August 3, 2021
On Monday, the Commonwealth of Dominica launched its new electronic passport. Officials said that the new document is highly secure and would protect holders from identity theft, and would be an essential component of its border management systems. According to the Honorable Rayburn Blackmoore, the Minister for National Security and Home Affairs, Dominica’s passport holds a powerful rank globally. He added that the new e-passport book is designed by Canadian Bank Note (CBN), a Canada-based corporation.
Dominica’s biometric passport will store the holder’s personal information on a microchip embedded in the document. This includes biometric face, fingerprint, and iris data, all of which can verify the holder’s identity while travelling. The Dominican government has previously noted that the document is compatible with the country’s new e-Gates, which means that holders will be able to use them to pass through border checkpoints more quickly. The e-Gates were part of a $13 million project to update the Dominican border in anticipation of the biometric passports.
At the launch, Tourism Minister Denise Charles said that “electronic passports should make the immigration checkpoint process must faster and would allow immigration officers to quickly authenticate travels, first providing protection against identity theft and fraud.” The minister also said that the new venture would improve linkages with the CARICOM Joint Regional Communications Centre (CJRRCC) as well as International Police (Interpol).
The biometric passports will also be issued to those who gain citizenship through Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. The programme offers citizenship to foreign nationals who make a qualifying investment in the island’s Economic Diversification Fund or select real estate projects.
Applicants to the programme who pass the necessary due diligence checks receive Dominica’s citizenship and can apply for the country’s passport, which grants global mobility to over 140 destinations across the seven continents. Being a citizen of Dominica also means being able to live, work and travel in the Caribbean island whenever you want and passing the citizenship on for generations to come.
Dominica’s CBI programme is legally entrenched in law, and since local law does not contain any restrictions on holding dual nationality, obtaining second citizenship through investment in the country is a confidential process. In addition to having no physical residency obligation, Dominica’s CBI programme has no language, age, business experience, or educational requirements, and there is no mandatory interview.