Getting a Quick Divorce

The Dominican Republic allows foreigners to get a quick divorce if both parties have given their consent. Many countries, including most states in the United States accept foreign divorces. Before undertaking this procedure, it is imperative that you check that your country of residence does accept foreign divorces. Incompatibility of the parties is one of the grounds for divorce under the laws of the Dominican Republic. No culpability or fault need be alleged.

To complete the divorce, one spouse does need to travel to the Dominican Republic to attend the court. The other spouse can be represented by a lawyer. The attending spouse only needs to be in the country for one day, although most prefer to spend a little longer and enjoy the trip! Court appearances are normally scheduled for 9am; therefore, a one night stay is required. The plaintiff may arrive at any time the day before court appearance and leave after 2pm on the day of the court appearance if they so wish.

You do not need to be a resident in the Dominican Republic and the following aspects must be true:

Both spouses must give their consent
At least one spouse must travel to the Dominican Republic to be present at the court
If one spouse does not attend, they must be represented by a power-of-attorney authorizing a representative to appear in court for him/her and to consent to the divorce
The parties must agree and consent to the jurisdiction of the Dominican Court

If you are interested in obtaining a Dominican quick divorce, you will need to provide us with the following information:

Full legal name
Nationality
Occupation
Address
Passport number
Date and place of marriage
Property settlement
Names and dates of birth of their common children, if any

Documents Required for a Dominican Quick Divorce

The original marriage certificate (or a certified copy)
The original birth certificate(s) of any child(ren) of the marriage (or certified copy)
The separation agreement or property settlement, if one exists. This document is not required but may be incorporated by reference into the final decree of the divorce
The passport of the person that will be attending

Thousands of people each year travel to the Dominican Republic to get a Dominican quick divorce. In fact even celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Diana Ross and Marc Anthony chose to get their divorce in the Dominican Republic.

The total cost for the divorce is $1,600.00. The fee includes court costs, taxes, two certified copies of the final decree of divorce, certifications by the Secretary of the Court, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Foreign Relations, as well as authentication by the American Consul in Santo Domingo. The documents you supply need to translated into Spanish for the court and the decrees need to be translated into English for you. All translations are done by an Official Government Translator. Our fee also includes a $400 deposit to the Central Bank as required by Dominican Law.

We can arrange accomodation for you and to collect you from the airport if required as an extra service or you can make your own arrangements.

To find out more or to book a divorce, contact us.

Further reading:

International Herald Tribune article on divorce