And owning property here is like having your own garden or orchard for a backyard.  Vegetation grows with such abundance from, coconut, mangoes, citrus, avocado, cashews, coffee, cocoa, bananas…well the list is almost endless.  This combined with the fresh water rivers means Dominica can support itself with food, water and energy; a unique situation for any Caribbean island.

 

Dominica is a parliamentary democracy in the Commonwealth of Nations with a legal system based on English common law with any appeals made ultimately, to the Privy Council in London.  Thus buying real estate in Dominica can be purchased with assurance.  And what with English as the countries language, owning a vacation property and living in Dominica is just that much easier.

There is no capital gains tax in Dominica or estate tax and Dominica offers tax-free status to companies locating from abroad.  And expats are welcome to purchase property.  Unlike many other Caribbean countries, there is no need to apply for an Alien Land Holding License in Dominica for properties under one acre for residential and three acres for business; a process that can take several months otherwise.  Either way, the Government still requires you to pay the 10% in Alien Land Holding License Fees unless you are a member of the OECS states in the Caribbean. The other fees or Transfer Fees associated with purchasing real estate in Dominica are: 4% stamp duty, 2.5% judicial fees and a 1% assurance fund.  The Vendor’s responsible for paying a 2.5% stamp duty fee.
 

Permission to reside in Dominica can be obtained for anyone investing in real estate there.  Naturalisation is also possible. Otherwise citizens from a Commonwealth country and the US are entitled to stay in Dominica up to six months without a visa and Canadians 21 days.   For other citizens visas are required. 

Dominica is divided into ten parishes.  The west coast of Dominica tends to be more developed and expensive than the less developed East Coast, however in saying that property on Dominica by far is one of the most affordable in the Caribbean, which also more than offsets the percentage cost of property Transfer Fees.  On the country's northeast area of Calibishie is found some of the most beautiful sandy beaches of the island.  The capital, Rosseau found on the southwest, is the best base from which to journey into the interior of Dominica. It’s a quiet town where, although English is the country’s official language, you’ll hear the French-based creole patois spoken in the streets, markets, cafés and many rum shops.  Further up the coast on the northwest is the second largest town of Portsmouth, one that hosts The Ross University School of Medicine (part of DeVry University) with over 1,000 students mainly from North America.  Traveling between these two centers takes almost an hour.

There are two small airports on the island. The main airport, Melville Hall Airport (DOM), is on the northeast coast; almost a 45-minute drive from Portsmouth and 90 minutes from Rosseau and is served by American Eagle and LIAT. The second is Canefield Airport (DCF), about 15 minutes from Roseau on the southwest coast. The Melville Hall airport is currently undergoing runway extension and service upgrade.  As an alternative, landing at neighboring islands is possible as ferry services are available between Rosseau on Dominica, to Martinique, Guadaloupe and St. Lucia.  A main harbor is also being built on the northeast coast of Dominica which will allow the big French ferries which run between Martinique and Guadelope, to stop on the eastern side of Dominica.

Telecommunications are excellent in the Dominica with a fully digital phone system and DSL internet connection available in most locations of the country.

Dominica's currency is the East Caribbean Dollar. (EC$), which is a regional currency shared among members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).  The EC$ is pegged at EC$2.7=U.S. $1.

Dominica’s economy is driven by tourism and agriculture particularly the production of bananas, with nearly one-third of the labor force working in agriculture.  Since 2006 gains in tourism, construction, offshore and other services, and some sub-sectors of the banana industry have been seen. Dominica is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative that grants duty-free entry into the United States for many goods, which has aided in Dominica’s economic climate.

Another vital aspect of Dominica is that it is now the home of 3,000 surviving descendants of the Caribs, the pre-Columbian people who gave the Caribbean its name. Although the Carib language has perished, they have their own territory, where their baskets and wood-carvings are sold to visitors and some of their traditions are maintained.  These remaining Caribs live on a 3,700-acre (15 km2) territory on the east coast of the island and elect their own chief.