Dominican Republic prepares to reopen its consulate in Venezuela

The Dominican Republic's foreign ministry said it is advancing preparations to restore services at its Consulate General in Caracas, according to the portal Banca y Negocios. The announcement marks the start of the normalization of direct consular services on Venezuelan territory, which have been suspended for more than two years.

The Caribbean nation's consular office in the Venezuelan capital was closed in July 2024, after strong diplomatic tensions emerged between the two governments. Since then, all procedures and services for Dominican citizens residing in Venezuela have had to be handled remotely through the diplomatic mission based in Bogotá, Colombia.

With this reopening, the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeks to facilitate access to consular services directly in Venezuela, avoiding costly travel and delays for users. However, authorities clarified that people who already have ongoing procedures, scheduled appointments or documents filed in the Colombian capital must complete their processes at that same mission, since the files will not be transferred to Caracas.

This measure is part of the gradual normalization of diplomatic and consular relations that both countries agreed to begin in August 2026. Although the Dominican foreign ministry said the exact opening date will be announced in due course, reactivating the consulate represents the first concrete step toward restoring formal channels of communication and bilateral assistance.