Pope Leo XIV set to obtain new Peruvian identity document

Lima Newsroom, May 30, 2025 / 19:23 pm

Pope Leo XIV has updated his personal information for a new Peruvian national identity document (DNI, by its Spanish acronym), according to that country’s National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC, by its Spanish acronym).

According to the Andina news agency, the official Peruvian media outlet, Pope Leo received four RENIEC registrars Friday at the Vatican in a meeting that was not included in the list of audiences released by the Holy See Press Office.

On his previous DNI, Robert Prevost Martínez, the current Pope Leo XIV, had an address in Chiclayo, a city in northern Peru where he was bishop. His new DNI will have his new Vatican address and an updated photograph of the Holy Father, taken Friday by the registrars.

In 2015, the then-bishop of Chiclayo acquired Peruvian nationality and obtained his first DNI. In 2016, he obtained an electronic DNI (with a chip), which does not require renewal due to his age of 69.

With this update, Pope Leo XIV will have the electronic DNI 3.0, which the Peruvian government launched on April 15, and which costs 41 soles, just over $10.

“The electronic DNI 3.0 now has 64 security elements, both on the card itself, made of 100% heat- and UV-resistant polycarbonate, as well as on the cryptographic chip. That’s four times more than the 2.0 version,” the Peruvian government website indicates.

The electronic DNI will allow for digital voting in the upcoming elections. It also serves to access remote digital services and online commerce.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.