Constitutional Court rules against two-year driver’s license renewal for people over 75
Santo Domingo.- The Constitutional Court has declared unconstitutional the provision that required people 75 and older to renew their driver’s licenses every two years, instead of the standard four-year period.
The court ruled that the measure, introduced through Decree 330-26, violates the constitutional right to equality and the protection afforded to older adults. The decision ordered the annulment of the provision modifying the driver’s license regulations.
The court noted that using age as a criterion to restrict or condition the exercise of rights can constitute a form of discrimination and must be supported by adequate legal justification.
According to the ruling, any distinction of this nature must be established through a formal law approved by Congress, rather than solely through an executive decree.
The court also determined that the government did not provide sufficient justification to demonstrate that the two-year renewal requirement was necessary or supported by a binding legal provision.
Four-year validity restored
The measure had reduced the validity of driver’s licenses for people aged 75 and older by half compared with the standard four-year period.
The Constitutional Court noted that Law 63-17 on Mobility, Land Transport, Transit and Road Safety establishes medical and technical evaluations as part of the ordinary driver’s license renewal process and does not establish different renewal periods based on age.
The court therefore concluded that road safety can be addressed through the existing medical and technical assessments rather than by automatically imposing a shorter license validity period on drivers because of their age.
The decision effectively establishes a four-year renewal period for drivers regardless of age, provided they meet the corresponding medical and technical requirements during the renewal process.
Previous age-based restriction
The current regulation replaced an earlier provision under Decree 6-19, which had established a two-year renewal period for drivers aged 65 and older.
Decree 330-26, issued on May 15, 2026, raised the age threshold to 75 while maintaining the two-year validity period.
With the Constitutional Court’s decision, that age-based distinction has been annulled, eliminating the shorter renewal period for drivers over 75.
