IDEAL system: one agency cannot ask you for what another already has

It is a right: when a Puerto Rico government agency already has a document or certificate of yours — because another agency issued it, or because you already submitted it before — the agency that now needs it cannot ask you for it again. It must access the IDEAL system and validate it itself.

It reaches every citizen, merchant or contractor handling a procedure, permit, aid or service application, or contracting before any Executive Branch agency of the Puerto Rico Government, when the document or certification requested is already held by another government agency.

Information pending verification.

Information pending verification.

1. 1

   Step 1: If asked for a document another agency already issued, cite the law

   The new Article 10 of Act 75-2019 says it plainly: "the agency that needs the document or certificate may not request that the citizen or corporation provide it, but shall access the database to validate that the taxpayer complies with the requested document."

2. 2

   Step 2: Check if your document was already in IDEAL's first phase

   Before this law, IDEAL already automatically validated: from ASUME, the negative child-support certification; from Hacienda, tax debt and income-tax and sales-and-use-tax filings, and merchant registration; from CFSE, the debt certificate and policies; from DTOP, driver's license validity; from the Police, criminal background; from ASG, RUL and RUP eligibility; from DTRH, employer registration and unemployment, disability and chauffeur insurance debt; from CRIM, debt and personal/real property certifications; and from the Department of State, Good Standing and the Certificate of Existence.

3. 3

   Step 3: Know the full thirteen-category list the law names

   Article 10 names, "without this being understood as a limitation": tax compliance; Good Standing; Certificate of Existence; criminal background; ASUME compliance; CFSE certifications; unemployment or disability debt; RUL and RUP eligibility; chauffeur insurance debt; CRIM certificates; Act 237-2004 professional-services contracting documents; and "any other document or certification held by one Agency, for the official use of another Agency in a government procedure."

4. 4

   Step 4: If the agency insists, ask them to check IDEAL instead of asking for the paper

   The exposición de motivos names the problem head-on: "government agencies still keep requiring citizens... to hand over the various documents and certifications" despite prior executive orders. This law is the tool to insist the agency validate on its own, not that you go retrieve the paper again.

It is not a procedure you start: it is an obligation resting on the government agency asking you for the document. If an agency demands a paper another already has, you can cite the new Article 10 of Act 75-2019 and ask them to check the IDEAL system. The Government's Chief Innovation and Information Officer (PEII), under PRITS, administers the system.

• Assuming the law covers any document: Article 10 names specific categories, though it includes an open clause for any document held by one agency for another's official use.
• Not citing the law by name when an agency insists on the paper: Article 10 of Act 75-2019 is the exact text to mention.
• Thinking integration was instant: the law acknowledges intermediate phases, so some categories may take longer to be fully active.
• Confusing IDEAL with a portal where you upload documents: it is the reverse — agencies are the ones who must check each other, not you uploading anything.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Portal de Servicios del Gobierno de Puerto Rico (PR.gov)

  PR.gov

  bvirtualogp.pr.gov