Who can enter Venezuela with an expired passport and without safe conduct?

After it was announced last week a new measure that requires Venezuelans to have a valid passport to enter the country, The national government announced on Wednesday, October 2, exceptions in which citizens will be allowed to travel to Venezuela with an expired document. and without the need to process a safe passage.

Through a statement, the Higher Council of Tourism (Conseturismo) indicated that the clarification arises after a meeting between the Venezuelan Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies, the Association of Airlines in Venezuela and the Venezuelan Association of Wholesalers and Companies of Tourist Representations with authorities from the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration and Immigration (Saime), Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetía and the Foreign Ministry.

Although the government maintained that it “reinforced the measure of entry to Venezuela only with a valid Venezuelan passport” since Friday, September 27, they specified that certain Venezuelans with expired passports do not need to request a safe passage to travel to their country.

Venezuelans who may enter the country with an expired passport and without safe conduct

Venezuelan passengers with dual nationality will be able to enter the country with an expired Venezuelan passportwithout having to process a safe conduct, in accordance with the new measure of the authorities.

This is an important change in the initial regulations, since initially the Saime and INAC authorities indicated that Venezuelans with dual nationality who needed to travel to their country had to do so with the current passport or, failing that, with the expired one and a safe conduct, which will now be verified.

Passengers with legal residence in other countries will also be able to enter Venezuela with an expired passport without safe passage.

In addition, the Mercosur Convention remains in force, allowing travel to member countries only with an ID. However, this case only applies to direct and non-stop flights from member countries. Currently, only flights from Bolivia are available for Venezuela.

On July 30, the government of Nicolás Maduro ordered the closure of the consulates in Argentina and Uruguay, two member countries of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur).

Who needs a safe passage to enter Venezuela?

Venezuelans with expired passports who are required to present a safe conduct pass to board a plane and travel to their country are the following: passengers without legal residence in another country.

The travel document or safe-conduct allows you to make a stopover at an airport, staying in the transit area in another country (not exceeding five hours), without going through immigration controls. “This is because it only authorizes flying to the final destination, Venezuela.”

This safe conduct must be processed at the Venezuelan consulate or embassy accredited abroad and registered with the airline before the trip. Its validity is usually limited to a single trip.

The government clarified that starting Monday, October 14, 2024, a link will begin to operate through which Only citizens who are in countries where there is no consular representation will be assisted.and there they can process their safe-conduct or travel document digitally.

«This document processed in this way will be exempt from paying fees and will be sent via email to the applicant. The procedure and other details will be informed via a statement from the Foreign Ministry in the coming days,” the statement says.

As for the countries that have consular representation, they will continue to assist Venezuelans who are in them, issuing the respective safe-conducts in person in their offices and under the procedures that they had already been applying. In this case, the payment of consular fees for this procedure is applicable, which has a cost of 60 dollars.

«There is the possibility of processing emergencies directly through the Foreign Ministry, they must be duly documented and respond specifically to health issues or passengers stranded at the airport. The Foreign Ministry will coordinate emergency requests,” they indicated.

The government made email available to Venezuelans (email protected) to clarify doubts and present the particular cases of those who require it.