Age will define validity of new Dominican Identity Cards

Santo Domingo.- The Central Electoral Board (JCE) announced that the new Dominican Identity and Electoral Card will be issued free of charge, with validity periods that vary by age: 12 years for ages 18–35, 16 years for ages 36–60, and 20 years for citizens over 61. Minors will obtain their first card upon turning 18. This staggered system aims to prevent all cards from expiring in the same year.

The updated card will include advanced security features such as holograms, grayscale photography, polycarbonate material, micro-recordings, and a chip with a digital signature that supports both encrypted data and mobile app access. National symbols—including Duarte, the güira and tambora, the Monument to the Restoration, and the cigua palm—will be featured to reinforce cultural identity. According to JCE president Román Jáquez Liranzo, these innovations, supported by biometric verification and card-matching systems, strengthen democracy, transparency, and sovereignty while modernizing the country’s identification system.