In a landmark ruling that reaffirms protections against age-based discrimination, the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic has invalidated a controversial regulation forcing drivers aged 75 and older to renew their operating permits every two years, half the standard four-year validity period applied to younger motorists.
The contested policy, first introduced via executive Decree 330-26, violated two core constitutional principles: the fundamental right to equality under the law, and the targeted legal protections guaranteed to senior citizens, the court ruled. The decision formally annuls the modified provision in national driver license regulations, removing the age-linked distinction entirely.
In its written judgment, the court emphasized that using chronological age as a basis to restrict or condition the exercise of a legal right qualifies as a form of age discrimination unless the state can present clear, compelling legal justification for the distinction. Beyond questions of equal treatment, the justices also noted that any regulation creating this type of differentiated legal status must be enacted through formal legislation approved by the national Congress, not implemented unilaterally via executive order. The court found that the national government failed to meet either requirement: no sufficient evidence was provided to prove the shorter renewal mandate was necessary for public safety, and the policy was never codified through proper legislative process.
Existing national law — Law 63-17 on Mobility, Land Transport, Transit and Road Safety — already mandates routine medical and technical evaluations for all drivers seeking to renew their licenses, and the statute never includes any provision setting different renewal timelines based on age. The court’s ruling concluded that road safety goals are already fully addressed through these existing universal assessment requirements, making the automatic imposition of a shorter validity period for older drivers unnecessary and unjustified.
The policy rollback traces back to an earlier 2019 regulation, Decree 6-19, which first implemented the two-year renewal cycle for all drivers aged 65 and older. When the government issued the updated Decree 330-26 in May 2026, it only adjusted the age threshold to 75 while retaining the shortened renewal requirement. With the latest court decision, all age-based differentiation in driver license validity has been eliminated. Moving forward, all licensed drivers in the Dominican Republic, regardless of their age, will enjoy the standard four-year validity period for their permits, provided they continue to meet the mandatory medical and technical evaluation requirements during each renewal cycle.