As per our telephone conversation, please find attached a copy of
the section on nationality from the Constitution of Venezuela, as
provided by the Embassy of Venezuela on 16 October 1991.
The Embassy of Venezuela stated that Venezuelan embassies and
consulates do not decide on conflicting nationality issues (16 Oct.
1991). The Ministry of the Interior in Venezuela is the authority
that decides on these issues. However, the source was able to
provide the information that follows. Additional and/or
corroborating information could not be found among the sources
currently available to the IRBDC.
According to the Embassy of Venezuela during a telephone
interview, a person born in Venezuela is automatically granted
Venezuelan nationality, regardless of the parents' nationality (16
Oct. 1991). The source added that a person is a Venezuelan national
if he/she is holding a Venezuelan passport that does not
specifically state that the person is not a Venezuelan national
(which would be the case with temporary passports issued to
refugees, for example) (
Ibid.). A "cédula" is also
proof of Venezuelan nationality if the code printed in the card
starts with the letter "V" (from Venezuelan), reading "V-" followed
by a number (
Ibid.). The cédula includes the person's
fingerprint, signature, photograph and date of birth. The Embassy
of Venezuela added that neither of these documents (passport or
cédula) need to be valid (i.e.: not expired) in order to
prove the person's nationality. They only need to be legitimate
(non-counterfeit) to prove the person's nationality, and can be
renewed in Venezuela or through embassies or consulates overseas.
The source stated that persons who can show they are Venezuelan
nationals are not impeded from entering Venezuela, meaning that a
Venezuelan can enter his/her country by showing either a passport
or a cédula (
Ibid.).
As per our telephone conversation, the source added that
Venezuelan law does not allow multiple nationality for Venezuelan
nationals. However, the source added that many cases of multiple
nationality (such as Venezuelan-Canadians) are not known to exist
by Venezuelan authorities unless the person shows that he/she is
holding multiple nationalities. The source quoted as an example
people who present themselves to the Venezuelan Embassy or
Consulate and show their Canadian passport when asking to renew
their Venezuelan passport. The Embassy or Consulate personnel are
not allowed to seize the person's passport or prevent him/her from
going through with the request for renewal of the Venezuelan
passport (
Ibid.). However, the personnel who are aware of
the existence of another country's passport issued in the name of
the inquirer, are expected to report it to the Venezuelan
authorities in charge of renewing the Venezuelan passport (Ministry
of the Interior, in Venezuela). This could result in a refusal by
the Ministry of the Interior to renew the Venezuelan passport. Upon
this person's return to Venezuela, he/she may be asked to clarify
his/her nationality. Finally, the source added that, if lost,
Venezuelan nationality could be recovered (
Ibid.).
Bibliography
Embassy of Venezuela, Ottawa. 16 October
1991. Telephone Interview with Information Officer.
Attachments
Constitution of Venezuela
[English-language translation], Title II, Articles 35-37
("Nationality"). Copy of section provided by the Embassy of
Venezuela by fax on 16 October 1991.
