Since 1977 the Dominican Republic has been both a party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and to its 1967 Protocol. The Dominican Republic, however, has not accepted the UN Statelessness Conventions. 

Decree 1569 of November 15, 1983 creates the National Commission for Refugees (CONARE); and Decree 2330 of September 10, 1984, which establishes the CONARE regulations and the Dominican refugee status determination procedure.

Indeed, Decree 1569 of November 15, 1983 lays the foundations for the institutions in charge of evaluating all asylum applications submitted to the Dominican State. Thus, through this regulation, the National Commission for Refugees (CONARE) was created, the inter-institutional authority of an administrative nature specialized in refugee matters.

Subsequently, through Decree 2330, of September 10, 1984, the Regulations of the National Commission for Refugees were established. It indicates that CONARE is competent for the application of the 1951 Convention and its Protocol. Therefore, it reaffirms that it is she who “will be in charge of studying the applications for the recognition of refugee status”.

By virtue of this provision, CONARE is made up of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which presides over the body), the Ministry of Labor, the Legal Department of the Executive Power, the Attorney General of the Republic, the General Directorate of Migration, the National Department of Investigations and the National Police. Within this regulation, the procedure that must be exhausted by all asylum seekers in our country was also consigned.

It is also worth noting that the right to seek and receive refuge has constitutional rank in the legal system, since it is enshrined as fundamental in article 46.2 of the Constitution. Therefore, it must be interpreted in the most favorable way for the person, taking into account the criteria established in the human rights treaties ratified by the country.