Dominican Republic new biometric passport set for October rollout

The new generation biometric passport of the Dominican Republic is likely to be released in October, according to the country’s President, Luis Abinader.

Abinader made the announcement early this week while addressing reporters in his routine weekly press conference.

The head of state reiterated the importance of the new travel document, highlighting its advanced security features and high quality.

The document, he mentioned, will have an embedded microchip which will store the face and fingerprint biometric information of holders. It also meets standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for travel document security.

“The electronic passport coming soon will have biometric data aligned with international standards, which will strengthen security and travel speed. I believe that the first biometric passports should be ready by October of this year, in about two months,” the president said.

Meanwhile, during the press conference, Abinader also outlined efforts being deployed by the country to digitize aviation processes and to streamline the border and immigration system through biometric technology.

“The country has achieved significant progress in operational safety, modernization of airports, digitalization of processes, and expansion of international connectivity,” the president mentioned.

“In terms of digitalization, we also have Global Entry which has been a great agreement. Since 2023, the country became the first in the Caribbean, and the sixth in Latin America, to join in. We also have e-Ticket for digital migration declarations, and auto gates to speed up transit.”

A contract for the new passport was awarded in December 2024. It is held by a consortium of three firms which are expected per the contract terms to bear upfront cost in a pay-per-passport model. They are required to produce around five million passports.

The government says the new passport system is part of an ongoing digital transformation drive.

In the last few years, the Latin American country has been carrying on digital public infrastructure (DPI) implementation projects to improve access to public and private sector services.

The nation is embracing partnerships and cooperation to support this ambition, a move that is reflected in its membership of the 50-in-5 campaign as a first-mover country. This is an initiative that aims to support 50 countries of the Global South to build safe, inclusive and interoperable DPI through mutual support from members.

Dominican Republic is also looking forward to introduce a new national ID system to replace that which has been in place since 2014. The tender process for the contract is said to be on track.

Article Topics

biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  Dominican Republic  |  travel documents