The Dominican Republic’s cutting-edge combined national identity and voter registration card has earned the prestigious title of Best Identity Document 2026, awarded at the High Security Printing Latin America Forum — a premier regional gathering that brings together industry leaders to advance innovations in document security, digital identity infrastructure, and cutting-edge authentication technologies.
The top honor was awarded to the Dominican Central Electoral Board (JCE by its Spanish acronym), after the national ID entry outperformed competing submissions from Costa Rica and Argentina to claim the award. The recognition serves as a clear marker of the Dominican Republic’s meaningful progress in public-sector digital transformation and secure, inclusive identity management, with judges evaluating entries across five core criteria: technological innovation, multilayered document security, end-to-end operational efficiency, alignment with global international standards, and overall user experience for citizens.
Román Andrés Jáquez Liranzo, president of the JCE, emphasized that the award confirms the new Dominican identification card stands among the most advanced official identity documents across Latin America. He formally dedicated the international distinction to the people of the Dominican Republic, and highlighted the critical contributions of both the JCE’s Directorate of Identification and the Emdoc Consortium, the public-private partnership tasked with developing and delivering the groundbreaking new ID project.
The Emdoc Consortium, which led the design and manufacturing of the new identity card, brings together five specialized global and local firms: GSI Internacional, Muhlbauer ID Services, Veridos, Ultra Tech, and IQtek Solutions. Notably, IQtek Solutions is the only Dominican-owned company in the consortium, marking a key milestone for local technology capacity, as it contributed on-the-ground national expertise and homegrown technological capabilities to one of the Dominican Republic’s most ambitious public-sector modernization initiatives in recent decades.
The award-winning identity document integrates over 100 distinct security features spanning three layers: visual, covert, and forensic verification. Manufactured from rugged, long-lasting polycarbonate, the card has a projected 25-year lifespan, and incorporates a suite of modern security tools: a tamper-resistant laser-engraved portrait, a contactless electronic chip for digital verification, a standardized Machine Readable Zone (MRZ), and a unique Card Access Number (CAN). All components were specifically engineered to strengthen identity verification protocols and dramatically reduce the risk of identity fraud and document forgery.
Beyond the technological innovations built into the card itself, the international award also spotlights the massive scale of the Dominican Republic’s ongoing national identity renewal program. Per JCE updates, the institution is rolling out the renewal process simultaneously across the Dominican Republic and for citizens living overseas, reaching Dominican communities in approximately 35 countries across the globe. Program officials characterize the effort as one of the most ambitious national identity modernization initiatives currently underway in the Latin American region.
For industry and government observers, the international honor cements the Dominican Republic’s emerging role as a growing leader in digital identity infrastructure, high-security document production, and public-sector innovation. It also serves as a global showcase for the capabilities of Dominican technology firms, which are increasingly contributing to large-scale projects that carry both regional and international influence.