Dominican Republic Court Blocks Nighttime Alcohol Sales Decree, Congress Faces Decade of Failed Bills

The Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court declared Decree 308‑06, which set night‑time limits on the sale of alcoholic beverages, unconstitutional and postponed its effect for two years. The ruling emphasized that restrictions of this magnitude must be enacted by the National Congress, not by executive decree.

For more than ten years the Congress has repeatedly tried to regulate alcohol sales. Senators Adriano de Jesús Sánchez Roa (2016), Prim Pujals (2016), Santiago Zorrilla (2020‑2025) and Aracelis Villanueva (2025) each introduced bills requiring licenses, limiting hours, prohibiting sales to intoxicated persons or near schools, and imposing penalties, but none have become law. The court’s decision highlights the ongoing legislative deadlock over alcohol regulation in the country.