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How to renew a Venezuelan passport in the USA

Checked22 OCT 2026against source

By Romulo Felizola · Published

Short answer

You can't renew it at a consulate in the U.S. yet: they're still closed. You apply online on the SAIME portal, choose a Venezuelan consulate in another country for the appointment (Mexico City is the one most people in the U.S. use), pay online and go in person once. Meanwhile, for U.S. purposes, a passport issued before June 25, 2024 may still count as valid for ten years past its printed date.

Are the consulates open again?

  • ClosedVenezuela's consulates in the U.S. (Miami, Houston, New York, Chicago and the rest) closed in 2019 and haven't issued passports since.
  • ReportedIn September 2026 the U.S. authorized Venezuela's provisional authorities to accredit diplomats and consular officials. The press reports no calendar, no assigned offices and no date for passports. El Nacional, La Nación, Telemundo.
  • ReportedSites that sell “appointments” at U.S. consulates are not official. Appointments are only given through SAIME.

We'll move this to Official the day SAIME lists a U.S. office. The status board shows when we last checked.

Renewing from the U.S., step by step

  1. Register on SAIME

    Create your user at saime.gob.ve with your cédula number and an email you check. The password arrives by email; look in spam.

  2. Request the passport “En el extranjero”

    Go to Pasaporte → En el extranjero → Solicitud de pasaporte, confirm your data and choose the consulate where you'll attend. Pick one you can actually travel to with the documents you have: your U.S. status has to let you leave and come back.

  3. Pay online and save the receipt

    SAIME shows the amount before you pay. Some consulates also charge a fee in person on the day; ask before you go.

  4. Wait for the appointment email

    Guides report it usually arrives within a week. Then download your application form from Estado del trámite.

  5. Attend in person

    Bring originals and copies of: the SAIME form (2 copies), your cédula, your birth certificate, your current or expired passport, the payment receipt, and any marriage, divorce or naturalization record if your data changed. Keep the receipt they give you: you'll need it to collect the passport.

  6. Collect it

    The passport is printed in Caracas and shipped to the consulate; SAIME emails you when it ships. Reported total: about two to three months.

Before you travel to another country for the appointment: if you're in removal proceedings, have a pending asylum case, or no status that lets you return, leaving the U.S. can cost you your case or bar your return. Ask an immigration attorney first. That's the real reason many Venezuelans here can't use this route.

If your passport has expired: does it still count?

Venezuela's 2015 National Assembly decreed in June 2024 that passports issued before June 25, 2024 stay valid for ten years after the printed expiration date, or after the last prórroga, whichever is later. USCIS and CBP recognized that extension in July 2024 for U.S. purposes. In practice:

Where you use itExpired passport issued before 25-Jun-2024
USCIS filings and CBPGenerally accepted as valid within the ten-year extension (2024 policy)
U.S. visa already stamped in itStays valid until its own printed date
Entering or leaving VenezuelaDepends on Venezuelan authorities and the airline: confirm before you fly
Travel to other countriesEach country decides: check its embassy

That recognition is a 2024 U.S. policy tied to political recognition, which changed in 2026. Before relying on it for something important, check the current USCIS or CBP page, or ask the office that will receive your documents.

Other documents you may need from Venezuela

For immigration petitions you'll usually need your birth certificate, apostilled and translated. See how to get a Venezuelan birth certificate and apostille it from the U.S. and what USCIS requires from the translation. If you had TPS, read what you can do now that it has ended.

Questions people ask

Can I renew my Venezuelan passport in the United States?

Not in person yet. Venezuelan consulates in the U.S. have been closed since 2019, and although the U.S. authorized Venezuela to accredit consular officials in September 2026, there is no reopening date and no passport service. You apply online through SAIME and choose a Venezuelan consulate in another country for the appointment.

Is my expired Venezuelan passport still valid in the U.S.?

Often, yes, for U.S. purposes. In 2024 USCIS and CBP recognized an automatic ten-year extension for Venezuelan passports issued before June 25, 2024, counted from the printed expiration date or the last extension. Venezuela's own authorities and other countries may not accept it, so it's not a travel document everywhere.

How long does a Venezuelan passport take?

Third-party guides report about a week for the appointment email and around eight weeks of processing in Caracas, plus shipping to the consulate. Real waits vary a lot by consulate and period, so start months before you need it.

How much does a Venezuelan passport cost from abroad?

SAIME shows the exact amount before you pay, and it has changed several times. Figures that circulate online date from 2022 and shouldn't be used to budget. Some consulates also charge their own fee at the appointment.

Can I renew my child's Venezuelan passport from the U.S.?

Yes, by the same SAIME route choosing the minor's option. Both parents normally have to appear at the appointment with valid ID, or the absent parent has to provide a notarized authorization.

Sources checked on October 22, 2026

  1. SAIME — Servicio Administrativo de Identificación, Migración y Extranjería
  2. El Nacional — Estados Unidos autoriza acreditar funcionarios venezolanos para reactivar sedes consulares (Sep 2026)
  3. La Nación — Avanzan relaciones diplomáticas entre Venezuela y EE.UU. (Sep 13, 2026)
  4. Telemundo 51 — ¿Qué falta para reabrir los consulados?
  5. Fragomen — DHS acknowledges new ten-year auto-extension of Venezuelan passport validity (Jul 24, 2024)
  6. Passport Photo Online — Venezuela passport renewal in the U.S. (updated Feb 19, 2026)
  7. Houston Landing — Closed Houston consulate leaves Venezuelans without consular services

Something changed or looks wrong? Send us a correction. This guide is general information, not legal advice.