SANTO DOMINGO.-If you have a recently issued passport, you have nothing to worry about, because although the country's authorities have announced the arrival of the new electronic passport, the document you possess is valid until it reaches its expiration date.
“You have a passport booklet with an expiration of 6 or 10 years, so people will change their passports when they expire. However, as we move forward with the implementation and according to our service capacity, we will expand the service so that citizens can complete the process before their passport expires,” reported Lorenzo Ramírez Uribe, head of the General Directorate of Passports (DGP).
The agency announced that the first copies of the new electronic passport are already in the country, to be subjected to security and functionality tests.
Uribe explained that the tests aim to verify the reading and functioning of the chip, the validation of biometric data and other security measures, in compliance with the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
This new document will include an electronic microchip that will store the holder's demographic information , as well as a photo, encrypted digital signature, fingerprints, and facial features, allowing for faster and more secure identity authentication
The new electronic passport will be made with high-quality materials and will feature a polycarbonate data sheet, as is the case in countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom.
It will also include advanced security measures such as holograms, watermarks, optically variable ink (OVI), as well as visible and invisible elements that react to ultraviolet and infrared light, making it difficult to counterfeit.
The institution details in a press release that the new passport will not only improve national security, but will also help detect identity theft, and align the country with international standards for biometric passports, which are used by more than 135 countries, facilitating the mobility of Dominicans and speeding up border controls.
"This will allow the Dominican passport to raise its position in international rankings, strengthening our ability to manage agreements with other countries that facilitate the mobility of our citizens, moving towards greater openness and global recognition," said Ramírez Uribe.
He explained that the current passport booklet will remain valid until its expiration date, and therefore can coexist with the electronic passport. In other words, the transition to this document will be gradual.
The benefits
Among the benefits of having an electronic passport are the reduction of the risk of forgery and identity theft, as well as faster processing at borders and global interoperability.
It also offers greater reliability since the information is protected with advanced technology, which facilitates the opening of borders.
