Companies are already studying the Dominican Republic to move factories

Already, international companies are studying and contacting the Dominican Republic as a possible place to invest in the event that the United States establishes tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and other countries.

Daniel Liranzo, director of the National Council of Free Trade Zones (CNZF), revealed this, explaining that “we are just starting the year, but in general terms, we could say that for the Free Trade Zone, they would have an estimated infrastructure investment of 500 million dollars by 2025.”

He indicated that these companies want to move production to the DR as it is two hours by air and two days by sea freight from the United States, the world’s leading buyer.

“What these companies want is to be close to their main buyer and with lower tariffs through the preferential schemes we have via the free trade agreement with the United States,” he said.

On the other hand, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Víctor Bisonó, affirmed that “the country is today the pearl of Latin America” and the Dominican Republic maintains social, economic and political stability, as well as legal security, which makes it an attractive destination for investments that could be affected by these tariff barriers.

Liranzo and Bisonó made these statements during the opening of the Manufacturing Summit 2025, where they explained that the event seeks to showcase the human and technical capital and private sector investments in industrial parks to take advantage of the opportunities available.

“The Dominican Republic is prepared for manufacturing in highly specialized electronic and electrical sectors. This opens the door to the development of the semiconductor industry,” said the minister, while inviting the national industry to venture into the manufacture of electrical components to supply foreign companies.

He explained that manufacturing these products represents 14% of exports from free trade zones, more than US$1.2 billion in 2024. Thirty companies operate in this sector, generating more than 10,400 direct jobs and an accumulated investment of US$196.3 million.

At the event, Claudia Pellerano, president of the Free Trade Zone Association (Adozona), highlighted the exponential growth in the electrical and electronic market, the state’s and private sector’s promotion of productive linkage, and the development of local suppliers. She also said that human talent training is being accelerated.