Santo Domingo.– The Central Electoral Board (JCE) began the process of delivering the new Identity Card and Identity and Electoral Card, with the symbolic act of issuing the first document to the Luis Abinader and the first lady Raquel Arbajemarking the formal start of a transformation conceived, in the words of the organization’s president, Román Jáquez, as a State project.
Jáquez stressed that the renewal of the identity document responds to a long-term vision aimed at guaranteeing the full exercise of citizenship.
“Identity is the institutional architecture of the State; That is why we affirm that identity is a requirement of a nation. “Identity is sovereignty,” he expressed.
Jáquez explained that the new scheme includes two types of documents: the Identity Card, intended for minors, members of the Armed Forces and the National Police, as well as foreigners with legal status; and the Identity and Electoral Card, which enables the right to vote and the possibility of being elected.
Purification, control and sustainability
The head of the electoral body emphasized that the process will not be an automatic substitution of card for card.
Since December 2024, the JCE has carried out a rigorous purge of the Civil Registry and the electoral roll, both nationally and abroad, to ensure that only those who meet the requirements receive the document.
Likewise, he highlighted that progress is being made towards a sustainable technological solution, as it is a durable ID, conceived as a strategic investment to optimize the State’s resources.
Latest generation technology
Among the innovations, Jáquez detailed the change of material from PVC to polycarbonate.
The new ID will not be printed: the information will be laser engraved using a state-of-the-art personalization system.
The photograph will be recorded in grayscale for security reasons, although it will be stored in color in the database.
The document incorporates an integrated and embedded chip, which protects the information and prevents cloning and identity theft. In addition, it will allow digital modalities, such as obtaining a digital signature certificate and a travel certificate (not a substitute for the passport, but useful in the event of its loss).
The digital ID will be available through an application, always conditional on the possession of the physical ID.
The new system will facilitate validations in sectors such as finance, health (ARS), telecommunications and other services.
Staggered terms by age
A relevant change is that the certificates will not all expire in the same year. A validity scale is implemented by age groups:
Minors: until reaching the age of majority.
18 to 35 years: validity of 12 years; 36 to 60 years: validity of 16 years; 61 years or older: validity of 20 years.
The document integrates more than one hundred security features, with layers visible to the human eye and forensic measures verifiable only under strict protocols.
Implementation schedule
Between January and March, ordered and controlled schemes will be adopted as a preparatory phase.
After the formal start with the president and the first lady, the capture and delivery organized by birthday month will begin in April, a process that will extend until March 2027.
On April 12, after Easter and within the framework of the 103rd anniversary of the JCE, a key stage of the deployment will be activated. Abroad, the process will begin in May 2026 and will extend until January 2028.
Five steps to delivery
The JCE established a procedure in five steps:
Shift management (the previous ID is required to generate a single shift).
Request entry to the system.
Capture of biometric data (photograph, signature and fingerprints).
Capture of personal data and validation with fingerprint on the reader.
Personalization through laser engraving; The old ID is punched and invalidated and the identity is confirmed with fingerprints.
