Chile's consulates in Caracas and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, will partially resume operations on Monday, October 19. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the measure, which ends nearly two years without Chilean consular services in the country.
According to T13, during this initial stage the offices will distribute passports to Chileans living in Venezuela and allow appointments to be scheduled for consular procedures.
Services will expand on Monday, October 26. That day, the offices will begin processing passports and identity cards, along with notarial acts such as travel authorizations, powers of attorney, mandates, public deeds, sworn statements and letters of authorization. Consular registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil unions will also resume.
Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna welcomed the announcement. "This reopening of consulates will allow us to provide protection and services to the more than 25,000 Chileans living in Venezuela. We are fulfilling a commitment we made to Chileans," he said.
The minister added that the reopening is "another concrete step in the roadmap toward the full normalization of relations between Chile and Venezuela".
The consulates stopped operating in January 2025, following the suspension of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Since then, Chileans living in Venezuela have had no offices where they could renew documents, legalize powers of attorney or register children born there.
The rapprochement began in late July of this year. According to CNN Chile, Santiago and Caracas then announced a roadmap to move toward the "progressive normalization of their bilateral relations." The first agreed stage was to reactivate consular relations.
The agreement envisages both governments moving toward a "full resumption of bilateral ties" at a later stage. The sources do not specify a timeline for the return of ambassadors or detail whether there will be changes to Venezuelan consular services in Chile.
For now, the official schedule sets two dates: October 19 for passport distribution and appointment scheduling, and October 26 for the remaining procedures at both locations.
