The Social Security Act provides that every employee between the ages of 16 and the Pensionable Age of 65, who commences employment in Dominica, must be registered with the DSS within four days of the commencement of employment. It is an offense, under the Social Security Act, to engage in employment if one is not registered.

If an employee is not yet registered:

• His employer has a legal obligation to give him time off to get registered. The employee should, therefore, ask for time off in order to get registered.
• To get registered, the employee must complete an Employee Registration Form, which must be submitted to the Social Security office along with the applicant’s original Birth Certificate and Marriage Certificate (if applicable) as well as a valid ID.

If an employee is already registered:

• He must present his employer with his Social Security card/number on the first day of work. It is critical that this is done, because one can only qualify for Social Security benefit if one is registered.

It is important to note that each registered member of the DSS is assigned a unique Social Security number. Your Social Security number ensures that all Contributions paid on your behalf are recorded against your name. You must, therefore, always quote your full Social Security number when making inquiries at the Social Security office.

As indicated earlier, every employee in Dominica, including non-nationals, must be registered, and must pay contributions. To work in Dominica, each non-national must obtain and produce a Work Permit issued by the Government of Dominica – Division of Labour. Upon receiving that Work Permit, the employee must complete an Employee Registration Form, which must be submitted to the Social Security office along with the applicant’s original Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate (if applicable), and Passport.

The only non-nationals who are exempt from coverage are:

• Members of the Foreign Diplomatic corp.
• Persons whose salaries and contributions are paid in their country of residence.
• Persons exempted by reason of their contributions to another Social Security with whom the DSS has a Reciprocal Agreement.