Service of process and alguaciles in the Dominican Republic

How service works in the Dominican Republic

Under Dominican law, judicial documents are served by an alguacil, a ministerial officer attached to a court, who draws up a return with public faith recording the person to whom the document was delivered, the place, the date and the circumstances. The Code of Civil Procedure regulates personal service, service at the domicile and the subsidiary forms available when the addressee cannot be located. For a foreign litigant, the advantage is that the alguacil return is an official document that proves service clearly and verifiably.

The Dominican Republic is not a party to the 1965 Hague Service Convention nor to the Inter American Convention on Letters Rogatory, so service of documents from foreign courts is normally carried out directly through a Dominican alguacil, or by letters rogatory through diplomatic channels when the rendering court or the law of the forum requires it. We advise on which channel is correct for each case, because service by the wrong channel can undo months of work.

• Service of complaints, summonses, subpoenas, judgments and orders from courts in the United States, Puerto Rico and Europe
• Service of Dominican documents (demands, attachments, claims) for local creditors and litigants
• Alguacil returns with signature and seal, apostilled when the rendering court requires it
• Certified English translations of the return and affidavits of service
• Locating addressees and verifying addresses through Poindexter Global Intelligence
• Letters rogatory and judicial cooperation when the diplomatic channel is mandatory
• Compliance supervision by a firm attorney on every assignment
• Coverage of all 31 provinces and the Distrito Nacional

For U.S. and Puerto Rico attorneys

Rule 4(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and its state equivalents allow service abroad by any internationally agreed means or, in its absence, by the method prescribed by the law of the destination country or as the court orders. Because the Dominican Republic is not a party to the Hague Service Convention, service by a Dominican alguacil under the Code of Civil Procedure is a recognized method under Rule 4(f)(2)(A). We deliver a complete package: original return, certified translation, the alguacil's affidavit and, on request, a legal opinion on the validity of the service under Dominican law.

Puerto Rico attorneys also find our process serving on the island through Diligencias Legales de Puerto Rico (Emplazador.com), with the same compliance standard.

What we need to begin

A copy of the documents to be served, the name and known address of the addressee, the court deadline and any special instruction in the service order. With that we quote within the same business day, confirm the estimated timing and begin the assignment. Send your assignment to Alguacil@VSP.com.do.

Content reviewed by C. Constantin Poindexter Salcedo, MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, partner at VSP Consultores Legales. Updated September 22, 2026.