How to Apply for Act 60: The Complete Step-by-Step Process

Act 60 individual investor applications are filed electronically through DDEC's incentives portal at incentives.ddec.pr.gov. The process runs from document collection through a 60–120 day DDEC review to decree grant — and the moment the decree issues, new clocks start. Here is the entire sequence.

Step 1: Confirm eligibility

Before assembling anything, confirm you clear the prior-residency lookback and core requirements. Two minutes now prevents weeks of wasted preparation.

Step 2: Assemble the document package

The document set is where most applications stall. Expect to gather:

• Identity: passport and/or government ID for the applicant (and household members listed).
• Address history:documentation supporting where you've lived through the lookback period — the basis for the "new resident" determination.
• Sworn statements: required declarations under the incentives code, signed and, where required, notarized.
• Criminal background check:clean record evidence meeting DDEC's specification (recent issuance dates matter).
• Financial declarations: the financial disclosures the application requires.

Incomplete or inconsistent packages are the top driver of information requests and timeline slips. (Collecting, validating, and formatting exactly this package is what the application wizard automates — every document also lands in your permanent evidence file.)

Step 3: File through the DDEC portal

Create the portal account, complete the Chapter 2 individual investor application, upload the package, and pay the filing fees (~$750 filing fee). The filing date matters: it determines which regime applies under the 2026 changes — 0% for applications filed through December 31, 2026, 4% after.

Step 4: DDEC review (60–120 days)

DDEC's Office of Incentives reviews the application, typically over 60–120 days. Common events during review:

• Information requests — respond quickly and completely; each round-trip adds weeks.
• Volume delays — expect the slow end of the range during deadline rushes.

Step 5: Decree grant and acceptance

On approval, the decree issues and acceptance steps follow, including the one-time acceptance fee ($5,000). The decree is a contract with the government of Puerto Rico with a 15-year term. Three clocks start immediately:

1. The 2-year home-purchase clock — from the grant date, not your move date (requirements).
2. Annual obligations — donation, annual report, $5,000 fee cycle begins (annual requirements).
3. Federal filings — Form 8898 is generally required with your federal return for the year bona fide residency begins (worldwide gross income over $75,000), independent of anything DDEC does.

Step 6: Establish residency and start the evidence habit

The decree's value depends entirely on bona fide residency you can prove. Day counting and evidence capture (183-day rule) begin the day you land — not the day you first think about an audit.

Application timeline summary