Freight Forwarding to the Dominican Republic from Houston
You need to move construction machinery, mining equipment, or breakbulk cargo from Texas to the Dominican Republic. Where does it land, what duties apply, and how long does the sailing take? The Dominican Republic sits in the heart of the Caribbean, a gateway for regional trade, and your cargo reaches it in about a week from the Gulf.
Texas International Freight books export shipments from Houston to the Dominican Republic by ocean and air, prepares the export filing, and coordinates inland delivery to your site. We move the heavy and oversized cargo that parcel carriers cannot touch.
Which Dominican Port Receives Your Cargo
Caucedo, the DP World container terminal east of Santo Domingo, takes most containerized freight and runs as the country’s main box port. Río Haina, just west of the capital, is the busiest multipurpose port and handles breakbulk, bulk, and roll-on roll-off cargo, which makes it the usual gateway for machinery and oversized units. Puerto Plata serves the north coast and the tourism corridor around Sosúa and Cabarete. Which port sits closest to your delivery point?
Shipping Options to the Dominican Republic
Ocean freight carries the weight and the bulk at the lowest cost per ton, so it fits machinery, construction materials, vehicles, and project cargo. You can move standard boxes, breakbulk, roll-on roll-off, and flat-rack or open-top units depending on the dimensions. Air freight into Las Américas Airport near Santo Domingo earns its premium for urgent spares and high-value parts. Land transport from neighboring Haiti is rare for international cargo because of the border customs procedures involved.
Duties, ITBIS, and CAFTA-DR
Most qualifying US-origin industrial goods enter the Dominican Republic duty-free under CAFTA-DR, the trade agreement in force since 2007. You claim the rate with a CAFTA-DR certificate of origin. The duty saving does not erase every cost: the country charges 18 percent ITBIS, its value-added tax, on the import value regardless of origin. The Dirección General de Aduanas runs customs clearance, and some categories still need an import license, so screening happens before booking.
Documentation Requirements
Your document set for the Dominican Republic covers:
- Commercial invoice describing the goods, value, and terms of sale, with a Spanish translation
- Bill of lading or air waybill as the carriage contract and receipt
- Packing list detailing the contents of each piece
- Certificate of origin, plus the CAFTA-DR certificate to claim duty-free entry
- Import license where the commodity requires one
Accurate values and full legal entity names keep clearance moving at both ends.
Moving Oversized and Heavy Cargo
Equipment that exceeds container dimensions ships as breakbulk, on flat-rack and open-top units, by roll-on roll-off, or on a chartered vessel for a full project. Crawler cranes for resort and infrastructure builds, mining equipment bound for operations such as the Pueblo Viejo gold mine, agricultural machinery, and generator sets all travel this way. Our crews handle export packing to ISPM 15, blocking and bracing, and lashing. For a multi-unit move, project logistics and vessel charter keep the whole shipment on one plan.
Working With a Houston Freight Forwarder
Texas International Freight books vessel and aircraft space, prepares your AES export filing and CAFTA-DR certificate, coordinates with Dominican customs, and arranges inland trucking from Haina or Caucedo to your site. You work with one team from pickup in Texas to delivery in the Dominican Republic. The same desk runs your other Latin American and Caribbean lanes, including Mexico and Belize, and the wider Houston freight forwarding network behind every booking.
Get Your Dominican Republic Shipment Booked
Texas International Freight handles machinery, breakbulk cargo, vehicles, and oversized freight bound for the Dominican Republic. Send us the dimensions, weight, and delivery point, and we return a routing and a quote.
Contact Information:
- Phone: +1 877-489-9184
- Email: ship@txintlfreight.com
- Address: 11511 Katy Fwy #320, Houston, TX 77079
- Web Form: Request a Quote
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Which Dominican port should you ship heavy equipment to?
Río Haina handles most breakbulk, bulk, and roll-on roll-off machinery as the busiest multipurpose port, Caucedo near Santo Domingo takes containerized freight, and Puerto Plata serves the north coast. Match the port to your delivery point.
Do US-origin machines pay import duty in the Dominican Republic?
Most qualifying US-origin industrial goods enter duty-free under CAFTA-DR with a certificate of origin. You still pay 18 percent ITBIS on the import value, and some categories need an import license.
How long does ocean freight from Houston to the Dominican Republic take?
Plan on roughly a week of sailing time from the Gulf Coast to Caucedo or Haina, plus time for export filing, customs clearance, and inland trucking. Air freight to Santo Domingo moves urgent parts in a few days.
How do you ship an oversized item that will not fit in a container?
Oversized cargo moves as breakbulk, on flat-rack and open-top equipment, by roll-on roll-off, or on a chartered vessel for full project moves. We handle crating, blocking and bracing, and lashing so the unit arrives intact.
What documents do you need to ship to the Dominican Republic?
A commercial invoice with a Spanish translation, bill of lading, packing list, certificate of origin with the CAFTA-DR certificate, and an import license where the commodity requires one.
