JCE Highlights Civil Registry's Role in Protecting Identity

The Dominican Central Electoral Board urges citizens to renew their ID cards in November and December to avoid "civil death.

Dominican Central Electoral Board (JCE) president Jáquez Liranzo highlighted the role of the civil registry in protecting the identity of Dominicans. He spoke at an event held in the Aula Magna of the Institute of Higher Education in Diplomatic and Consular Training (INESDYC), part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended by members of the JCE plenary and government, academic and judicial officials.

According to him, identity and the civil registry are pillars of legal recognition, social inclusion and the exercise of citizens' rights. Jáquez Liranzo said the institution keeps the records that document the most important events in a person's life, from birth to death.

The JCE reported that it holds more than 17 million digitized records, including more than 13 million birth records. Among this archive is the birth certificate of Leopoldo Durán Ramos, dated October 2, 1828, the oldest the institution preserves.

From April 2021 to November 2, 2026, the institution has processed 12,938,576 civil status records, of which 8,675,749 correspond to validation processes and 4,262,827 to procedures.

On renewing the national identity and electoral card, Jáquez Liranzo described it as one of the most important institutional transformation projects in recent years. He said the new document includes more than 100 security measures to strengthen people's authentication and data reliability. The official urged citizens to renew their cards in November and December, warning that without a valid card they may face problems with banking, employment and collecting pay, and that the lack of a document could lead to what he figuratively called "civil death."