Passport Office’s director Lorenzo Ramirez sent a letter to the Diario Libre explaining the intentions of the agency to purchase its newly remodeled location at the former TeleAntillas site in a year. The Passport Office has entered a rent-buy lease, as Diario Libre had reported. Diario Libre had reported the lease would be for three years at about RD$10 million per month.
The revenues to be forthcoming from the issuing of the electronic passport would help finance the purchase, Ramirez told Diario Libre. Ramirez has hopes the first electronic passports will be issued this 2025. The intention is to begin issuing electronic passports first to those whose passports have expired. The government has hopes that the issuing of the electronic passports, with their enhanced security, will open doors for Dominican citizens to be allowed to travel to Europe without having to apply for a Schengen visa.
Works are advancing on the renovations at the TeleAntillas site for the moving of the Passports Office that is now located in the Centro de los Heroes area of the Malecon of Santo Domingo.
Earlier this week, Diario Libre had reported that the passport office would temporarily relocate to a building at the intersection of John F. Kennedy and Doctor Defilló avenues and that the move is part of a three-year lease agreement with a purchase option, totaling US$5.97 million. Diario Libre had reported that the contract includes a monthly rent of US$148,811.57, which covers taxes and two deposits.
In his statement, Ramírez emphasized the institution’s long-term plans to acquire a permanent facility.
“We appreciate the interest in this important institutional project,” Ramírez wrote to Anibal de Castro, executie director of Diario Libre. “From the outset, we want to highlight that the DGP intends to purchase the building next year using revenue generated from the issuance of electronic passports. This ensures a sustainable investment with no negative impact on the institution’s finances.”
Operations will remain unchanged at the current site until the new facility is completed.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
DR1 News
24 July 2025