According to the Second Secretary at the Embassy of Venezuela in Ottawa, the procedure to follow in order to obtain a visa for Venezuela for tourism purposes involves in the first place the traveller's completing an application form to that effect and including two passport photographs of the traveller (11 Apr. 1995).

Secondly, the traveller must provide letters of reference from both his/her employer and bank stating financial status and salary to demonstrate that he/she has enough money to support him/herself for the duration of the visit in Venezuela (ibid.).

Thirdly, the person must have a passport, valid at least for six months, and must provide a copy or the original of his/her return ticket indicating the date of his/her departure from Venezuela (ibid.).

When applying from Lebanon, the person must take this information to the Embassy of Venezuela located in that country. The embassy's staff will then send a telex/fax to the Ministry of External Affairs in Caracas for approval of the visa request. If approved, the request along with the previous documentation will be forwarded by the Ministry of External Affairs to the Immigration Office (Dirección de Immigración y Extranjería - DIEX) in Caracas to finalize the visa process. After completing the necessary procedure, the DIEX will then send a telex/fax to the Embassy of Venezuela in Lebanon confirming or refusing the authorization to provide a visa. If authorization is confirmed, the visa is made and then signed by the proper authorities at the embassy.

The Second Secretary estimates this procedure to last at least two weeks, from the time of the visit to the Embassy of Venezuela in the country where the demand is made, to receipt of the approval or refusal notice (ibid.).

The same procedure applies to a citizen travelling to Venezuela for business purposes with the exception that the person must show a letter from his/her company outlining what kind of business will be conducted in Venezuela, the duration of the stay and the names and corporate addresses of his/her Venezuelan business counterparts in Venezuela (ibid.).

The request for a tourist and/or business visa can not be made upon arrival at a Venezuelan airport or naval port when a tourist or business person is coming from a foreign country. If so, the person will be immediately sent back to his/her departure point (ibid.).

Requests for visas can be made from a third country but only if the person has been a resident of that third country for at least two years (ibid).

For further information on the documents required for travelling within Venezuela and for the procedures to follow, please consult the attached documents.

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela, Ottawa. 11 April 1995. Telephone interview with the Second Secretary.

South American Handbook 1988. Edited by John Brooks. Trade & Travel Publications. 1987, pp. 791, 830-831.

Travel Information Manual. [Hoofddorp, The Netherlands]. May 1994, pp. 370-373.