Dominican Republic and US Citizenship: Dual Nationality and Taxes

Dual citizenship between the Dominican Republic and the US is fully permitted by both governments, so a Dominican who naturalizes in the United States keeps their Dominican nationality, and an American who naturalizes in the Dominican Republic keeps their US passport. The Dominican Constitution says so directly, and the US State Department confirms that naturalizing abroad does not, on its own, put American citizenship at risk.¹² What the two systems ask of you is different, and the timelines, costs, and ongoing obligations are worth knowing before you start.

One rule is non-negotiable on the US side: dual nationals must enter and leave the United States on a US passport, whatever other document they carry. You are also subject to the laws of each country while inside its borders.¹

Naturalizing as a US Citizen From Dominican Status

A Dominican national with a green card applies through Form N-400. Which timeline applies depends on your marital status.

Five Years as a Permanent Resident

The standard path requires five years of continuous residence as a lawful permanent resident, with physical presence in the US for at least half of that time, meaning 30 months.³ You can file up to 90 days before hitting the five-year mark.⁴

Three Years If You’re Married to a US Citizen

If you’ve been a permanent resident for three years, and for all three years you have been married to and living with a US citizen, the residence requirement drops to three years and physical presence to 18 of the last 36 months.⁵

English, Civics, Oath, and Fee

Both tracks require basic English reading, writing, and speaking, plus a civics test on US history and government. Applicants with qualifying disabilities can request an exception through Form N-648.⁵ The process ends with the Oath of Allegiance. The N-400 filing fee is $760 on paper or $710 online.⁴

Naturalizing as a Dominican Citizen From US Status

Dominican naturalization is governed by Law No. 1683 of 1948, and none of its paths require you to give up US citizenship. Applications are processed through the Ministry of Interior and Police.

Two Years of Residency

The standard path is two consecutive years of residence in the Dominican Republic.⁶ You would typically obtain temporary residency first, then permanent residency, and then apply to naturalize.

Six Months If Married to a Dominican

A foreign national married to a Dominican citizen can apply after just six months of legal residency, which makes marriage the fastest route to a Dominican passport.⁶

Investment Path

A direct capital investment of at least $200,000 in a new or existing Dominican business can qualify you for permanent residency. Real estate can also qualify, at a higher threshold. Once you’ve held permanent residency long enough, you apply for naturalization through the standard process. Qualifying investments are registered with the Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD).

Citizenship for a Child Born in the Dominican Republic

A child born in the Dominican Republic to at least one US citizen parent can acquire US citizenship automatically at birth, but only if the citizen parent meets a specific physical presence test beforehand. This is worth attention: if the parent falls short, there is no way to fix it after the fact.

The Physical Presence Test

When only one parent is a US citizen, that parent must have been physically present in the United States for a combined five years before the child’s birth, with at least two of those years after the parent turned 14.⁷ The time doesn’t have to be continuous. School years, jobs, and short stays all count if you were on US soil.

Time spent abroad on active duty in the US Armed Forces, working for the US government, or working for a qualifying international organization counts as US presence. So does time spent abroad as the unmarried dependent child of someone in those roles. The exception does not extend to unmarried partners.⁷

Getting the Paperwork

Once the parent meets the test, you apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) at a US embassy or consulate. The CRBA is official proof the child was a US citizen at birth.⁸ You’ll need evidence of the parent’s physical presence: school records, employment records, tax returns, bank statements, or medical records all work.⁹ The CRBA isn’t a travel document, so apply for the child’s first US passport separately.

Taxes and Reporting for Dual Citizens

Here’s where dual nationality gets expensive if you ignore it. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income no matter where they live.¹⁰ A dual citizen living in Santo Domingo still files a US return every year.

Foreign Earned Income Exclusion

The main relief is the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. For tax year 2026, qualifying US citizens abroad can exclude $132,900 of foreign earnings.¹¹ You qualify by being a bona fide resident of a foreign country for an entire tax year, or by being physically outside the US for at least 330 full days in a 12-month period. Earned income above the exclusion is taxable, though credits for Dominican taxes already paid can offset part of the bill.

Foreign Account Reporting

Two separate reports apply to accounts held in the Dominican Republic:

FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is required if the combined value of all your foreign financial accounts tops $10,000 at any point during the year. That threshold is aggregate, not per account, and it catches people off guard. Penalties for willful failure can reach $100,000 or 50% of the account balance, whichever is greater.¹²
FATCA (Form 8938) applies to US citizens living abroad when foreign financial assets exceed $200,000 at year-end or $300,000 at any point during the year for single filers. Married couples filing jointly get $400,000 and $600,000.

What Can Actually Cost You Your US Citizenship

Naturalizing in the Dominican Republic will not, by itself, strip your American citizenship. Under 8 USC 1481, a US citizen loses nationality only by voluntarily performing certain acts with the intent to relinquish it.¹³ Intent is the pivot point, and the State Department presumes Americans who naturalize abroad, take routine oaths, or take a foreign government job intend to keep their US citizenship.

The acts that can cause loss when performed with intent to relinquish are:

Naturalizing in a foreign country after age 18
Taking a formal oath of allegiance to a foreign state after age 18
Serving in a foreign military engaged in hostilities against the US, or serving as an officer in any foreign military
Accepting a foreign government position if you hold that country’s nationality
Formally renouncing US citizenship before a consular officer abroad
Committing treason or attempting to overthrow the US government

Routine dual-citizen activity, such as voting in Dominican elections or holding a low-level government job, rarely draws State Department attention. If you’re ever handed a document renouncing allegiance to other countries as part of a Dominican process, read it carefully and get legal advice before signing.

Political Office and Dual Nationality

The Dominican Republic lets dual nationals hold elected office, ministerial positions, and diplomatic posts, with one significant carve-out. To run for President or Vice President, you must renounce your foreign nationality at least ten years before the election and live in the Dominican Republic for ten consecutive years before taking office.² Every other role is open to dual nationals. On the US side, there’s no federal ban on dual citizens holding office, though some positions become impractical because of security clearance rules.

1
U.S. Department of State. Dual Nationality
2
Constitute Project. Dominican Republic Constitution of 2010 – Article 20
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1427 – Requirements of Naturalization
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-400, Application for Naturalization
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form N-400 Instructions
6
Refworld (UNHCR). Law No. 1683 of 16 April 1948 Relating to Naturalisation
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1401 – Nationals and Citizens of United States at Birth
8
U.S. Department of State. Birth of U.S. Citizens and Non-Citizen Nationals Abroad
9
U.S. Department of State. Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America
10
Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad
11
Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Earned Income Exclusion
12
Internal Revenue Service. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)
13
GovInfo. 8 USC 1481 – Loss of Nationality by Native-Born or Naturalized Citizen