-05.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Commercial Registry entry current with the Chamber of Commerce and ProductionVerified by DocumentRequired
• RNC tax registration with the DGIIVerified by DocumentRequired
• INTRANT cargo transport operator registration (certificate of registration in the National Register of Operators) heldWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Operator contractual and non-contractual civil liability insurance in forceWhere applicable (mover is a registered cargo transport operator)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Every truck and trailer registered in INTRANT’s National Register of Cargo Transport Vehicles, inspected annually, with a current circulation tag (marbete)Where applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Compulsory motor liability insurance in force for every vehicleWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Every driver holds the correct licence category and cargo subcategory for the vehicleWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Vehicle operating standards met (reflective markings and rear plates, 30-year age limit, documents on board, GPS or equivalent tracking)Where applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by AffirmationRequired
• Driving-time limits and 0.0 blood alcohol rule observed, and driver register filed with INTRANTWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by AffirmationRequired

Customer practices

• Signed transport document (remesa terrestre de carga) issued at pickup and declared values recordedWhere applicable (mover is the operator carrying the goods)Verified by AffirmationRequired
• Contracts and practices compliant with Law 358-05Verified by AffirmationRequired