The constitution provides for freedom of religion and belief. A concordat with the Holy See designates Catholicism as the official religion and extends special privileges to the Catholic Church not granted to other religious groups. Non-Catholic religious groups must register as nongovernmental organizations with the Ministry of Finance and the Directorate General of Customs. These groups stated they were treated less advantageously with regard to customs duties and visas.
There were no reports of significant societal actions affecting religious freedom.
U.S. embassy officials maintained ties with religious representatives and faith groups, meeting with leaders from the Catholic Church, the United Dominican Council for Evangelicals, which represents the Protestant community, officials from the Jewish community, including the one Hasidic rabbi in the country, and leaders from the Muslim community, to discuss religious freedom and tolerance.