According to Ramón Rodríguez (Monchy), director general of the Passport Agency, during the first five months of this year, a total of 204,448 passports were issued. That is an average of 1,777 per day. He said that many of the requests for new passports were due to people not taking care of their previously issued passports, with 5.6% of the passports being issued due to loss, some 11,441, and 1,173 were issued due to damage.
He also said that one of his main concerns when he took over the role was to reduce the numbers of lost and damaged passports. In his administration Monchy began applying a penalty for replacing a passport that was either damaged or lost. This new policy has resulted in a reduction of replacements for damage or loss passports down to 6.1% from 12.85%.
The Passport Office has its head office in the National District and maintains eleven branch offices in Villa Mella and Megacentro, and Santiago, La Vega, Nagua, Montecristi, Puerto Plata, San Francisco de Macorís, Azua, Barahona and San Pedro de Macorís.
However, given the increase in demand as the number of Dominicans travelling overseas increases, there have been a series of mobile operations to assist those who have difficulties commuting to the regional offices. Rodríguez said that the first was carried out in Loma de Cabrera, Dajabón, where128 passports were issued followed by Cotuí, Sánchez Ramírez, where around 381 passports were issued and then Samaná, with 342. In addition requests can now be made online.
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Hoy
10 July 2018
