← Part of the Dominican Republic money guide
Dominican Republicchecked Aug 2026Dominican Republic hotel taxes and fees, explained
Short answer: roughly 28% more than the rate you were quoted, which is a bigger jump than almost anywhere in the Caribbean. The unusual part is that both charges are fixed in law rather than set by the hotel, so for once the numbers are not a range. Here is what stacks, and what changes when your stay is all-inclusive.
At a glance
On top of the room
About 28%
ITBIS
18%, the national VAT
Service charge
10%, added by law
Nightly tourist tax
None
Two charges sit on a Dominican room rate and both are set in law. ITBIS, the national value-added tax, is 18%. On top of it a 10% service charge, known as the propina legal, is added to hotel, restaurant and bar bills by law rather than at each property's discretion. Together they lift a rate by roughly 28%. There is no separate nightly tourist tax, and no resort-fee culture of the kind Aruba or the Bahamas has. There is no VAT refund for visitors, so the 18% is simply part of the price, and the old tourist card, about 10 US dollars, is now inside your airfare. If your stay is all-inclusive, both charges are usually already inside the package price, so the number that matters is the all-in total.
The official route
The official tourism board confirms ITBIS at 18% and that hotels, restaurants and bars add a further 10% service charge by law. Because the 10% is statutory rather than set by each property, it is one of the few hotel-side charges anywhere that can be stated as a fixed figure.
Dominican Republic Tourism (official): taxes and the service charge(opens in a new tab) we earn nothing
Both charges are set by law, not by the hotel
ITBIS is the Dominican Republic's value-added tax and it runs at 18%. Alongside it, a 10% service charge, the propina legal and sometimes labelled on a bill as Ley or Servicio, is added to hotel, restaurant and bar bills. Together they come to roughly 28% on top of the base rate.
That second charge deserves a note, because it breaks the usual rule. Almost everywhere else, a hotel service charge is set by the property, which is why we normally quote it as a range and tell you to read the fine print. Here it is written into law, so 10% is 10% rather than a typical figure, and the same charge shows up on a restaurant bill down the road. The one thing to watch is presentation: some places fold both charges into the prices they display, while others note that taxes are not included and add them at the end, so read a menu or a rate quote before assuming which you are looking at.
What all-inclusive does to the arithmetic
The Dominican market is dominated by all-inclusive resorts, and that changes where the risk sits. At a genuine all-inclusive the ITBIS and the service charge are normally already inside the package price you were quoted, so you are unlikely to be ambushed at checkout the way you might be at a European city hotel. Ask, and get it in writing, but that is the usual arrangement.
The real trap is comparison. A Dominican package quote that already contains 28% in charges looks expensive beside a bare room rate somewhere that has not added its taxes yet, and travellers routinely draw the wrong conclusion from that. Compare all-in totals against all-in totals. Anything you buy outside the resort, a meal in town or a bar tab, will carry the same 18% and 10% on top of its own listed prices, which is worth knowing before your first bill arrives.
No bed tax, and nothing to reclaim
Two absences worth stating plainly, because both are good news. There is no per-night tourist or city tax in the Dominican Republic, nothing to hand over at the desk on arrival, and nothing to budget per night beyond the percentages above. And the old tourist card, about 10 US dollars, is now bundled into your airfare rather than bought separately, as is the roughly 20 dollar departure tax.
The one absence that is not good news: there is no VAT-refund scheme for visitors here, so the 18% is a cost rather than something to reclaim at the airport. Do not go looking for a refund desk. For pesos, cards, and why paying in US dollars in the resort zones quietly costs you, see the Dominican Republic money guide.
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much tax is added to a hotel bill in the Dominican Republic?
About 28%. There is 18% ITBIS, the national value-added tax, plus a 10% service charge that is added by law rather than set by the hotel. Both are statutory, so the figures are fixed rather than typical. There is no separate nightly tourist tax on top, and at an all-inclusive resort both charges are usually already inside the package price.
What is the 10% service charge in the Dominican Republic?
It is the propina legal, a service charge added by law to hotel, restaurant and bar bills, often shown as Ley or Servicio. Unlike a discretionary hotel service charge it is statutory, which is why it is a flat 10% everywhere rather than a range. It is shared among staff and frequently does not reach your server directly, which is why a little extra cash for good service is still customary.
Is there a tourist tax in the Dominican Republic?
No. There is no per-night tourist or city tax to pay at your hotel, unlike Aruba, the Bahamas or much of Europe. The charges that affect your bill are the 18% ITBIS and the 10% statutory service charge. The old tourist card of about 10 US dollars is now included in your airfare rather than bought on arrival.
Can I get a VAT refund in the Dominican Republic?
No. There is no tourist VAT-refund scheme, so the 18% ITBIS is simply part of the price of whatever you buy, with nothing to reclaim at the airport when you leave. This is different from the Bahamas or Saudi Arabia, both of which do refund tax on shopping that visitors export.
More on Dominican Republic
The little money things nobody warns you about.
- Taxis in the Dominican RepublicThe key thing in the Dominican Republic: taxis do not use meters, so you agree the fare before you get in. In the cities an app removes the guesswork, and for resorts a prebooked transfer is simplest. Here is how it works.
- Do I need cash in the Dominican Republic, or can I use cards?Short answer: cards at resorts and hotels, and peso cash for small vendors, taxis and corner stores. Dollars are accepted in tourist areas, but pesos give better value. Here is how to handle it.
- Tipping in the Dominican RepublicIn the Dominican Republic, a 10% service charge and an 18% tax are added to restaurant bills, so the total runs well above the menu. A small extra for your server is customary. Here is what you actually owe.
- Do I need the E-Ticket for the Dominican Republic?Short answer: yes, and most people miss that you need it twice, once to arrive and once to leave. It is free and takes about ten minutes. Here is the official site and how not to pay for it.
- Common money scams in the Dominican Republic, and what they cost youThe Dominican Republic is safe for the great majority of visitors, most trips are resort-and-beach and entirely trouble free, and almost none of this is dramatic. The traps that actually take money off US travelers here are quiet ones: a card that leaves your table, a fare nobody agreed, a website charging for a free form, a bill that grew by a quarter between the menu and the checkout. Here is each one, what it costs, and how to sidestep it.
- Staying connected in the Dominican Republic.If your week is an all-inclusive in Punta Cana, the resort wifi is probably all you need and we would rather tell you that than sell you something. If you are leaving the gate to drive, hike or move between towns, the answer changes.
- What does getting sick in the Dominican Republic cost a visitor?The Dominican Republic is one of the few countries where the US government states the money rule in a single sentence: medical care here requires upfront payment, even in emergencies. The second sentence it supplies is the size of the tail: a medical evacuation to the United States can cost well over 50,000 dollars.
Sources, and how this was checked
Last checkedAug 2026
- Dominican Republic Tourism (official)the 18% ITBIS and the 10% service charge added by law
- E-Ticketthe official migration portal, where the bundled entry charges are handled
Our own readThe 18% ITBIS and the statutory 10% service charge are confirmed with the official tourism board, which is what allows us to state the 10% as a fixed figure rather than a range, unlike hotel service charges almost anywhere else. The roughly 28% is the arithmetic of the two applied at checkout, and not every establishment applies both to every line, so treat it as the working total rather than a guaranteed one. Whether an all-inclusive package has the charges inside it is a matter for your own booking, and worth confirming in writing. Checked August 2026.
How we checkHow every guide is researched, checked and dated