If you live in Texas but need to buy, sell, or inherit real estate in the Dominican Republic, you usually cannot manage the closing yourself from abroad. Instead, you sign a poder (power of attorney) authorizing a trusted person or lawyer in the DR to act for you. Getting that document to work locally is where most people get stuck, because a defective power of attorney can stall a title transfer.
This page explains how to prepare a Texas power of attorney that Dominican notaries and the Registro de Títulos will accept.
What an apostille is
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates a public document — a notary's signature, a court seal, a registrar's certification — so it will be accepted by authorities in another country. For countries in the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille is the finish line. For countries outside it, the same Texas certificate is the first step in a short legalization chain.
Does an apostille work in the Dominican Republic?
Yes. The Dominican Republic is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so a Texas document carrying a Texas apostille is recognized in the DR without further consular legalization. You do not need to visit a Dominican consulate to authenticate an already-apostilled U.S. document.
You may read about a bilateral objection between the Dominican Republic and Germany. That dispute is limited to documents between those two countries and does not affect U.S.-issued apostilles, which the Dominican Republic continues to accept. Remember, too, that an apostille only authenticates the U.S. notary's signature; any English document will still need a Spanish translation.
How the Texas Secretary of State apostille works
Texas apostilles come from a single office: the Secretary of State's Authentications Unit in Austin. There is no county-clerk step — a document notarized by any Texas notary, in any of the 254 counties, goes straight to the state. Since October 2023 Texas issues one Universal Apostille (Form 2102) that works for every destination, whether or not the country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention.
The state fee is $15 per document. Mailed requests can take up to 25 business days; in-person and appointment service in Austin is same-day for up to 10 documents, and a bulk drop-box handles larger batches in 24–48 hours. There is no online submission — every request is handled by mail or in person. Certified copies of vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce) must be less than five years old.
Federal documents — FBI background checks, USCIS naturalization certificates, IRS letters — cannot be apostilled by Texas; they go to the U.S. Department of State. We confirm the correct authority before anything is filed, so your documents are never rejected on a technicality.
The Dominican Republic's property power-of-attorney requirements
For a real estate transaction, you sign a poder in favor of your representative in the DR, describing exactly what they may do — buy, sell, sign the deed of sale, and handle the transfer. You execute the poder before a Texas notary, obtain the Texas apostille, and send the original to the Dominican Republic for use in the transaction.
Property transfers run through the Registro de Títulos, the title registry that issues the Certificado de Título. Dominican practice around titles can be intricate, and some parcels still require a deslinde (a survey and individualization of the land) before a clean title can be issued or transferred. Ask your representative to confirm the title status early, because that can affect timing more than the apostille itself.
A power of attorney that names the property and states the specific authority granted is safer than a broad, general mandate.
Documents you'll need
- A poder describing the transaction and the property
- Your valid passport or identification
- The full name and identification of your attorney-in-fact in the DR
- Property and title details provided by your representative
- The Texas apostille
- A Spanish translation of any English document
Translation
If your document is in English, the Dominican Republic requires a Spanish translation by a traductor judicial (official/court translator) — an informal translation will not do. Plan for the translation to be arranged after the apostille is issued, since the apostille is normally translated together with the underlying document.
We handle the whole apostille — you don't travel to Austin
Our firm provides full-service apostille handling: we prepare your document, coordinate Texas notarization or certified copies, file the Universal Apostille request with the Secretary of State, add U.S. Department of State and embassy legalization when a country requires it, arrange certified translation, and deliver the finished documents to you or your recipient abroad.
We also coordinate directly with your counsel overseas — a barrister or solicitor in Commonwealth countries, an advocate in South Asia, a notario público in Latin America — so the document is drafted with the exact wording their registry, court, or bank requires before anything is apostilled.
- 📞 Phone: (281) 348-6723
- 📧 Email: busbytexas@gmail.com
- 📍 715 E. Whitney, Houston, TX 77008
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A note on accuracy
Apostille and legalization requirements change, and each receiving institution — a foreign land registry, bank, pension office, or consulate — can impose its own rules. This article reflects requirements verified in 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. Contact us so we can confirm the current requirements for your specific document and destination before you file.
For the full statewide process — fees, timelines, document types, and the Hague vs. non-Hague paths — see our complete Texas Apostille Guide.