Dominican Republic’s national ID card tender on track despite bidder’s objection

The Dominican Republic’s plan to renew all Dominican national identity and electoral cards, amid growing threats from identity theft and cybercrime, is advancing. A cleanup process to prevent any errors in civil registration from leading to fraudulent digital ID card issuance has begun, and a formal objection by a bidder has not changed the timeline for the tender.

The country’s Central Electoral Board (JCE) announced that under the mandate of Law 20-23, the new polycarbonate cards will replace the 2014-issued documents that expired in 2024.

Each card will feature laser engraving, an embedded secure chip, a QR code and biometric authentication, storing encrypted personal and biometric data to prevent cloning and enable secure electronic transactions.

The board aims to update the records of more than 9.4 million citizens and residents, including nearly one million individuals who will come of age by 2025. Officials expect the new chip and encryption protocols to significantly reduce the risk of fraud and identity misuse.

The Dominican launched an international public tender in February to select suppliers for the renewal process. Although the opening of financial bids was momentarily delayed by a formal objection from one unnamed bidder, the JCE affirmed that the overall timeline remains on track for preliminary renewals to start in the last quarter of 2025, reports Dominican Today.

Three consortia — EMDOC, ID Secure IDSi and Cédula 4.0 FZCO — met all legal and technical requirements in their proposals. It was reported in January that at least 19 companies had expressed interest in the tender, with proven success in similar international projects a key evaluation criterion.

In parallel, the JCE is conducting a thorough cleanup of its civil registry, validating millions of entries to ensure only legally compliant and verified individuals receive new cards.

Election officials say the new IDs will not only modernize citizen identification, but also strengthen the electoral system ahead of the 2027 primaries and the 2028 general elections. With anticipated reforms set to increase voting complexity, the upgraded cards are expected to streamline operations and enhance trust in the process.

The tender for five million passport books was awarded in December 2024 to a consortium made up of three companies. Contract and production details are classified information as a matter of national security under Presidential Decree 282-23, and similar grounds could keep details about the ID card project, including the nature of the formal objection, from being publicly disclosed.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  civil registration  |  digital ID  |  Dominican Republic  |  government purchasing  |  identity document  |  national ID  |  tender