Update - Apostille and Legalization Process Still Unavailable

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At a Glance

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reopened on April 3, but the apostille and legalization processes remain unavailable due to the inoperable Ministry website.
• Additionally, the Ministry has eliminated the personal appearance process, which allowed Venezuelan and foreign nationals to request apostilled documents in person without a previously-scheduled appointment if they could prove upcoming travel.

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The situation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reopened on April 3, after extended closures, but the apostille and legalization processes remain unavailable.

A closer look

• Services still unavailable. The apostille and legalization processes are still unavailable since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, which is used to request an apostille appointment, is still inoperable.
• Emergency apostille and legalization services not available. Additionally, the Ministry has eliminated the personal appearance process (known as the emergency apostille process), which allowed Venezuelan and foreign nationals to request apostilled documents in person without a previously-scheduled appointment if they could prove upcoming travel.

 

Impact

• No options to obtain apostilled or legalized documents. At this time, there are no available alternative or emergency options to obtain apostilled or legalized documents and no indication of when the website will operate normally.
• Traveling for document apostille purposes. Venezuelan and foreign nationals should contact their immigration professional to determine appointment availability before they travel to Venezuela for document apostille purposes.
• Delays in obtaining immigration documents. Foreign nationals and employers should be aware that immigration processes in other countries that require apostilled Venezuelan documents may be delayed.
   

Background

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Venezuela processes all apostille and document legalizations; however, the Ministry has been closed since the middle of March.

Looking ahead

Fragomen will continue to monitor the Ministry’s website as the apostille and legalization processes and processing times may change once the Ministry’s website is restored and will report on any developments as they occur.

 

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].