Dominican Businesses here in The Colonial Zone are aplenty. Just about every type business you could imagine. In this his small town environment among the oldest buildings in the Americas, you can find almost anything you could need. With businesses hiding in every nook and cranny. I never realized there was so much in this small area until I really took notice. Many places do not have a sign outside and if there is a sigh many times it is not visible or so small it goes unnoticed.
When shopping or staying in the country please try to help out the little business person as much as possible. Sleep, eat, enjoy Dominican. Also remember when doing any type of business in Dominican Republic, from leaving your clothes at a dry cleaner to buying furniture for a home, there are things that one much be aware of. The main thing I suggest is to take your time. Dominicans love to talk. They like to take things slow. Its too hot to get worked up over things. Take time, get to know who your dealing with. Also ask around. Talk to the locals and see which businesses they recommend. Here in Dominican Republic it is not only what you know but who you know that makes dealing with many things go much smoother.
With all the businesses here and them changing almost everyday it will be difficult to add them all, but we sure will try. If you have a business or know of any businesses we should add here please email us and let us know. Also if we have any information incorrect.
ATH Dominicana, Banco BHD, Banco Central de la Republica Dominicana, Banco Mercantil, Scotiabank, Banco de Reservas, Banco Popular, Banco Agricola, Banco Global, Banco del Progreso, Banco FiduciarioCitibank, Banco BHD, Banco Osaka, Banco Metropolitano
Picture of the Dominican Peso thanks to wikipedia.org
The PESO ORO is the base currency of the Dominican Republic. The "$" sign is used with "RD$" One peso is worth 100 centavos ("cents").
When paying with larger bills establishments will either rub the bill on something to see if the ink will smear or hold it under a light to look for the water markings. Counterfeiting bills is a big problem in Dominican Republic. It is best when visiting local establishments to have smaller bills. Many do not have change and will go to no great effort to make change for you so small bills are defiantly a good thing to have. In some smaller stores they will give you a Chicklet or Halls candy as change if they do not have the correct amount. Do be aware of your change and what you are charged for an item.
Very rarely will you receive "menudo" (change) when purchasing anything. The smallest coin you will normally receive is 1 peso (in the form of a coin). Many establishments will NOT take bills that are torn or in very bad shape so when you receive money do make sure it is in decent shape (most Colmados will take older money) without pen marks and such.
*NOTE* This is a good tool but it IS subject to being incorrect sometimes. Good to use for a general idea of the exchange rates.
Banks here in Dominican Republic ,in general, are the same as in USA. Most banks one can open an account in Dominican Pesos (DOP) or US Dollars (USD) and other money types as well. Just remember that in Dominican Republic the money in the bank is not insured like in USA (FDIC) and if the bank does collapse, as one did in the recent past, you could lose some cash. Credit cards here can also be had but Dominican Republic has some of the highest incidences of credit card theft in the world. So just be aware.
Here is a list of some of the banks in the country. For some of the banks web sites go to our
links page.
Exchange Rate
This is a great tool for finding the exchange rate in Dominican Republic and almost any other country where you might want to visit.
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Real Life and Times in the Dominican Republic
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MONEY, EXCHANGE RATE AND MORE...
Picture of Dominican coins. top left clockwise $1 peso coin, $25 peso coin, $10 peso coin, $5 peso coin.
+click to enlarge
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