Dominican Republic Embassy in Madrid

Embassy of Dominican Republic in Madrid, Spain

EmbassyDominican RepublicMadridSpain

Overview

The Embassy of the Dominican Republic to the Kingdom of Spain serves as the primary diplomatic mission representing the Dominican Republic in Spain, one of the most important bilateral relationships for the Caribbean nation due to deep historical, linguistic, cultural, and economic ties. Located on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid's prestigious Chamartín district, the embassy occupies a central location along one of the Spanish capital's main boulevards. Spain and the Dominican Republic share a profound historical connection dating to 1492 when Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola and established Santo Domingo, the first European settlement in the Americas. This colonial heritage created lasting bonds of language, religion, architecture, legal traditions, and cultural practices that continue to shape Dominican identity. Spain is the Dominican Republic's largest European trading partner, a major source of foreign direct investment, the leading source of European tourists to the Caribbean nation, and home to one of the largest Dominican diaspora communities in Europe with over 150,000 Dominican nationals and their descendants. The embassy manages extensive consular services, coordinates with a network of Dominican consulates across Spanish cities, promotes trade and investment, facilitates cultural exchange, supports the large Dominican community in Spain, and maintains close political dialogue. The relationship encompasses cooperation in development, education, business, tourism, culture, and migration management.
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Visa Services

The embassy processes visa applications for Spanish citizens and legal residents planning to visit or relocate to the Dominican Republic, though the visa-free relationship between the two countries facilitates most travel. Spanish citizens can enter the Dominican Republic visa-free for tourism stays up to 30 days with only a tourist card (approximately USD 10 or EUR 10) purchased upon arrival at Dominican airports. However, the embassy provides visa services for extended stays, work permits, residency applications, and special purposes. Visa categories include tourist visas for stays exceeding 30 days, business visas for commercial activities and professional engagements, work visas for Spanish citizens seeking employment in the Dominican Republic, student visas for academic programs, residency applications for Spanish nationals planning to live in the Dominican Republic (increasingly popular for retirement and lifestyle migration), family reunification visas, and investor visas. Spain ranks among the top sources of foreign retirees choosing the Dominican Republic for its Caribbean climate, coastal lifestyle, and cultural familiarity. Visa applications typically require completed application form, valid passport with minimum 6 months validity, recent passport photographs, confirmed travel arrangements, proof of financial means, accommodation confirmation, and purpose-specific documentation (work contract, university admission, property purchase documents, marriage certificate, business registration, etc.). Processing times vary by visa type. The embassy can provide information about Dominican Republic residency programs, investment opportunities, and requirements for Spanish nationals planning extended stays. Contact embdomesp@mirex.gob.do for current visa requirements and application procedures.
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Consular Services

The embassy provides comprehensive consular services to the substantial Dominican community in Spain, estimated at over 150,000 people making it one of the largest Caribbean diaspora populations in Europe. Services include passport renewals and new passport issuance, national identity card (cédula) processing, birth registration for children born in Spain to Dominican parents (second-generation Dominicans born in Spain represent a significant and growing community), civil status registration including marriages and deaths, document legalization and apostille services for documents intended for use in the Dominican Republic or Spain, notarial services including affidavits and powers of attorney, consular registration for Dominican nationals living in Spain (important for electoral participation and maintaining legal ties), emergency consular assistance for Dominican citizens in distress, and coordination with the Dominican consular network across Spain including major cities like Barcelona, Seville, and other population centers with significant Dominican communities. Spanish citizens can obtain document authentication services for papers intended for use in the Dominican Republic, travel information, and assistance with visa applications for extended stays. The large Dominican diaspora in Spain includes workers in construction, hospitality, healthcare, and domestic services; students at Spanish universities; business entrepreneurs; and established families. Many Dominicans in Spain maintain strong ties to their homeland through remittances, cultural associations, and regular visits. Consular services operate Monday-Friday 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM by appointment. Contact embdomesp@mirex.gob.do to schedule appointments and confirm document requirements.
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Business Support

The embassy actively promotes bilateral trade and investment between the Dominican Republic and Spain, one of the Caribbean nation's most important economic partnerships. Spain is the Dominican Republic's largest European trading partner and a major source of foreign direct investment, particularly in tourism infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, banking, retail, and manufacturing. Spanish companies have played leading roles in Dominican economic development, including major hotel chains operating Caribbean resorts, energy companies providing electricity generation and distribution, telecommunications providers, banks and financial institutions, retail chains, construction companies, and manufacturing enterprises utilizing Dominican free trade zones. The embassy facilitates business connections, provides market intelligence, assists Spanish companies exploring Dominican opportunities, supports Dominican exporters seeking Spanish markets, coordinates trade missions and business delegations, and works with chambers of commerce including the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic. Key sectors of mutual interest include tourism development (Spanish hospitality expertise and investment in Dominican coastal destinations), renewable energy (Spanish companies developing wind and solar projects), telecommunications and digital infrastructure, banking and financial services, agribusiness (Spanish investment in Dominican agriculture and food processing), manufacturing for export (Dominican free trade zones attractive to Spanish manufacturers), real estate development, and infrastructure construction. The Dominican Republic's strategic location with trade agreements providing preferential access to North American, Caribbean, and Central American markets makes it attractive for Spanish companies seeking Western Hemisphere operations. The embassy promotes Dominican products including organic cacao, coffee, rum, cigars, and tropical fruits to Spanish importers. Cultural and linguistic affinity, shared legal traditions, and established business networks facilitate Spanish-Dominican commercial relations.
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Cultural & Educational Programs

Cultural diplomacy holds special importance given the deep historical and linguistic bonds between Spain and the Dominican Republic. The embassy actively promotes Dominican culture in Spain while celebrating the shared Hispanic heritage. The Dominican Republic's vibrant cultural expressions including merengue and bachata music (both UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage), literature, visual arts, and culinary traditions find enthusiastic audiences in Spain. The embassy organizes and supports cultural events, musical performances featuring Dominican artists, art exhibitions showcasing Caribbean visual arts, film screenings, literary presentations by Dominican authors, and gastronomic festivals highlighting Dominican cuisine. Major celebrations include Dominican Independence Day (February 27), Restoration of Independence (August 16), and cultural festivals bringing together the large Dominican community in Madrid and other Spanish cities. The embassy facilitates visits by Dominican musicians, dancers, visual artists, writers, and cultural practitioners, and supports collaborations between Spanish and Dominican cultural institutions. Educational exchange is extensive, with thousands of Dominican students attending Spanish universities taking advantage of linguistic compatibility, academic quality, and scholarship programs. Spanish universities attract Dominican students in fields including medicine, law, engineering, business administration, and humanities. The embassy promotes educational partnerships between Dominican and Spanish institutions, scholarship opportunities including programs funded by Spanish cooperation agencies, and academic research collaborations. Spain serves as an important destination for Dominican postgraduate education, with many Dominican professionals obtaining master's and doctoral degrees at Spanish universities. The shared Spanish language, cultural references, and educational systems facilitate academic exchange. The embassy also supports Spanish language and culture programs in the Dominican Republic and Caribbean studies programs in Spanish universities.
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Special Notes

Located at Paseo de la Castellana 30, 1° D, 28046 Madrid, Spain. Contact: Phone +34 91 431 5395, Additional phone +34 91 435 8139, Email embdomesp@mirex.gob.do, Website esp.mirex.gob.do. Office hours Monday-Friday 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM. Appointments required for consular services. Social media: Twitter @embajadomrd, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. The embassy coordinates a network of Dominican consulates throughout Spain serving major cities with significant Dominican populations including Barcelona, Seville, and others. Spanish citizens planning travel to the Dominican Republic should note that visa-free entry is available for stays up to 30 days with tourist card (approximately EUR 10) purchased upon arrival at Dominican airports. The embassy can provide current travel advisories, health recommendations, and safety information. The Dominican Republic is one of the most popular Caribbean tourist destinations for Spanish travelers, known for Punta Cana and other beach resorts, colonial architecture in Santo Domingo (the oldest European city in the Americas and UNESCO World Heritage site), mountain landscapes, golf courses, and vibrant culture. Spain is the largest source of European tourists to the Dominican Republic, with hundreds of thousands of Spanish visitors annually. Direct flights connect Madrid and Barcelona to Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, and other Dominican airports. The large Dominican community in Spain maintains active cultural associations, social organizations, and connections to homeland. The embassy is closed on both Dominican and Spanish public holidays. For consular services, advance appointments are essential. Spain and the Dominican Republic maintain uniquely close bilateral relations rooted in shared history, language, and culture, with cooperation spanning political dialogue, economic partnership, development cooperation, educational exchange, and people-to-people ties. Source: Official embassy website (esp.mirex.gob.do).
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