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About the Embassy
Mission
Embassy Resources
Sections & Offices

Mission Statement

To promote the interests and values of the United States by working together with Dominicans for the continued development of a democratic, equitable and prosperous Dominican Republic.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is a multi-faceted Agency with a broad mission area that includes protecting and promoting U.S. agricultural health, regulating genetically engineered organisms, administering the Animal Welfare Act and carrying out wildlife damage management activities. These efforts support the overall mission of USDA, which is to protect and promote food, agriculture, natural resources and related issues.

More information available on the APHIS official website.

Bureau of Diplomatic Security

The Bureau is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Every diplomatic mission in the world operates under a security program designed and maintained by Diplomatic Security. In the United States, Diplomatic Security personnel protect the Secretary of State and high-ranking foreign dignitaries and officials visiting the United States, investigates passport and visa fraud, and conducts personnel security investigations.

More information available on state.gov.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

CBP, Customs and Border Protection, is one of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the United States. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws.

CBP protects our nation’s borders from terrorism, human and drug smuggling, illegal migration, and agricultural pests while simultaneously facilitating the flow of legitimate travel and trade.

More information — including how to apply for a travel document — available here and on the CBP website.

Defense Attaché Office (DAO)

The United States Defense Attaché Office (USDAO) represents the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to the Dominican government and armed forces. As the diplomatic representative of the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Military Service Secretaries and the Service Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Attaché performs an important liaison role with Dominican defense officials on matters of mutual interest. As a member of the U.S. Embassy Country Team, the Defense Attaché advises the U.S. Ambassador on military matters.

For more information on the U.S. Department of Defense and the military services, please visit the following links:

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets.

More information available on their official website.

Department of Justice (DOJ)

The Department of Justice is represented by an Attache’s Office, which handles mutual legal assistance issues between the Dominican Republic and the United States and coordinates the extradition of fugitives to the United States to face justice.

More information available on their official website.

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)

The Dominican Republic is one of the largest markets for U.S. food and agricultural products in Latin America. U.S. agricultural exports reached $1.45 billion in 2018. Soybean meal and oil, corn, wheat, dairy, meat and processed food products were among the top U.S. agricultural exports.

The United States works with the Dominican Republic both bilaterally and through the CAFTA-DR agreement to promote mutually beneficial trade and investment. Since CAFTA-DR went into effect in the Dominican Republic in 2007, U.S. exports to the country have seen substantial growth.

Each year, the Office of Agricultural Affairs (OAA) promotes the participation of Dominican food importers in 40 trade shows in the United States. Three of the largest are listed below.  For more information please contact: agsantodomingo@fas.usda.gov

National Restaurant Association Show, Chicago, IL
Summer Fancy Food Show, New York, NY
PMA Fresh Summit, Various Locations

Data & Analysis

OAA provides agricultural market data and analysis aimed to facilitate trade into the Dominican Republic from the United States. These Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports can be found on USDA’s website and provide information on:

  • Exporting agricultural products to the DR
  • The hotel, restaurant, and industrial sector in the DR
  • The retail sector in the DR
  • The food processing sector in the DR
  • Commodity analysis for sugar, grain and feed, and other commodities in the DR
  • Policies that affect agricultural products in the DR
  • Agricultural biotechnology in the DR

Foreign Commercial Service (FCS)

The U.S. Commercial Service in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is committed to advancing the goals of the National Export Initiative, which aims to create more and better paying jobs and enhance the U.S. economic recovery through the doubling of U.S. exports in five years.

The U.S. Commercial Service promotes the export of U.S. goods and services and protects U.S. business interests in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. The Caribbean region is a sizeable export market; it imports $20.27 billion of US products and services. An agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Commercial Service’s primary mission is to promote U.S. exports, to which end it delivers a range of services and customized solutions to ensure that U.S. businesses compete and win in the global marketplace.

Our expert staff of Commercial Officers and Industry Specialists provide services including trade counseling, market intelligence; Caribbean trade contacts, programs to help U.S. companies find and vet local business partners and representatives; advocacy on behalf of U.S. companies bidding on projects or needing assistance with market access issues; and sponsorship or support of trade-promotion events and trade missions.

The U.S. Commercial Service Santo Domingo has a Partner Post Program agreement with the State Department at the following US Embassies in the Caribbean: The Bahamas, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. Through this program all these Embassies are able to provide US exporters with CS services.

CONTACT US to learn more about lucrative opportunities in the Caribbean market for your company and our trade experts will be happy to counsel you about upcoming opportunities and trade shows in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean and upcoming Dominican and Caribbean buyer delegations to trade shows in the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of International Affairs (OIA) is the largest international investigative component within in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The mission of OIA is to protect the United States of America by enhancing national security to prevent terrorist attacks. In furtherance of this goal, OIA conducts and coordinates international investigations involving transnational criminal organizations responsible for the illegal movement of people, goods, money and technology into and out of the United States.

More information available on their official website.

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)

The mission of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) office in Santo Domingo is to combat international crime and illegal drugs, and their impact on the United States and the Dominican Republic by providing effective foreign assistance and fostering global cooperation to counter these threats.

More information available on state.gov.

Office of Special Counsel (OSC)

​​​​​​The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency. Our basic authorities come from four federal statutes: the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Hatch Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).​​​​

More information available on their official website.

Public Diplomacy Section (PDS)

The Public Diplomacy Section of the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic seeks to strengthen people-to-people relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic, to inform Dominicans about U.S. foreign policy, and to promote greater understanding of American society and values.

The Public Diplomacy Section in the U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo addresses these goals by managing a wide range of informational and cultural programs. The Public Diplomacy Section includes local personnel who focus on education, cultural affairs, media affairs, as well as three Foreign Service Officers: a Public Affairs Officer, a Press Attaché and a Cultural Attaché.

Press and Information

The Press and Information Section distributes publications and electronic information in English and Spanish on political, economic, social, and cultural issues. They engage with local media and represent the U.S. embassy.

In addition to the U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo website, the State Department’s website provides time-sensitive and in-depth information in five languages (Spanish, French, Russian, Farsi, Chinese, Arabic).  This interactive site includes full transcripts of speeches, congressional testimony, articles by Administration officials, multi-media forum discussions, podcasts, and “e-Journal” on-line publications with information on democratic development, global challenges, international relations, security, and more. For media inquiries, please write to SantoDomingoPress@state.gov. 

Culture and Education

The Cultural Section manages educational, cultural and professional exchange programs regarding issues of bilateral interest to promote Citizen Security, Democratic Governance, Social Equity and Economic Opportunity. 

The Academic Section manages the prestigious Fulbright program, funds English-language teaching initiatives, and promotes exchange opportunities for students between the Dominican Republic and the United States. For questions regarding our scholarship programs, please send a message to the following e-mail: SantoDomingoDRBecas@state.gov.  Please note that we do not respond to inquiries regarding scholarship programs via telephone.

Peace Corps

There are more than 150 Volunteers in the Dominican Republic working with their communities on projects in community economic development, education, health, and youth development. During their service in the Dominican Republic, Volunteers learn to speak Spanish. More than 4,630 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in the Dominican Republic since the program was established in 1962.

Visit PeaceCorps.gov for more information on the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic.

Political/Economic Section

The members of the Political Section assist the Ambassador in managing the bilateral relationship between the United States and the Dominican Republic and serve as the primary interlocutors with the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a wide range of foreign policy issues, including the promotion of democracy and human rights, social issues, rule of law and efforts to combat illegal armed groups and international organized crime, while addressing regional issues of mutual concern.

The Economic Section supports bilateral economic relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic in areas such as macroeconomics, trade, energy, telecommunications, finance, intellectual property rights, environment, labor, civil aviation, transportation, science and technology, combating terrorist financing, economic development, and infrastructure.

Treasury Department

Mission Statement

Maintain a strong economy and create economic and job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable economic growth and stability at home and abroad, strengthen national security by combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system, and manage the U.S. Government’s finances and resources effectively.

Treasury’s mission highlights its role as the steward of U.S. economic and financial systems, and as an influential participant in the world economy.

The Treasury Department is the executive agency responsible for promoting economic prosperity and ensuring the financial security of the United States. The Department is responsible for a wide range of activities such as advising the President on economic and financial issues, encouraging sustainable economic growth, and fostering improved governance in financial institutions. The Department of the Treasury operates and maintains systems that are critical to the nation’s financial infrastructure, such as the production of coin and currency, the disbursement of payments to the American public, revenue collection, and the borrowing of funds necessary to run the federal government. The Department works with other federal agencies, foreign governments, and international financial institutions to encourage global economic growth, raise standards of living, and to the extent possible, predict and prevent economic and financial crises. The Treasury Department also performs a critical and far-reaching role in enhancing national security by implementing economic sanctions against foreign threats to the U.S., identifying and targeting the financial support networks of national security threats, and improving the  safeguards of our financial systems.

More information available on their official website.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States.

Mission Statement

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.

More information available on their official website.

United States Marshals Service (USMS)

The U.S. Marshals Service primary function in the Dominican Republic is to work with the Dominican government in locating and apprehending fugitives wanted in the United States.

More information available on their official website.