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    AI in the Dominican Republic: the rules, the readiness and where to start

    Last checked: 29 October 2026

    What should a company in Dominican Republic know before starting with AI?

    The Dominican Republic has no AI law as of 29 October 2026. Law 172-13 on personal data is the main law that applies to AI today, and it requires written or equivalent consent and limits transfers abroad. The government has had a National AI Strategy since October 2023, and several AI bills are being studied in the Senate.

    At a glance

    Dominican Republic at a glance

    Key facts about Dominican Republic
    Data protection lawLey No. 172-13 sobre Protección de Datos de Carácter Personal, promulgated 13 December 2013, in force
    RegulatorNo single data protection authority. The Superintendencia de Bancos supervises credit reporting companies under Law 172-13
    AI policyEstrategia Nacional de Inteligencia Artificial (ENIA), October 2023, led by OGTIC. No AI law as of 29 October 2026
    Time zoneUTC-4 all year, no daylight saving (India is 9.5 hours ahead)
    CurrencyDOP (Dominican peso)
    Business languageSpanish

    Why now

    Why Dominican Republic is worth watching

    Each point links to the document it comes from.

    • The National AI Strategy started in October 2023 under OGTIC and the Innovation and Digital Development Cabinet, with six pillars including infrastructure, talent and governance.[2]

    • In August 2025, OGTIC told the press that some governance and ethics deadlines had been moved because of technical and financial limits.[3]

    • An update to Law 172-13 was in technical review in August 2025 and had not been sent to the Executive.[3]

    • A Senate committee was studying two AI bills in June 2026, with input from OGTIC and the Instituto Tecnológico de Las Américas.[4]

    • Vice President Raquel Peña announced in June 2026 that an AI ethics code for the public sector would be approved by decree.[5]

    The rules

    The rules that matter for AI

    What each law or policy means when you build or buy an AI system.

    Ley No. 172-13 sobre Protección de Datos de Carácter Personal

    In force2013It covers personal data in public and private databases. Processing or transferring personal data without freely given, express and informed consent, given in writing or an equivalent way, is unlawful, with exceptions in article 27. Health, religion, political opinion and similar sensitive data need express written consent (article 76), and controllers must apply security measures against loss or unauthorised access.[1]

    Ley No. 172-13: transfers abroad and sanctions

    In force2013International transfers are allowed only in listed cases, such as the person's informed authorisation, contract performance or banking transactions (article 80). Credit reporting companies are supervised by the Superintendencia de Bancos, which can fine them 10 to 100 minimum salaries (article 81). Knowingly accessing or revealing protected data can bring fines of 10 to 50 minimum salaries plus civil damages (article 84).[1]

    Senate AI bills: AI public policy guidelines, and ethical and safe use of AI

    Draft2026Bills from Senators Cristóbal Castillo and Rafael Barón Duluc were under study in the Higher Education, Science and Technology Committee in June 2026. Neither had passed when we checked, and their final content may change.[4]

    Where AI fits first

    Where AI fits first

    Banking and credit

    Fraud alerts, document checks and customer service, with staff deciding on credit.

    Credit reporting is the most regulated area of Law 172-13, supervised by the Superintendencia de Bancos.[1]

    Tourism and hospitality

    Booking assistants and guest messaging in Spanish and English.

    Guest data sent to booking or AI platforms abroad needs a lawful transfer ground under article 80.[1]

    Health care

    Summarising records and scheduling, with clinicians making decisions.

    Health data needs express written consent, though health providers bound by professional secrecy have their own basis under article 78.[1]

    Public sector

    Document search and drafting replies to citizens.

    A public-sector AI ethics code was announced in June 2026; we did not find the final decree.[5]

    Your first steps

    Your first steps

    1. Get freely given, express and informed consent, in writing or an equivalent form, before using personal data in an AI tool.
    2. Keep health and other sensitive data out of AI tools unless you have express written consent or a clear legal basis.
    3. Before sending data to an AI provider abroad, confirm one of the grounds in article 80 applies.
    4. Apply security measures to any database an AI tool reads, and plan how you will handle a leak.
    5. Keep a person in charge of decisions about credit, jobs or health.
    6. Follow the Senate AI bills and any update to Law 172-13.

    AI services for Dominican Republic

    AI consulting and development for teams in Dominican Republic

    We work remotely with companies in Dominican Republic, in your time zone, and keep your data under the rules described above.

    AI agents and automation

    Agents that finish multi-step work across your tools, with people approving what matters.
    Learn more

    Document Q&A (RAG)

    Answers from your own documents, with the source shown for every answer.
    Learn more

    AI governance and data protection

    Policies, review steps and audit trails that fit your local data law.
    Learn more

    Software and cloud engineering

    Web apps, integrations and cloud platforms built around your AI use case.
    Learn more

    How we work with you

    How we work with you

    We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. The Dominican Republic is on UTC-4 all year and India on UTC+5:30, so India is 9.5 hours ahead. An Indian day of 9:30 to 18:30 ends at 09:00 in Santo Domingo, so there is no overlap with a 9:00 start. A call from 08:00 to 09:00 your time still falls inside Indian working hours, and we add written updates each day.

    Questions

    Common questions about AI in Dominican Republic

    Does the Dominican Republic have an AI law?

    No, not as of 29 October 2026. AI bills are being studied in the Senate, and the government has a National AI Strategy from October 2023.

    Which law covers AI that uses personal data?

    Law 172-13 on personal data. It requires consent for processing and transfers, protects sensitive data and sets security duties.

    Is there a data protection authority?

    There is no single authority. The Superintendencia de Bancos supervises credit reporting companies, and people can also go to court for damages.

    Will Law 172-13 change?

    An update was in technical review in August 2025, according to OGTIC. We found no bill passed as of 29 October 2026.

    Complimentary tools

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    Read next

    Sources

    Sources

    Facts checked on 29 October 2026. Numbers in square brackets above match this list.
    1. [1] Congreso Nacional, text reproduced by Guzmán Ariza, 2013-12-13. Ley 172-13 sobre Protección de Datos de Carácter Personal(drlawyer.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Ley 172-13 sobre Protección de Datos de Carácter Personal. Law text reproduced by a law firm, read up to article 85. Official copies on one.gob.do and other government sites blocked our requests. Used for articles 2 to 6, 27, 76, 78, 80, 81 and 84 and the promulgation date.

    2. [2] OECD.AI Policy Navigator, 2023-10-01. National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA), Dominican Republic(oecd.ai)
      Full title and what we used it for

      National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA), Dominican Republic. Intergovernmental tracker. Used for the start date, the lead bodies and the six pillars. The OGTIC PDF and the Presidency page blocked our requests.

    3. [3] Acento, 2025-08-05. ¿En qué quedó la Estrategia de Inteligencia Artificial de República Dom…(acento.com.do)
      Full title and what we used it for

      ¿En qué quedó la Estrategia de Inteligencia Artificial de República Dominicana?. Press report based on an information request to OGTIC. Used for delays in the strategy and the status of the Law 172-13 update.

    4. [4] Senado de la República Dominicana, 2026-06-17. Comisión de Educación Superior continúa estudio de proyectos sobre Inte…(senadord.gob.do)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Comisión de Educación Superior continúa estudio de proyectos sobre Inteligencia Artificial. Primary. Used for the two AI bills, their sponsors and committee stage.

    5. [5] Diario Libre, 2026-06-25. República Dominicana aprobará en los próximos días su Código de Ética p…(diariolibre.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      República Dominicana aprobará en los próximos días su Código de Ética para Inteligencia Artificial. Press report. Used for the announcement of a public-sector AI ethics code to be approved by decree. We did not find the decree itself.

    6. [6] Hoy, 2026-09-16. ¿Qué dice la ley dominicana sobre la protección de los datos personales…(hoy.com.do)
      Full title and what we used it for

      ¿Qué dice la ley dominicana sobre la protección de los datos personales ante una filtración?. Press explainer. Used for the point that Law 172-13 has security duties and civil liability for leaks; it mentions no breach notification duty.

    This is general information, not legal advice. Several official Dominican sites blocked our requests, so the law text comes from a law firm's reproduction and some points from press reports, as noted in the sources. Check with a qualified Dominican lawyer before you act. Facts checked on 29 October 2026.

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