A method and apparatus for dynamic binary translator to support precise exceptions with minimal optimization constraints. In one embodiment, the method includes the translation of a source binary application generated for a source instruction set architecture (ISA) into a sequential, intermediate representation (IR) of the source binary application. In one embodiment, the sequential IR is modified to incorporate exception recovery information for each of the exception instructions identified from the source binary application to enable a dynamic binary translator (DBT) to represent exception recovery values as regular values used by IR instructions. In one embodiment, the sequential IR may be optimized with a constraint on movement of an exception instruction downward past an irreversible instruction to form a non-sequential IR. In one embodiment, the non-sequential IR is optimized to form a translated binary application for a target ISA. Other embodiments are described and claimed.