Dominican Republic power of attorney (poder notarial) at a US consulate

A power of attorney (poder notarial, or acto notarial) is a document in which you (the poderdante) authorize another person or institution (the apoderado) to act for you in the Dominican Republic. Dominican consulates in the US draft and sign these acts as public notaries. MIREX’s consular fee table lists ‘Poderes notariales US$100.00’, and the Consulate General in New York lists US$100.00 for most acts but a variable fee for purchases, sales and wills (both checked October 3, 2026). The New York consulate says each act must be legalized at the Dominican Foreign Ministry (Cancillería) whenever the receiving entity asks for it.

Versión en español

Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
Fee (MIREX table)Poderes notariales US$100.00 · Acto notarial US$100.00; paid in USD
Fee (New York consulate)US$100.00 for most acts · ‘Puede Variar’ for cash purchase and sale · ‘Varía’ for real-estate sale contract and will
Time (MIREX)‘De una a dos horas’ (one to two hours), depending on urgency and staff
WitnessMIREX lists one witness; New York asks for a non-family witness for several acts and four for a will
Married grantor (New York)Must appear with their spouse for a sale, mortgage or financed purchase
Use in the DRLegalization at the Foreign Ministry when the receiving entity asks (New York consulate); MIREX legalizes online

Types of notarial acts (New York consulate)

The New York consulate publishes a separate act, each with its own document list:

ActWhat it authorizesFee (New York)
Representación legalRepresentation before any civil act with Dominican institutionsUS$100.00
Reclamo de herenciaClaiming an inheritance and dividing the assetsUS$100.00
Retiro de títuloRetrieving property titles from the title registrarUS$100.00
Venta/traspaso/retiro de vehículoSelling, transferring or retrieving a vehicleUS$100.00
Compra en efectivoBuying an asset for youPuede Variar
VentaSelling an asset you ownPuede Variar
Administración de inmueblesRenting, collecting rent, repairs, evictionUS$100.00
HipotecasApplying for or cancelling a mortgageUS$100.00
Compra con financiamientoBuying with financing from an institutionUS$100.00
Trámites bancariosTransactions on your accounts or financial certificatesUS$100.00
AdopciónExpressing your will to adopt before a courtUS$100.00
Desaduanar bienesClearing your goods through Dominican customsUS$100.00
Divorce acts (mutual consent, with or without stipulations; incompatibility)Instructing a lawyer to handle a divorceUS$100.00
Traspaso de arma de fuegoTransferring a firearmUS$100.00
DesalojoStarting an evictionUS$100.00
Guarda de menor (aceptación / otorgamiento)Accepting or granting a child’s custodyUS$100.00
Préstamo personalApplying for a personal loanUS$100.00
Contrato de venta de inmuebleSeller and buyer sign the sale at the consulateVaría
TestamentoA willVaría

MIREX’s own list adds acts such as demand (demanda), guarantor (fiador), asset management and revocation of a power (revocación de apoderamiento), and says any other type of power ‘será redactado atendiendo a la naturaleza del mismo’ (will be drafted according to its nature).

Required documents

For the representation act, the New York consulate lists:

  • Passport or Cédula de Identidad y Electoral of the grantor(s).
  • Full name, Cédula de Identidad y Electoral and address of the apoderado — the person who will represent you in the Dominican Republic.
  • Information as specific as possible about what the apoderado will do in your name.
  • Information showing your legal capacity over the asset involved (property title, bank account, financial certificate).

MIREX’s version of the same act lists the grantor’s Dominican cédula and passport ‘si la tiene’ (if they have them) plus their identity document, the apoderado’s full name, ID and address, and one witness. Other acts add their own documents: for example, an inheritance claim asks for a copy of the death record of the person being inherited from, and a vehicle act asks for the vehicle’s ownership certificate or registration.

Witnesses and spouses

  • MIREX’s requirement lists for notarial acts end with ‘Un testigo’ (one witness).
  • The New York consulate asks for a witness ‘que no sea familiar’ (not a family member), identified with a Dominican cédula and/or passport, for title retrieval, cash purchase, sale, mortgage, financed purchase and eviction acts.
  • For a will, New York asks for four witnesses who know the person, with valid passport or cédula, who are not relatives.
  • New York says that for a sale, a mortgage or a financed purchase, ‘Si el poderdante está casado debe comparecer con su cónyuge’ (a married grantor must appear with their spouse).
  • For a divorce by mutual consent with stipulations, New York says ‘Deben comparecer obligatoriamente ambos esposos’ (both spouses must appear).

MIREX adds that consular offices may ask for requirements beyond those listed and may refuse a service if they doubt its usefulness or the office’s public faith. Confirm with your consulate: Dominican Republic consulates in the US · consulates by state.

Step by step

  1. Identify the act that matches what the apoderado will do (table above).
  2. Gather the documents for that act, including the apoderado’s cédula and address.
  3. Bring a witness (and your spouse, if the act requires it).
  4. Sign at the consulate and pay the fee (US$100.00 per the MIREX table and for most New York acts; variable in New York for purchases, sales and wills).
  5. Send the act to your apoderado in the Dominican Republic.
  6. Have it legalized by MIREX if the institution that will receive it asks for legalization.

Legalization, not apostille

MIREX’s apostilles and legalizations page says legalization applies to ’los documentos producidos por los funcionarios consulares dominicanos acreditados en el exterior’ — documents produced by Dominican consular officials abroad — to authenticate the consular official’s signature. So a poder signed at a Dominican consulate is legalized by MIREX, not apostilled. The New York consulate’s wording on every act is: ‘Este documento debe ser legalizado en la Cancillería de República Dominicana, siempre que lo solicite la entidad que lo requiere.’

MIREX’s Dirección de Legalización de Documentos offers apostille and legalization fully online at servicios.mirex.gob.do; its page lists a tax of RD$620.00 and a response time of 24 business hours (checked October 3, 2026). See apostille or legalize Dominican documents.

A US-issued document going to the Dominican Republic is different: the New Jersey consulate says ‘El documento debe estar apostillado’ (it must be apostilled), because the Dominican Republic is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. See the US apostille process.

Revoking a poder

MIREX lists an ‘Acto notarial revocación de apoderamiento’: the grantor instructs someone to notify the relevant institution in the Dominican Republic that the earlier mandate is revoked, and MIREX notes that a new apoderado is often named at the same time. It asks for the grantor’s cédula and passport (if they have them) and ID, a copy of or specific information about the original act (if available), the apoderado’s full name, ID and address, and one witness.

Your US immigration status

The New York consulate’s and MIREX’s document lists for notarial acts ask for Dominican identity documents (passport or cédula) and information about the act. They do not ask for US immigration documents.

Authoritative sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. The New York fees and lists are that consulate’s, and each consular office may add requirements. Verify directly with the Dominican consulate and, for complex matters, a Dominican lawyer. Not legal advice.