Santo Domingo, (EFE).- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Dominican Republic announced on Wednesday that it will hire companies to operate consular services, such as visa applications and passport renewals, after sparking controversy over alleged irregularities.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry announced the call, open to local and international companies, to submit proposals in order to operate consular services.
The project will initially be implemented in six cities, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Boston, Caracas, Beijing and Santiago de Chile, according to the call for tenders.
The announcement is made after alleged irregularities in Dominican consulates in several countries have been reported in recent months.
In Haiti, the press has even denounced cases of visa sales, while in the United States the high cost of services to Dominican emigrants is continually criticized.
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The privatization of consular services will allow “significant progress in reducing waiting times, improving communication channels and transparency in income received,” says a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
After the “successful experiences” of countries such as El Salvador, Italy, Guatemala and Spain, the Government of the Dominican Republic “seeks to significantly transform the way consular services are provided, starting with a pilot plan in six locations in the first year,” the note added.
Taking into account the results obtained with this pilot, it is intended to extend its application to more cities in order to have a management “that takes advantage of the available tools around the efficiency that users demand,” he added.
The Dominican Republic currently has 47 consulates and 30 consular sections in the same number of embassies, serving a diaspora that exceeds 2.5 million people, in addition to the visa procedures carried out by foreigners who move to the country. mainly for work reasons.
