El Salvador may offer free renewal of national identification documents before the 2027 elections.

The parliamentary study must specify the duration of the measure, the projected number of renewal requests, and any potential legal discrepancies between national regulations and voting abroad. The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador will soon evaluate the initiative sent by the Presidency of the Republic, through the Minister of Public Security and Justice, Gustavo Villatoro, to approve the free renewal of the Unique Identity Document (DUI) for individuals whose documents expire during the period leading up to the 2027 elections. This measure aims, according to the correspondence, to facilitate electoral participation and responds to a projection by the National Registry of Natural Persons (RNPN), which anticipates a demand for document replacements up to three times higher than a conventional year, as warned by the organization in March. On Thursday, the Legislative Assembly received, during the ordinary plenary session, the formal request from Villatoro to implement temporary provisions that would provide free renewal of the DUI before the 2027 elections, as reported in the official correspondence cited by the president of the body, Ernesto Castro. The document was assigned number 9-A and referred to the Commission on Salvadorans Abroad, Legislation, and Government, which has been convened for a session on Wednesday, May 13th. Given the projected massive replacement of documents in a pre-election year, the measure urgently aims to guarantee the right to vote for more than 1.6 million citizens whose documents are about to expire, according to the official estimate mentioned by Fernando Velasco, executive director of the RNPN. The parliamentary study must specify the duration of the measure, the projected number of renewal requests, and any potential legal discrepancies between national regulations and voting abroad. (Photo courtesy RNPN) The full text of the request has not been published by the Legislative Assembly. According to the public reading by President Ernesto Castro, the free renewal would apply to documents expiring between September 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027. However, the official correspondence limits the scope of application between November 29, 2026, and February 28, 2027. In economic terms, the renewal of the DUI currently costs USD 10.31 within El Salvador and USD 35 abroad. The decree states that the last day to apply for the free renewal will be November 28, 2026. Article 9 of the Electoral Code requires the presentation of a valid DUI as a requirement for voting, a requirement reiterated in articles 34 and 196, which mandates that the Receiving Board of Votes (JRV) require this document from those who present themselves to vote within the country. The measure sent by President Nayib Bukele seeks to facilitate the early replacement of documents, benefiting more than 1.6 million citizens, and responds to the projection of an unprecedented demand for replacements. (Photo courtesy RNPN) In contrast, the Special Law for the Exercise of the Right to Vote Abroad establishes, in its article 3, that Salvadorans outside the national territory are not required to present a valid document to exercise their right. This implies that the free renewal will primarily be directed to those residing in El Salvador, as the legal requirement only applies to them. In previous years, the Legislative Assembly has approved allowing Salvadoran citizens to vote with their DUI even if it is expired, but not for other types of procedures or activities.