The following information was provided by a representative of the consular section of the Embassy of Venezuela in Ottawa during a 20 February 2006 telephone interview. The representative indicated that citizenship is acquired though marriage to a Venezuelan. Nevertheless, certain legal steps are required. Two copies of the marriage certificate for a wedding held abroad must be submitted to the Embassy of Venezuela in the country where the couple was married. One of the copies is sent to the parish of the Venezuelan spouse's last place of residence in Venezuela to be entered in the civil register (see also Venezuela n.d) and to which the couple may present themselves to obtain a Venezuelan marriage certificate. The copies of the foreign marriage certificate are not returned to the spouses.

The Website of the Embassy of Venezuela also indicated that both copies of the marriage certificate must be certified by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs (Venezuela n.d).

According to 10 February 2006 correspondence from the representative of the consular section of the Embassy of Venezuela in Ottawa, a person who married a Venezuelan abroad and who has been married for at least five years can submit the following documents to obtain citizenship:

[translation]

a valid passport and visa;

a certified document in which the applicant explains why he or she wants to become a Venezuelan;

current proof of residence;

proof of employment or registration of a business;

a photocopy of either the applicant's or his or her spouse's [Venezuelan] national identity card (cédula), with his or her current civil status;

two passport-size photographs taken face on;

a photocopy of a naturalization announcement in the official gazette (Gaceta Oficial) or of the certificate of naturalization if the spouse is a naturalized citizen;

a certified copy of the marriage certificate;

fiscal stamps.

According to the Website of the National Office of Identification and Foreigner Status (Oficina Nacional de Identificación y Extranjería, ONIDEX), the application fee for citizenship costs 504,000 bolivars [approximately CAN$270 (XE.com 17 Feb. 2006)] (Venezuela 2006).

During the 20 February 2006 telephone interview, the consular representative mentioned that all Venezuelans must have a national identity card (cédula), which can only be obtained in Venezuela, and that this card is required, for example, to apply for a passport.

The representative of the consular section also noted that the Venezuelan authorities do not have the freedom to accept or reject citizenship applications made by Venezuelans' spouses, unless the foreign spouse is a drug trafficker or a notorious criminal (Venezuela 20 Feb. 2006).

No additional information on the procedures required for a person married to a Venezuelan to obtain Venezuelan citizenship could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Venezuela. 20 February 2006. Venezuela Embassy in Canada, Consular Section. Telephone interview with a representative.

_____ . 10 February 2006. Venezuela Embassy in Canada, Consular Section. Correspondence from a representative.

_____ . 2006. Oficina Nacional de Identificación y Extranjería (ONIDEX). "Costo de tramites en timbres fiscales (2006)." http://www.onidex.gov.ve/ [Accessed 17 Feb. 2006]

_____ . N.d. Venezuela Embassy in Canada. "Registro de Matrimonios venezolanos en el exterior." http://www.misionvenezuela.org/spanish/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=100&op=page&SubMenu= [Accessed 6 Feb. 2006]

XE.com. 17 February 2006. "Universal Currency Converter." http://www.xe.com/ucc/ [Accessed 17 Feb. 2006]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Embassy of Venezuela in the United States, Ministerio del Interior y Justicia de Venezuela.