Private International Law Act (Dominican Republic)

On December 18, 2014, the Official Gazette of the Dominican Republic published the Private International Law Act of the Republic, Law 544-14, of 15 October 2014. The Act has been conceived as an all-encompassing one: According to its Art. 1 it aims to “regulate the international private relationships of civil and commercial nature in the Dominican Republic, in particular: the extent and limits of the Dominican jurisdiction; the determination of applicable law; the conditions for recognition and enforcement of foreign decisions“. The broad approach is confirmed all throughout the text, which not only provides for grounds of jurisdiction, conflict of laws rules or rules on recognition and enforcement, but also for solutions to common practical problems experienced in those areas – such as situations of lis pendens, forum non conveniens linked to the localization abroad of evidence in the case at hand, or the proof of the applicable foreign law. Insolvency and arbitration matters are excluded from the scope of the new Act which, conversely, adopts a wide understanding of PIL – see for instance Art. 11.7, on exclusive jurisdiction for proceedings to establish Dominican nationality.

The text (in Spanish) can be downloaded here.