The Central Electoral Board (JCE) is moving to clear up confusion regarding the mass rollout of the new identity and electoral card (cédula), specifically for citizens born in January, February, and March who missed the starting window or wish to obtain their document ahead of schedule.
While the official renewal phase for those born in April begins on 12 April 2026, the JCE has established a specific workaround for citizens whose birth months have already passed or are far off.
24-hour service centers
According to JCE president Román Andrés Jáquez Liranzo, eight specific centers will operate 24 hours a day to accommodate the demand. These centers are located in:
• Greater Santo Domingo: La Feria, Las Américas, and Herrera.
• Provinces: San Cristóbal, La Vega, Santiago, and La Romana.
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To manage the flow, these 24-hour stations will use two distinct shifts:
• 7am to 11pm: Reserved exclusively for citizens celebrating a birthday in the current month (e.g., April).
• 11pm to 7am: Reserved for citizens who wish to renew outside of their birth month.
“If your birthday is in January of next year, you can schedule an appointment for these late-night slots from 11pm to 7am,” Jáquez Liranzo explained during an interview on El Despertador (Grupo SIN).
Key logistics and deadlines
The JCE emphasizes that while the new rollout is underway, there is no immediate crisis of expiration. The existing cédula remains legally valid until 31 March 2027.
There is location flexibility. Citizens may renew their ID at any center nationwide, regardless of their registered home address, provided they adhere to the birth-month schedule or the designated late-night slots.
The first issuance of the new physical card is free of charge for all citizens and legal residents. The JCE will announce later this year how to get and what the digital card will cost.
The JCE has categorized 190 centers into three operational tiers:
- Standard (152 centers): Monday–Friday (8am – 7pm); Weekends/Holidays (8am – 5pm).
- Extended (32 centers): Located in major municipal hubs, operating until 9pm.
- Continuous (8 centers): Operating 24/7 with the aforementioned shift split for birth-month and out-of-month applicants.
18 March 2026