The employee must submit a resignation in writing. It should be signed and dated, and a copy must be delivered to the employer. The resignation should also be notified to the Dirección General de Trabajo or the Ministerio de Trabajo to make it official.

In a voluntary resignation, the employee is not entitled to severance pay (prestaciones laborales).

• Upon resignation, the employer must pay the following:

  • Unpaid salary up to the last working day.

  • Proportional vacation pay for unused vacation days.

  • Proportional Christmas bonus (bono de navidad), if resignation occurs before December.

• Any other accrued benefits stated in the employment contract or company policy.

Termination with just cause (despido con causa justificada) is permitted under the Labor Code if the employee commits serious misconduct. Acceptable grounds include, but are not limited to:

• Serious disrespect or insubordination against the employer or representatives

• Repeated and unjustified absences or lateness

• Acts of violence, threats, or abuse at the workplace

• Dishonesty, theft, fraud, or breach of trust

• Intentional damage to company property

• Disclosure of confidential information

• Immoral behavior affecting the company or coworkers

• Refusal to comply with essential job duties

The employer must be able to prove the misconduct and demonstrate that it justifies dismissal under Article 88 and related provisions of the Labor Code.

Termination must be in written form, clearly stating the reason(s) and the effective date. The letter must be delivered to the employee and reported to the Dirección General de Trabajo (Ministry of Labor) within 48 hours using Form DGT-3.

No advance notice is required for dismissal with cause. Termination is effective immediately upon notification.

In cases of dismissal with cause, the employee is not entitled to severance pay (prestaciones laborales), including notice compensation and seniority bonus (auxilio de cesantía).

The employer must still pay the following:

• Unpaid salary up to the date of termination

• Proportional vacation pay for unused vacation days

• Proportional Christmas bonus (if applicable)

• Other accrued benefits stipulated by law or the employment contract

These are due regardless of the cause of termination.

Under Dominican labor law, both employer and employee have the right to terminate the contract without cause (“desahucio”).

Written.

• Less than three months of service: No notice is required

• Three months to less than six months of service: Seven days

• Six months to one year of service: 14 days

• One year or more of service: 28 days

When an employer dismisses an employee without cause, severance pay must be provided based on the employee's length of service:

• Six days’ wages for service between three and six months

• 13 days’ wages for service between six months and one year

• 21 days’ wages per year of service for employment lasting one to five years

• 23 days’ wages per year of service for employment exceeding five years

Mutual termination (desahucio por mutuo consentimiento) occurs when both the employer and employee voluntarily agree to end the employment relationship. This form of termination is recognized and regulated under Article 77 of the Dominican Labor Code.

The agreement must be made in writing and signed by both parties. To be legally valid, it must be ratified before the Ministry of Labor or notarized, in accordance with Article 82 of the Labor Code.

No notice is owed when an employment contract ends by mutual consent.

When an employment contract ends by mutual consent, the employer does not owe statutory severance (prestaciones laborales), provided the agreement is entered into freely and properly ratified. In practice, employers often offer a gratuity or settlement payment (compensación por salida), which the parties negotiate and which the law does not fix at a specific amount.

The employer is still required to pay the following accrued benefits:

• Unpaid salary up to the termination date

• Proportional vacation pay for unused vacation days

• Proportional Christmas bonus (bono de navidad), depending on the date of termination

• Other contractually agreed benefits, if applicable

These payments must be clearly detailed in the settlement document and confirmed by both parties.

Fixed-term contracts (contrato a plazo fijo) are legally allowed and regulated under Articles 25–31 of the Labor Code. They must clearly specify the start and end dates, and their duration cannot exceed one year unless justified by the nature of the work or special circumstances.

• No notice is legally required from either party when the contract ends on its agreed expiration date

• It is standard practice for the employer to notify the employee in writing a few days before the end date as a courtesy, but this is not mandated by law

• The employee is not entitled to severance pay (prestaciones laborales) if the contract ends on the agreed-upon date without renewal

• Since the contract has a defined end, termination is not considered dismissal

• The employer must pay all accrued legal entitlements, including:

  • Unpaid salary

  • Proportional vacation pay

  • Proportional Christmas bonus (if applicable)

  • Any other benefits specified in the employment contract

• These payments are due upon contract completion.

• No notice period is required if the employer terminates early with just cause and can legally justify the action

• If there is no just cause, early termination is considered unjustified and the employer is liable for compensation

• No advance notice is needed, but written documentation of the termination and its cause is required

• If the employer ends the contract without just cause before its expiration, the employee is entitled to compensation equal to the wages they would have earned until the end of the contract term

• This is considered a contractual damages payment, not severance, and is based on Article 28 of the Labor Code

Regardless of the reason for early termination, the employee must receive:

• Unpaid salary

• Proportional vacation pay

• Proportional Christmas bonus (if applicable)

• Any accrued contractual benefits

All payments should be detailed in a final settlement document, and the termination must be reported to the Ministry of Labor.

According to Article 82 and related provisions of the Dominican Labor Code, the final payment must be made immediately upon termination of the employment relationship, regardless of the reason for termination (resignation, dismissal, mutual agreement, or contract expiration). "Immediate" is interpreted as no later than the next business day following the termination.

If the employer fails to make the final payment within this timeframe, the employee has the right to file a complaint with the Ministry of Labor. Additionally, under Article 720 of the Labor Code, the employer may be liable for late payment interest, fines, and damages, as determined by the labor courts. The employer may also be required to pay attorney’s fees and court costs in case of legal action.