Passport Issuance and Renewal Update

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At a Glance

The Venezuelan government recently announced new passport issuance fees, a development suggesting that the passport issuance suspension that started in November 2017 might be coming to an end. However, Venezuelans remain unable to apply for passports at this time because the government has yet to provide new passport application guidelines. In addition, the availability of passport extensions for Venezuelans abroad varies considerably across consular posts. Venezuelan nationals and their employers should be aware of these ongoing passport issues and should work with their immigration services providers on mitigation strategies to determine how the issues impact their travel readiness and other immigration processes.

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The situation

A year-long suspension of passport issuance in Venezuela has not been resolved, however there are developments and recommended approaches to work around the issues.

Background

In November 2017, the Venezuelan immigration authority, SAIME, indefinitely suspended the issuance of new passport booklets. As a temporary solution, it implemented a two-year extension option for existing passport holders as a solution to the suspension issue.

Initial passport applications

Venezuelan passports are still not available due to a lack of printing materials. This affects Venezuelan nationals seeking to obtain an initial passport either in Venezuela or abroad; those who have lost their passport; those who have a passport that expired prior to 2015 who need to acquire a new passport because they were not eligible to obtain automatic renewal; and those who have run out of blank pages in their passport and require a new passport to travel.

• Updates. SAIME published new passport fees on their website on October 8, 2018 and new passport fees were also announced for new passports issued at consulates, suggesting that it would resume issuing passports. However, Venezuelans remain unable to apply for passports because SAIME has not published guidelines regarding requisite documentation, processing steps, or processing times. Once passport issuance resumes, delays should be expected due to an expected surge in applications.
   

Passport renewal applications

Venezuelan nationals whose passport expired in or after 2015 or whose passport is close to expiring are still affected by the material shortage since they cannot renew their passports.

• Available solution. If their passports are in good condition and have enough blank pages, applicants can apply for a two-year passport extension by obtaining a stamp in their existing passport. This process was implemented by SAIME as a workaround to the material shortage in November 2017. Applicants choosing this option must personally appear at a Venezuelan consular post at the time of stamping.
• Update. This process varies depending on the consulate and processing can take one to several months. This renewal program is expected to continue even as new passports start to be available for issuance. Also note that there are several Venezuelan consulates closed due to Venezuela’s current political instability, including in Miami. It is not clear when these consulates will open. Applicants can appear at any consular post to complete this process, not just the consulate in their country of residence.

Impact

Venezuelan nationals and their employers should be aware of the current passport situation and its potential impacts. For example, a Venezuelan national working abroad may require six months of remaining passport validity to renew their local work permit, or Venezuelan nationals who travel frequently may soon run out of blank passport pages for new visas or entry stamps.

Employers and Venezuelan nationals should work with their immigration provider to develop strategies for mitigating the current issues and to review potential alternatives in special circumstances. For example, dual nationals might be able to obtain a passport from their other country of citizenship to facilitate travel. Some countries may allow current Venezuelan residents to exit and re-enter that country with an expired passport, or to accept work or residence permit applications with a valid Venezuelan identification card instead of a passport.

Looking ahead

Venezuela continues to experience increasing political instability, affecting many in-country processes aside from passport processing. Additionally, the entry of high numbers of Venezuelans into other Latin American countries continues to result in intra-Latin American policy changes. Fragomen will continue to report on the evolving situation and related rule changes.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].