Car insurance claims in Dominican Republic

In the Dominican Republic liability for a crash rests on the Civil Code’s general rule: whoever causes damage to another by their own act, negligence or imprudence must repair it (arts. 1382–1383), and one also answers for the things in one’s care (art. 1384). Every owner of a motor vehicle must keep it insured against that liability as a condition of circulating (Ley 146-02 art. 112), and exclusions written into a motor liability policy cannot be raised against the third party who was hurt (art. 46).

The clocks are unusually short. The civil action against the responsible driver for a quasi-delict prescribes in six months from when it arises, unless the law expressly sets a longer period (Código Civil art. 2271, párrafo); time during which bringing the action is legally impossible is not counted. Any action against the insurer itself prescribes from the date of the loss: two years for the insured and beneficiaries, three years for third parties (Ley 146-02 art. 47).

The compulsory cover is a statutory scheme rather than a fixed figure in the law: the Superintendencia de Seguros sets the minimum limits by reasoned resolution, taking into account vehicle type, use and market loss experience (art. 125). In 2025 the Superintendency raised those limits (Resolutions 05-2025 and 07-2025) and then suspended their effects through Resolution 10-2025, opening a six-month public consultation with carriers, transport unions and consumer groups. Until that process closes, the amounts a policy must carry are the ones the regulator confirms, not the ones announced.

Complaints about an insurer go to the Superintendencia de Seguros. The rules on shared fault, diminished value and uninsured drivers have not yet been verified against a primary text and are not stated here.