DGP ensures data security in new Electronic Passport system

Santo Domingo.- The General Directorate of Passports (DGP) has reaffirmed that the personal and biometric data of Dominican citizens are fully protected under the new Electronic Passport system, a modernization effort aligned with the highest international standards in identification and cybersecurity.

According to DGP Director General Lorenzo Ramírez, the entire process of capturing, processing, and encrypting passport data is carried out exclusively within DGP facilities, in accordance with guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He emphasized that passport booklets arrive in the country completely blank, and that personalization—including the incorporation of personal and biometric information—is performed locally using encrypted systems. No foreign company or provider has access to the national passport database, and the Dominican State retains full control and ownership of the system’s source codes.

The Electronic Passport project was awarded to the Franco-American consortium EMT, composed of Entrust (United States), Midas Dominicana, and Thales (France)—companies recognized for their global leadership in secure document and digital identity solutions. The DGP highlighted that this initiative marks a historic milestone in national modernization and global trust in Dominican travel documents.

In line with Decree 438-22, the DGP also convened an inter-institutional technical roundtable with security, civil aviation, and immigration authorities to review operational and logistical integration of the new system. Field visits to Las Américas and Punta Cana airports were conducted to validate infrastructure for biometric passport processing and ensure smoother border control operations.