First Dominican e-passport to be issued to President Abinader today

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader will oversee the official printing test of the first booklet of the new Dominican electronic passport this Wednesday and will become the first recipient of the document, according to the General Directorate of Passports (DGP). The event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the DGP’s new headquarters, located at the corner of Dr. Defilló Avenue and John F. Kennedy Avenue, marking a milestone in the modernization of the country’s travel and identification system.

The DGP explained that the printing follows a pilot phase launched in early January to evaluate the functionality, security, and performance of the electronic passport. This testing period concluded on January 10, and today the president will formally receive the first passport with an embedded chip. Since December, the institution has enabled appointments for citizens with expired passports or documents valid for less than six months, requiring the collection of biometric and demographic data such as photographs, fingerprints, and signatures.

The rollout of data collection will begin gradually on February 19 in the highest-demand offices in the National District, expanding to Santo Domingo and the northern region in March and April, and to the east and south between April and May. The process will conclude between June and December with implementation at Dominican consulates abroad. The DGP also noted that appointments will be opened two weeks in advance at each office to ensure an orderly transition to the new electronic passport system.