SANTO DOMINGO.- The delay by the Chamber of Commerce in delivering certifications to construction companies that request them is worrying representatives of the sector because it is creating difficulties for them to carry out their work plans.
“It seems they are implementing a new system and are taking a very long time to deliver certifications. We submitted an assembly for registration purposes, and that process, which used to take a day or a day and a half to get a response with a registration, now takes up to 20 days for ten of us,” says engineer David de la Cruz, from the construction company De la Cruz Félix Constructora, Inmobiliaria y Servicios.
Jochimín Pérez of Constructora Jprez SRL, says that he had to wait two months to receive a certificate for an RNC of a trust, "a delay justified by an alleged change in their platform," Pérez maintains.
During the pandemic, the Chamber of Commerce operated by appointment, a period in which, according to engineer Rafael Durán, the processes flowed much more effectively.
“Appointments were made online for at least a week in advance, but if it was on a Tuesday at eight thirty in the morning, you would go and there would only be the people scheduled for that time there, no line, because they had that restricted and there was a flow, the next day they would give it to you.”.
He stated that currently “you go and have to spend the whole day there, if you arrive at ten in the morning you get there at four in the afternoon, if you arrive at 8 AM you find a long line and you get there at two in the afternoon and after you deposit instead of 24 hours, it takes seven, eight and more days,” commented the representative of SDBS Investments.
Engineer De la Cruz maintains that at the Chamber of Commerce office, located on Prolongación 27 de Febrero, he has witnessed cases of people who have gone to complain because they have been waiting for their documents for a month or even a month and a half, and "the simple and straightforward response they offer is that all of that is under review.".
“While we wait, rates are skyrocketing for some clients because the assemblies haven't been issued on time, nor have the renewable commercial registries; the records of the assemblies submitted by construction companies are not being issued on time,” declared David de la Cruz.
In Jochimín Pérez's case, his situation arose because the previous document was delivered with a registration number that differed from the trust to which the RCN (National Registry of Companies) was to be requested. "They made a mistake and it took me two months.".
About the Chamber of Commerce
It is an autonomous entity with legal personality, responsible for collecting all relevant information on commerce and business development activities. There is one Chamber of Commerce and Production per province in the country. Every company that joins the commercial system must register with the Commercial Registry at the Chamber corresponding to its location.
All companies located in the National District will be registered with the Santo Domingo Chamber of Commerce and Production. A company may have branches or agencies, even in other provinces, but its registration will remain with the Chamber corresponding to the location of its headquarters.
