Biometric ID card for foreigners questions

[jimmythegreek]

"The DR is getting ready to create an FTZ for the banking industry and the rules for money laundering and foreigners will be set in place before that gets rolling... Think of a Caribbean Swiss banking system..."


What does the FTZ stand for and what will be the new rules for foreigners in DR Banks going forward...Best.

[PICHARDO]

FTZ Free Trade Zone...

Rules for foreigners in DR banks remain the same... No changes yet...
Until after 3Q 2009.

[jimmythegreek]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think you are referring to the 'Independent Financial Centre Of Americas' being developed out near Juan Dolio. Not sure how this impacts things but they are going to have their own separate legal framework outside DR Banking laws from what I understand.

[Chirimoya]

Never mind, just saw it did refer to a financial FTZ and not the industrial FTZs I'm familiar with

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by PICHARDO

It seems that there's still much confusion about what the new biometric data collection and incorporation to the Cedula means.....

Including at the JCE Extranjería section . I went & renewed my cedula yesterday & gave biometric data at the same time and I specifically asked if I would need to return in 2009 or 2010 for another cedula & was told no, mine will be good until 2014 when it expires. I asked the question in 3 different ways of 5 different staff members of varying ranks of seniority and the response was the same. What is important though is to hang on to the paper given with biometric details on because that will be needed in 2014 when I next renew. I can't comment on the accuracy of the info I was given but I'm posting it because it is at odds with other posts here.

Some observations about the electronic fingerprinting process: the machinery being used is nowhere near as good as DGTT are using for driving licence renewals. There appears to be an approx 30% 'no take' rate i.e. they don't get your fingerprint on first attempt. In fact they couldn't get mine at all so we had to go to thumbprints. At DGTT my fingerprint was captured on first attempt with no problem. When JCE staff have problems with getting the print they use cold cream to enhance print. This is fine except that I don't think anyone has explained the effect of grease build up on the keypad, thus meaning the following users will probably have difficulty with getting their prints taken.......

I have some reservations about the training of staff too. The very sweet lady who was having difficulty with my print pushed my finger down really hard - at DGTT they tell you not to push too hard because it distorts print (you can see the sense in this, I'm sure). When that didn't work she then rolled my finger from side to side as if it was the old days & the finger was on a ink pad. I suggested that electronic imaging operated on a different principle They also tend to place your finger to either left or right of centre - chances are it will work better if it is centrally placed
http://www.topazsystems.com/Software...printalign.pdf

I know this is all very new & everyone is learning but I can recommend that the guys at Puerto Plata DGTT know how to do this & do it right all the times I've observed, so maybe JCE could call on their assistance with training?

Extranjería was crowded yesterday (Dominican section for biometric data is outside Extranjería & was even more crowded). Foreign applicants for first cedulas were not allowed to bring their lawyers in with them (only because of lack of space) so those not speaking Spanish had a bit of a hard time including not understanding how the 2 different lines worked - took me a while of observing to work it out. This meant some people lost their place in the line. The gentleman in charge is called Tito (honest! ) and he does appear to have some.......er.. control issues which some nationalities reacted to more impetuously than others......... Enter Lambada peacemaker

You are given your details to read & check. Two guys took forever & I could see one at least couldn't read but didn't want to admit it so I gestured this to the girl who proceeded to then yell his details at him for his verification: Is your name XXXX Is your DOB XXXX Is your sex male? I smiled & she said it was important to check any changes from the last cedula. So I asked the room in as many languages as I could muster how many gringos had had a sex change since their last cedula. And we discovered that even Tito has a sense of humour...........

If you leave your place to go outside tell Don Tito because otherwise he threatens to put someone else in your place (like I said, control issues.......) One Haitian girl was nearly excommunicated for going outside until I suggested to Tito that she had gone to the loo (good guess btw). Don't be brow beaten by him, he is workable with. Play it to the whole room, lots of humour & smiles, get the group solidarity going & he will climb down & almost admit defeat. I was forewarned by another applicant who had gone the day before.

And stop yourself before you call him Don Truji...........he gets the point.

[jimmythegreek]

Seriously folks...this does not inspire a lot of confidence in this biometric card stuff....I appreciate this Pichardo for the information, but the idea of an all-inclusive biometric card does not mix well with Dominican culture and customs. It's like trying to put a leash on a T-Rex. Anyways, let me know more about the new Caribbean Swiss Banking Centre when you have a moment Pichardo. Gracias.

"DR1 investigates
In recent weeks the Central Electoral Board (JCE) has increased its promotion of the new biometric cedula identity card and has set up a website with information on the new registration process. But there was an interesting coincidence to their campaign. The JCE's website promoting the new cedula curiously included the signature of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in its home page design. Questions arose as to why the JCE would use the notorious African leader's signature to promote the JCE, especially as the JCE has modeled itself as a champion of transparency and anti-corruption. Was it a clever joke, a simple coincidence, or something else? As part of its investigation DR1 contacted Daniel Joseph who is in charge of the JCE's website. According to Joseph, that particular signature was used because "it was the only signature that could be used without infringing copyright rules." Joseph added that "no research into Mugabe's identity was carried out" and that the JCE wanted a "nice" signature to be used on the flyer. He admitted that using the signature of a well-known Dominican figure or a "made up name" were other options at their disposal, but they chose to use a signature they found on Wikipedia. After continued questioning Joseph admitted to not knowing who Mugabe was, and didn't understand how the use of Mugabe's signature could reflect poorly on the JCE's campaign. In the end Joseph agreed to remove the signature.
For a picture of the original JCE flyer click here: http://dr1.com/news/2008/jce_mugabe.jpg "

[Bob K]

For those of you who are going to be at the airport in the next few days picking up or dropping off visitors they have a booth set up near the ticket counters where you can get your biometric cards. Yesterday there were aouut 10 people on line and it took about 10 min to clear the line.

Bob K

[windeguy]

Today we went to the JCE office in back of Ayuntamiento in Sosua.
I handed them my current cedula. Then I was photographed ( about 6 times due to the computer not functioning properly at first), had fingerprints taken of both thumbs and index fingers and given my current cedula and a paper version of the new cedula. We were told that the new cedulas would be ready in March.

Getting them to change the data from our previous single to current married status is an obstacle we still face.

[leodabull]

Pichardo you said ¨we´ll create a criminal dna database¨. Are you a Federali or some law enforcemnet personell who works both sides, US and DR. See people all this biometric is not our idea but good ol´uncle sam´s. And it´s his way of keeping track of everyone around the globe, but of course they start with small timid little countries like ours because if we don´t they sanction like $100 in aide which we really really need because, well because we are so f***´n money hungry we will sell our mothers and children ¨por un maldito dolar¨. So once small defenseless little countries like us and oh let´s see, all of central and s. america and dont forget the west indies and the rest of the carribean...well once they accomplish their pre'guinnea pig operation and are satisfied that they can move on to the rest of the world, they will. In a couple of years all forms of cards and ¨targetas¨will be obolished to take the place of the all popular human chip. Pleas step forward and let me scan your forehead or the back of you neck please. Kiss my a**.

[jimmythegreek]

It confounds me how folks on here do not understand the history behind this ID stuff and what the future beholds for them. I wonder if this Pichardo character even understands. For those that want to learn more go to www.realnightmare.org About a dozen States have passed a statute prohibiting the implementation of the Real ID in the United States. The deadline for its implementation was to be May, 2008, but the States would not go for it because it was not going to be paid by the U.S. Gvt. Now they pushed the implementation deadline off to 2013...GL with that...