Kenya Bidó, the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) deputy abroad, is drafting a preliminary bill that would grant free naturalization to the children of Dominicans living abroad. The legislator for the Luis Abinader administration continued, “We must facilitate and motivate them so that they maintain that connection with their country of origin.” For children of Dominican parents, it is a natural right.
According to Bidó, these services are provided in the consulates for a fee of roughly 150 pesos. She said, “We need our kids to be able to continue our legacy outside of the Dominican Republic. It recognizes that given the numerous significant contributions our community makes to the Dominican Republic, it deserves support, facilitation, and reduction of the costs associated with the processes.
She stated that in order to obtain dual citizenship, children of Dominican parents must present an original birth certificate. If the certificate is from the State of New York, they also need to pay about $150 (cash payment) for a letter of justification. She added that the procedure takes six weeks, and after the consulate sends the document, the applicant must visit the Central Electoral Board (JCE) armed with duplicates of the mother’s or father’s identity cards from both sides.
She then reported putting down the apostille and translation so that the Central Electoral Board could vouch for the validity of the official’s signature while performing his duties. This authentication must be recorded in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ database for the document to be valid and have legal consequences.