Document #1060781
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
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.
Reference
Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela,
Ottawa. 11 April 1995. Telephone interview with the Second
Secretary.
Attachments
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.