Who will be able to obtain the electronic passport in its first delivery phase starting February 19th?

Starting February 23rd, the gradual expansion of the service will begin in Santo Domingo and the interior of the country

Santo Domingo.- The first issues of the Dominican Republic's electronic passport are scheduled to begin on February 19, 2026, authorities from the General Directorate of Passports (DGP) reiterated this Wednesday in a breakfast with opinion leaders.

According to the entity's work schedule, on January 15th they opened appointments for people with expired booklets, less than 6 months of validity or due to exhaustion after issuance. Also, in the meeting led by Ing. Lorenzo David Ramírez, director of the DGP, it was explained that all citizens who request their passport for the first time will be able to directly access the electronic passport, as well as those who have expired or soon-to-expire documents, regardless of the year of issue. In cases of loss, the citizen may also initiate the corresponding process in accordance with the established requirements. The 23rd of February will begin the gradual expansion of the service in Santo Domingo and the interior of the country and in August 2026 the gradual deployment abroad will begin. This rollout will be carried out in stages to subject the systems to technical tests and guarantee an efficient service. According to projections, by August the coverage will be total throughout the national territory, including the opening of offices in airports, which will allow citizens with urgent renewals to obtain their document directly from these terminals without having to go to central offices.

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"We estimate that by the month of August, the entire Dominican Republic should be covered. That is important news, as there is a deployment. And we add to this that offices will be opened at the airports", explained Daniel Lozano, in charge of the new electronic passport.

The new document represents a significant advance in security and citizen identification, as it incorporates technology that allows for more reliable verification of the holder's identity. The electronic passport reduces the risk of forgery and impersonation, offering greater protection to both Dominican citizens and national and international authorities that validate the information at immigration checkpoints.

Furthermore, the immediate electronic validation of the passport streamlines travel processes and strengthens the trust of other countries in the documents issued by the Dominican Republic. This modernization reinforces the country's international image, aligning it with global security and transit facilitation standards, which contributes to improving the experience of travelers and the reputation of the Dominican State in the international arena. It is recalled that President Luis Abinader became on January 14th the first person to receive the new electronic passport, a process that included the taking of his personal data and marked the formal beginning of the implementation of this document in the country.