Legislative Developments in 2025 in the Dominican Republic
The year 2025 was marked by the enactment of significant legislative reforms in the Dominican Republic, directly impacting various economic, social, and regulatory sectors. These developments underscore the need for specialized legal monitoring by companies, investors, and citizens, as well as the support of a law firm to navigate changes to the existing regulatory framework.
Below, we present the most relevant laws enacted in 2025.
Law No. 37-25 on Hydrocarbons
Date of enactment: June 16, 2025
This law amends Article 4 of Law No. 4532 of August 31, 1956, which regulates the exploration, exploitation, and benefits derived by private parties from petroleum deposits, hydrocarbons, and similar fuels.
Objective: To update the legal framework governing the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, expanding and clarifying private sector participation and the benefits derived therefrom, in order to adapt it to the current needs of the energy sector and attract investment.
Law No. 74-25: Penal Code of the Dominican Republic
Date of enactment: August 3, 2025
Law No. 74-25 establishes a new Penal Code, replacing the text in force since the nineteenth century.
Objective: To modernize criminal offenses, penalties, and the principles of Dominican criminal law, incorporating new social, technological, and fundamental rights realities.
Law No. 47-25 on Public Procurement
Date of enactment: August 11, 2025
This law comprehensively reforms the National Public Procurement System.
Objective: To strengthen transparency, efficiency, competition, and oversight in government purchasing and contracting, promoting the participation of MSMEs (MIPYMES – Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and best practices in public management.
Law No. 85-25 on Leases of Real Estate and Evictions
Date of enactment: August 14, 2025
Law No. 85-25 repeals Laws No. 4314 of 1955 and No. 17-88, as well as Decree No. 4807 of 1959, which governed rent control and eviction matters.
Objective: To establish a modern legal framework regulating lease agreements and eviction proceedings, balancing the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants, and replacing an obsolete regulatory regime that had been in force for more than six decades.
Law No. 97-25: Code of Criminal Procedure of the Dominican Republic
Date of enactment: December 7, 2025
This law establishes a new Code of Criminal Procedure.
Objective: To modernize Dominican criminal procedure, strengthening due process guarantees, judicial efficiency, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, in line with constitutional principles.
These legislative reforms reflect a profound process of modernization of the Dominican legal system, with direct impacts on sectors such as energy, public procurement, criminal law, migration, and the real estate market.
In this context, legal advice aligned with the new regulatory framework is especially relevant. Our attorneys are available to provide strategic and personalized legal guidance.