Listin Diario investigative journalists Ashley Ana Presinal and Nasha Cruz have presented the reality of the highly profitable business consuls have in selling passports at the Dominican Consulate in New York City and other major cities abroad.
Around 800,000 Dominicans live in New York and have had to accept the high prices of services offered by the Dominican Consulate for multiple services, including the passport booklets. In the Dominican Republic, citizens pay RD$1,650 to renew a Dominican passport or RD$2,650 (same-day renewal). At the NY Consulate, the price for the six-year valid document is US$130, or around RD$6,268, or three times more.
Renewals are US$191, or around RD$10,679. In the DR, the same service costs RD$2,650.
Listin Diario reports that from 2018 to 2020, the Dominican consulate in New York issued 76,582 passports, receiving at least US$13,018,940. Of the total, the government received US$3,352,194 during those three years.
A resolution 2-07 of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex) that is still in effect clearly states the cost of a six-year passport is US$60.
Yet, every consulate sets its price. Listin Diario reports that in Madrid the cost is EUR75 and renewals EUR83, in Barcelona the cost is lower, EUR60 for adults and EUR68 for minors. In case of a lost passport, the cost is up to EUR211.
In Paris, the consulate charges EUR140, but if you lost your passport, you will be asked to pay EUR391.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, the consulate charges US$100 and US$175 for a lost passport.
The Dominican consulate in Buenos Aires, Argentina issued 1,437 passports in 2021, collecting US$119,271. Of the total, it sent back US$35,513.
Interestingly, Resolution 2-007 of the Ministry of Foreign Relations says of the total cost, the consulates need only to send US$20.56 to the Passport Agency per each passport book issued. The consuls can keep the remainder of the money for administrative costs at discretion. The National Budget also assigns regular monthly allotments to the consulates for expenditures.
The reporters say the Ministry of Foreign Relations did not reply to their request for details on how these funds are allocated for expenditures by the consuls.
Senator Yvan Lorenzo (PLD-Elías Piña) says the consuls get to pocket the cash. “It goes to their personal accounts, it is there money,” he told Listin Diario.
He mentioned other sources of funds – the birth certificates, legalizing contracts… the consul keeps that money, he said, as reported in Listin Diario.
He says the consulates that do not issue visas are money makers when they have large Dominican communities, namely New York, Miami, Boston, and the Spanish consulates.
Given the high cost of the services in the consulates, most Dominicans abroad take advantage of a trip back to the Dominican Republic to do their paperwork.
The Listin recently had reported that the five consulates in Haiti had billed at least US$79.5 million for visas, of which the state received only US$11.6 million. In an update on the topic, the Listin Diario reported that hundreds of Haitians had commented on social media having paid more than the Listin Diario reported. There were persons who said they paid US$600 at the consulate in Haiti for a visa to enter the Dominican Republic legally. By law, the prices of the visas range from US$40 for tourism and simple business visas, to US$50 for residence and multiple business visas, and US$60 for business visas for work purposes.
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Listin Diario
Listin Diario
DR1 News
20 April 2022