Here goes a practical to-do list. Next to each item I indicate whether it?s a mandatory or optional requirement.
1) Residency Permit. Mandatory. Otherwise you would be, as American authorities are wont to say, an ?illegal alien?.
2) Incorporation. Optional. It would be nice to separate your personal from your business liabilities but it?s not mandatory. You may operate as a sole business owner ( ?negocio de ?nico due?o?). If you want to go ahead with incorporation get the assistance of a lawyer who knows what he?s doing. Average run-in-the-mill attorneys in the Dominican Republic are awful. If the template your run-in-the-mill attorney happens to have in his/her computer is for a Board of Directors of 11 with preferred shares and other corporate trimmings, that?s what you?ll get no matter what you need.
3) Name and/or trademark registration. Again, optional. Usually the same attorney who processes the incorporation takes care of this.
4) Lease. Mandatory unless you own property. Standard procedure is for the tenant to pay for the lease. If you are really short of money you can even go to the bookstore and buy a template. Not much to worry about here since Dominican law is very protective of the tenant.
5) Tax Registration (?Registro Nacional de Contribuyentes?). Mandatory. Go to the nearest Internal Revenue Office (?Oficina Local de la Direcci?n General de Impuestos Internos? - DGII) with a photocopy of your c?dula. They will register you for free! You?ll get a tax or RNC (?Registro Nacional de Contribuyentes?) number.
6) Employees? Registration. Mandatory. Go to the nearest Labor Office and buy the ?planilla?, etc. which you must fill out with information about your employees.
7) Social Security Registration. Mandatory. Same as above except go to Social Security office.
8) Government Permit. Mandatory if your business requires it. The permit depends on the nature of the business. For example, if you are going to start a restaurant in a tourist area, you?ll need two permits: one from Public Health and another from Tourism; if you are going to set up a security business providing armed guards to other busineses, you?ll need a permit from the Interior Department.
A general business license is not required in the Dominican Republic. Something similar (the ?patente?) did exist before but was abolished some years ago.
