Send Money to the Dominican Republic from the USA in 2026
Dominicans abroad sent a record $11.87 billion home in 2025, most of it from the United States. Before you compare services, settle two questions your family can answer: should the money arrive as pesos or as dollars, and should it land in an account or at a counter?
What to Know First
Pay from your US bank account through a money transfer service, and compare services on the same delivery. On a $500 transfer, the cheapest standing price in our current data is Revolut at about $3.85 all-in, then Instarem at about $4.24 and Paysend at about $10.58. At $5,000 the lowest standing price is Instarem's instead, at $42.40.
For cash pickup on a $1,000 transfer, the cheapest standing price in our current data is Taptap Send at $13.93 all-in, then Sendwave at $24.55 and Ria Money Transfer at $25.69. At that amount, the lowest standing cash pickup price is more than the lowest standing deposit price.
Leave the wire from your own US bank out of it: US banks charge up to $75 to send it and a correspondent bank typically takes about $20, before an exchange-rate markup the banks don’t publish, while the lowest standing deposit price in the table at $1,000 is $7.38, through Revolut. Those bank fees were last checked in October 2026.
Peso Quotes From Each Service
Compare Money Transfer Services
Sending 1,000.00 USD → DOP from the US · Estimated typical cost · bank deposit, bank-funded
Showing 9 of 17 services we can price for USD → DOP
Estimates only, not live quotes. "Recipient Gets" is for a bank deposit funded from a bank account, on today's mid-market rate: for a "provider quote", minus the rate markup and fee from that provider's own recent quote; for an estimate, minus the provider's typical markup and fee. Rows are ranked by total cost, the fee plus the rate markup, so a fee charged on top of the amount sent counts against a provider even when its recipient gets more. Real cost varies by corridor, amount, delivery and payment method, and promotions (e.g. new-customer offers can be cheaper). Tap a provider to get its live rate before sending. The dot by each provider shows confidence, and the label says how the figure was grounded: "corridor estimate" is a rate we measured for this exact pair; a currency-code estimate (e.g. "USD estimate") is measured for that source currency but not this destination; "typical estimate" is the provider's general figure across all its corridors; "provider quote" is that provider's own recent quote for this pair, its markup and fee applied to today's mid-market rate exactly as its calculator shows them, and a provider whose quote depends on a payment or delivery choice is left out here and priced on its own calculator. Margins are verified against live provider quotes and the World Bank Remittance Prices database; the date above is the most recent collection. Some “Send money now” buttons are partner links: we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you, and rows are ranked by cost whatever the link. See how we collect these prices and our advertising disclosure.
Pesos or Dollars? Decide Before You Send
In the DR a transfer does not have to arrive in pesos. Some services can pay US dollars, but whether they do depends on the service and on where the money is collected. The pages two services keep for the country show how much it varies:
For a deposit, ask which currency the account is held in. Western Union asks for it when you send to a Dominican bank, because it deposits to accounts in pesos and in dollars. If the transfer arrives in one currency and the account is held in the other, expect a second conversion at the receiving end.
The live comparison and the table below are for pesos deposited to an account, paid for from a US bank account. A dollar payout isn't covered, so look it up on the service's own calculator.
Two Charges in Every Peso Quote
Every quote to the DR carries two charges: the fee you see, and the margin a service keeps by paying fewer pesos per dollar than the mid-market rate. The table adds the two together for each service. Prices collected October 28, 2026.
| Service | Cost shape | $200 | $500 | $1,000 | $5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RevolutDelivered by bank transfer | 0.59–0.65% rate + $0.75–$27.50 | ≈$2.04 | ≈$3.85 | $7.38 | $56.76 |
| InstaremPaid by ACH/Direct Debit | 0.85% rate, no fee | ≈$1.70 | ≈$4.24 | $8.48 | $42.40 |
| Paysend | 1.73% rate + $1.99 | ≈$5.41 | ≈$10.58 | $19.21 | $88.24 |
| MoneyGram | 1.84% rate + $1.99 | ≈$5.64 | ≈$11.18 | $20.40 | $94.17 |
| SendwaveDelivered by bank deposit | 1.97% rate + $1.99 | ≈$5.88 | ≈$11.78 | $21.61 | $100.24 |
| RemitlyDelivered by bank deposit | 2.11–2.32% rate + $2.99 | ≈$7.57 | $13.47 | $24.01 | $108.36 |
| Western UnionDelivered by direct to bank, paid by bank account | 2.32% rate + $0.99 | ≈$5.61 | ≈$12.57 | $24.17 | $116.97 |
| Ria Money TransferDelivered by bank deposit, paid by bank account | 2.37% rate + $0.99 | ≈$5.71 | ≈$12.84 | $24.71 | $119.68 |
| XoomDelivered by bank deposit, paid by bank account (ACH) | 3.10–6.29% rate, no fee | $12.59 | $19.61 | $35.17 | $155.14 |
From our current data, collected October 28, 2026, for a transfer from the US paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account. ≈ marks a price between two amounts the provider quoted, where its fee and rate are known to hold. How we collect these prices.
Revolut, Remitly and Xoom charge a different rate margin at different amounts, so their costs can fall as the amount rises rather than climbing steadily.
- BOSS Money, Pangea, Taptap Send and Wise don’t price a transfer paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account on this route, only other ways to pay or receive.
- We hold no current quote for this route from OFX, WorldRemit and XE.
All-in cost in US dollars of pesos deposited to an account. Green marks the lowest standing price at each amount. A promotion, or a quote that pays more than our mid-market reference rate, is shown with a label and never marked.
The spread between services is wide here. Among the services with a standing price for a deposit, the margin runs from 0.59% to 6.29% across the amounts in the table, before any fee. On a $1,000 transfer, each point of margin is about 600 pesos that never reach the account.
Check your own amount on a service's calculator:
Cédula, Account Number, Name
- The cédula
- The cédula de identidad y electoral is the Dominican national identity card. WorldRemit also accepts a passport or a driver's license for cash pickup. Whatever the document, the name on it has to match the name you type when you send.
- Deposit details
- The bank, the account number, the holder's full name as the bank has it, and the account currency. Western Union lists Banreservas, Banco Popular, BHD, Banco Vimenca and APAP among the banks it deposits to.
- Counter pickup
- The recipient brings the ID and the reference number you get when you pay. Caribe Express pays out in pesos; Vimenca agencies pay Western Union transfers in pesos or dollars. In our current data, Taptap Send, Sendwave, Ria Money Transfer, Remitly, MoneyGram, Xoom and Western Union have a cash pickup price on this route.
A transfer sent to a nickname, or with a surname left off, may not match the cédula at the counter. Ask your recipient to read you their name exactly as it is printed on the card.
A Slow Peso and a Record Year
The peso has weakened against the dollar in each of the last two years: by 3.13% in 2025, after 5.00% in 2024, according to the Banco Central de la República Dominicana. On October 29, 2026 the mid-market rate was 60.27 pesos to the dollar.
For a sender that drift runs your way, since each dollar bought more pesos at the end of 2025 than at the start. It is also slow. Spread over twelve months, a slide of three to five percent averages less than half a percent a month, so holding a transfer back for a better rate gains little on average. A single point of margin on a $1,000 transfer, about 600 pesos, is a bigger number to watch.
The money kept coming. Remittances reached a record $11.87 billion in 2025, up 10.3% on 2024, and in December 80% of the formal flow came from the United States. The central bank projects more than $12.2 billion for 2026, and it expects the new US remittance tax to have only a limited effect, because transfers paid from bank accounts or through digital platforms fall outside it.
That tax is 1% of the amount sent, charged when you pay in cash, by money order or by cashier's check. It applies from January 1, 2026. Paying from a US bank account or card keeps you outside it, and that is how every figure on this page is worked out.
Dominican Republic: What People Ask
What’s the cheapest way to send money to the Dominican Republic?
Pay from a US bank account through a money transfer service, and compare services on the same delivery, because a deposit and a cash pickup are priced separately. On a $500 transfer, the cheapest standing price in our current data is Revolut at about $3.85 all-in, then Instarem at about $4.24 and Paysend at about $10.58. At $5,000 the lowest standing price is Instarem's instead, at $42.40. For cash pickup on a $1,000 transfer, the cheapest standing price in our current data is Taptap Send at $13.93 all-in, then Sendwave at $24.55 and Ria Money Transfer at $25.69. For comparison, a wire from a US bank means up to $75 in fees, plus a rate markup banks don’t publish.
Can my family receive US dollars instead of pesos?
Sometimes, depending on the service and where the money is paid out. Western Union, which works in the Dominican Republic through its local agent Vimenca, pays cash in dollars or pesos and deposits to accounts in either currency. On WorldRemit's page for the country, dollars are paid in cash only at Banco BHD branches, and pesos at BHD and its other pickup points, Caribe Express among them. Check the payout currency on the service's own page before you send; the prices in this guide are for pesos.
What ID does the recipient need to collect a transfer?
A valid photo ID whose name matches the name on the transfer, plus the reference number you get when you pay. For most Dominicans that ID is the cédula, the national identity card; WorldRemit also accepts a passport or a driver's license for cash pickup.
How much do Dominicans abroad send home?
A record $11.87 billion in 2025, up 10.3% on 2024, according to the Banco Central de la República Dominicana. In December 2025, 80% of the formal flow came from the United States. The central bank expects more than $12.2 billion in 2026.
Will the new US remittance tax hit my transfer to the DR?
Only if you pay for the transfer in cash, by money order, by cashier's check or with a similar paper instrument. Those transfers carry a 1% federal excise tax. The rule applies from January 1, 2026. A transfer paid from a bank account or with a US debit or credit card is outside it, which is why the Dominican central bank expects the tax to have only a limited effect on remittances.
Key Takeaways
- Revolut held the lowest standing price at $500 in our current data, about $3.85 all-in. At $5,000 the lowest standing price is Instarem's instead, at $42.40. Services whose price depends on how you pay or how the pesos arrive aren't ranked, so run yours in a calculator.
- Ask whether your recipient wants pesos or dollars; a dollar payout depends on the service and the counter.
- Copy the recipient's name exactly as it appears on the cédula or other ID.
- The peso has been weakening slowly, so waiting for a better rate gains little on average.
- The 1% US remittance tax reaches only transfers paid in cash, by money order, by cashier's check or with a similar paper instrument.
Count the Pesos Before You Send
Enter your amount to see the fee, the margin and the pesos your family receives.
Related Calculators & Guides
Every fee on an international transfer, from the exchange-rate markup to card, cash pickup and bank wire charges, and how to see the real price.
How to send money from the US to Brazil in 2026: the main services compared, instant Pix delivery, real USD/BRL rates, and the new remittance tax.
A deposit or a cash pickup in the DR, on the amount you send.
The fee and rate for a Western Union transfer to the Dominican Republic.
Sources & References
- Banco Central de la República Dominicana
- Revista Mercado: remesas a RD en 2025
- El Día: el BCRD estima las remesas de 2026
- Acento: el peso dominicano en 2025
- Western Union: bancos en República Dominicana
- WorldRemit: cash pickup in the Dominican Republic
- IRS: Excise taxes
Provider pricing and exchange rates are set by the companies named and can change. Figures in this guide are checked against these official sources. Always confirm the live rate before you transact.