The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Chile's consulates in Caracas and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, will partially resume operations from Monday, October 19. The offices had been closed since January 2025.
According to CNN Chile, the closure followed the suspension of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The sources do not detail the reasons for that break.
In the first stage, the consulates will deliver passports to Chileans living in Venezuela and open appointment bookings for consular services.
From Monday, October 26, services will expand. Applications for identity cards and passports will be available, along with notarial services such as travel authorizations, powers of attorney, mandates, public deeds, sworn statements and letters of authorization. The consulates will also register births, deaths, marriages and civil unions.
Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna described the move as "very good news". He said the reopening "will allow us to provide protection and services to the more than 25,000 Chileans living in Venezuela" and that through it the government is fulfilling "a commitment we made to Chileans".
The minister added that it is "another concrete step in the roadmap toward the full normalization of relations between Chile and Venezuela".
That roadmap was announced in late July this year, as the first sign of rapprochement between Santiago and Caracas. The two governments agreed to reactivate consular relations as a first stage, with the aim of subsequently moving toward a full resumption of bilateral ties.
For the Chilean community in Venezuela, the closure meant nearly two years without local access to basic documents, such as passports or travel authorizations for minors. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not announced a date for the restoration of full diplomatic relations or the return of ambassadors.
