The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that Chile's consulates in Caracas and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, will gradually resume services starting Monday, October 19. The offices had been closed since January 2025, when diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended.
According to BioBioChile, the reopening will take place in two stages. Delivery of passports to Chileans living in Venezuela will begin on October 19, and appointment booking will become available.
From Monday, October 26, applications for passports and identity cards will be accepted. Notarial services will also be available, including travel authorizations, powers of attorney, mandates, public deeds, sworn statements and letters of authorization, along with registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil unions.
Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna described the announcement as "very good news" and said the consul was already in Venezuela preparing to deliver the first passports. "This reopening represents a commitment to the more than 25,000 Chileans living in Venezuela," he said.
That figure explains the measure's practical significance. For nearly two years, more than 25,000 Chileans living in that country had no nearby consular office where they could renew documents, authorize travel for minors or register births and marriages.
The foreign minister placed the reopening within a broader process. "We are taking another step in our relationship with Venezuela, a concrete step at the beginning of a roadmap toward the full normalization of our bilateral relations," he said.
That roadmap has recent precedents. According to CNN Chile, in late July this year, both governments announced the start of a "gradual normalization" of their ties, with an initial stage focused on restoring consular relations, followed by a full resumption of ties.
The rupture followed Venezuela's presidential election on July 28, 2024, when Nicolás Maduro attempted to perpetuate his hold on power, according to BioBioChile. Gabriel Boric's government ended Ambassador Jaime Gazmuri's mission, and consular services ceased in January 2025.
The sources do not specify whether the agreement includes reopening the embassy or the return of Venezuelan representatives to Chile. The next concrete milestone is October 26, when both consulates will offer their full range of services.
