Eloping in the Dominican Republic (2026): legal vs symbolic, published prices and where to do it

Legal here, or symbolic here and legal at home

A legal Dominican marriage is performed by the civil registry officer (Oficial del Estado Civil), who can come to a hotel or beach by prior arrangement (MIREX). For two non-resident foreigners the JCE fee is RD$25,000, the same inside or outside the office, plus RD$600 per certified copy of the certificate (JCE fee table, JCE requirements); to use the certificate abroad, MIREX apostilles it for RD$620 (MIREX apostilles). You need apostilled, translated birth certificates and single-status declarations; the full list is in our legal requirements guide.

A symbolic ceremony has no paperwork: a celebrant, your vows and a keepsake certificate. Many couples sign legally at home and keep the Dominican day for the ceremony itself. Lopesan Costa Bávaro, for example, makes all its packages symbolic and charges US$850 for a justice of the peace if you want the legal version with its smaller packages (Lopesan). Note that Dominican law does not allow same-sex marriage (U.S. Embassy), so same-sex couples can only hold a symbolic ceremony here.

The witness problem

An elopement for two still needs two adult witnesses for a legal ceremony, with a cédula or valid passport (JCE). Sources disagree on whether they may be relatives (the JCE says yes; the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Tourism say no), which matters less when you bring no family at all (U.S. Embassy, MITUR). Caribbean Wedding Agency says it includes two witnesses free in its all-inclusive elopement packages (CWA). Excellence and Finest ask the couple and two witnesses to be at the resort three business days before a legal ceremony (Excellence PDF). If you go independent, confirm who signs before you book.

Punta Cana · Photo: Leonardo Rossatti / Pexels

Resort elopement packages: published prices

Lopesan Costa Bávaro, Secretly I Do: US$999 for the couple, with a beach or garden ceremony, symbolic minister, bouquet, one-tier cake and a private beach dinner, and a free upgrade to an ocean-view junior suite. It requires a minimum 7-night stay (Lopesan).

Excellence Punta Cana, Lovebirds: US$950 per couple, or complimentary with 20 paid room nights, held Monday to Thursday at 11 am (Excellence PDF). Finest Punta Cana lists Lovebirds at the same US$950.

The real comparison is the stay requirement: Lopesan's price assumes a week at the resort, and Excellence's free version assumes 20 room nights, which for a couple means a long stay or a few friends booking with you.

Independent beach and island packages around Punta Cana

Caribbean Wedding Agency publishes the widest price list we found (Caribbean Wedding Agency): Macao beach US$1,100 for two, with no décor or gazebo; Kolibri beach in Cabeza de Toro US$1,400 for two, or US$1,850 with separate transport, bridal salon, a sand ceremony, champagne and 100+ edited photos; Tracadero Beach Club US$2,700; Saona Island US$2,750; and Juanillo beach in Cap Cana US$3,250 for two or US$3,350 for up to six. It lists marriage-licence assistance and the certificate as optional extras.

Independent packages let you choose a public beach or an island and avoid a room-block condition. In exchange you handle your own hotel and, for Saona, the national park rules covered in our Saona park guide.

Away from Punta Cana: north coast, Cabrera and Las Terrenas

Puerto Plata: Weddings by LifeStyle in Cofresí lists a couple-only package at US$1,100 and a symbolic ceremony for 10 at US$1,850 (LifeStyle).

Cabrera: Casablanca Cabrera says couples can book a room for two or the entire hotel and choose the menu and ceremony spot (Casablanca Cabrera); Cabrera Chalet plans the whole day, officiant included, for private events of up to 25 (Cabrera Chalet). Neither publishes a price; details are in our Cabrera intimate weddings guide.

Las Terrenas: for a few friends, a villa can be the venue. Casa Tabiki on Playa Cosón sleeps 18 (up to 22) at US$1,600 a night in low season and US$2,000 in high season (Casa Tabiki). More on our Las Terrenas weddings page.

Photos: the line item that decides the day

With no guests, the photographs are the record. Few photographers publish rates: Adolfo Florentino lists sessions from US$1,000 (Adolfo Florentino), and HDC Photo, which shoots elopements, books with a signed contract and a 30% retainer (HDC Photo). Package photos differ widely (Caribbean Wedding Agency's US$1,850 Kolibri package states 100+ edited images), so compare the number of edited photos and hours, not just the price. See our photographers comparison.

What we left out

Some planner pages list extra legal steps (such as a medical certificate or a one-month wait) that do not appear in the JCE's own requirements, so we follow the JCE and recommend you confirm with your oficialía. We did not include resort 'just the two of us' prices we could only find on agency sites, or Hyatt Inclusive Collection prices, whose pages blocked our checks.