Practical guide
Guaros abroad
Passports, apostilles, consulates and remittances: what a Lara native abroad, or their family back in Lara, needs to know to handle each procedure through official channels without overpaying anyone.
The guaro map
Where do the Lara natives who left live now? Nobody publishes that figure, so we are building it together. The map has two layers that never mix: official figures for Venezuelans from the whole country, and the guaros who add themselves here.
How to read the map
- Circle: Venezuelans abroad (whole country), official figures compiled by R4V
- Diamond: guaros who added themselves to the map (reader-supplied data, unverified)
Reader-supplied data, unverified
People added: 1 · Countries: 1There are still only a few of us: every person who adds themselves counts.
Are you a guaro living abroad? Add yourself to the map
It takes ten seconds: tell us which country you live in and which Lara municipality you are from. We do not ask for your name. And pass it on to your guaro friends who left too.
Your privacy: we do not ask for your name, email, phone or city. We only add 1 to three counters (country, municipality and, if you want, when you left); your submission is not stored on its own. To avoid duplicates we use an encrypted fingerprint of your connection that changes every day; your IP is not stored. One entry per connection per day and up to 4 per month are accepted, so a family sharing Wi-Fi can add themselves on different days.
Add yourself
Venezuelans abroad (whole country)
These are figures from each host government, compiled by R4V, the UNHCR and IOM platform for Venezuelan migration. They count Venezuelans from every state, not just Lara, and each country measured them in a different month. Many governments do not count people without legal status, so the real number is probably higher.[22]
In its 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries alone, R4V counts 6,978,009 Venezuelans (updated on August 20, 2026).[22]
There are no official figures for Lara natives by country. Neither R4V, IOM, UNHCR nor the ENCOVI survey publish which state each emigrant left from. That is why we are asking you to add yourself.
View as a table
| Country | Venezuelans (whole country), R4V[22] | Guaros added |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 2,844,498 | 0 |
| Peru | 1,632,322 | 0 |
| United States | 987,647 | 1 |
| Brazil | 781,397 | 0 |
| Chile | 669,408 | 0 |
| Spain | 602,539 | 0 |
| Ecuador | 440,450 | 0 |
| Argentina | 186,227 | 0 |
| Mexico | 106,015 | 0 |
| Dominican Republic | 99,692 | 0 |
| Italy | 64,313 | 0 |
| Panama | 57,841 | 0 |
| Canada | 33,298 | 0 |
| Portugal | 31,198 | 0 |
| Costa Rica | 29,493 | 0 |
| Guyana | 28,255 | 0 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 26,432 | 0 |
| Uruguay | 24,337 | 0 |
| Aruba | 11,470 | 0 |
| Bolivia | 9,979 | 0 |
| Curaçao | 6,903 | 0 |
| Paraguay | 3,996 | 0 |
| Guatemala | 333 | 0 |
| El Salvador | 248 | 0 |
| Nicaragua | 171 | 0 |
| Honduras | 105 | 0 |
R4V also counts, without a country breakdown:
When the people who added themselves left
This will be shown once at least 5 people have added themselves.
Passports
It all starts on SAIME's website. Passports are requested at saime.gob.ve. The regular passport is delivered in 8 to 15 business days and costs Ref. 216 from age 18, Ref. 162 from 3 to 17 and Ref. 108 under 3; the express (“habilitado”) passport, processed at the Simón Bolívar office in Caracas, is delivered in 48 hours and costs Ref. 350, 310 and 290. SAIME notes that fees are pegged to that day's BCV rate. On September 17, 2026, it was reported that, according to SAIME, applicants whose express-passport capture appointment is between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. receive it the same day; after 1:00 p.m., delivery is the next business day.[1][18]
The extension is gone. On March 14, 2025, SAIME scrapped the one-time 5-year extension (“prórroga”). Passports issued before April 15, 2021 that already carry the extension stamp remain valid until the date it shows; for an expired or expiring passport, SAIME recommends applying for the 10-year passport on its website.[2]
A damaged passport is not valid for travel. SAIME warned on Instagram, according to an October 3, 2026 report, that a valid passport with damage makes the holder inadmissible at immigration checkpoints; the report mentions a cover, data page or pages that are wet, stained, crossed out or torn. To replace it, cancel it from your profile at saime.gob.ve and apply for a new one.[19]
Abroad, each consulate sets its own requirements. The embassy in Colombia, for example, asks applicants to complete consular registration first and then the application in SAIME's system; to bring the form printed through the sworn statement, a copy of the birth certificate and the original ID card with a copy; and to pay a consular fee of 120 dollars. It warns against making transfers or deposits through collection networks.[3]
Step by step
Register and apply at saime.gob.ve (abroad, complete your consular registration first).[1][3]
Pay only at SAIME's own windows or in bolívars through the banks SAIME names: Banco de Venezuela, Mercantil, Banesco and Bancamiga.[4]
Go to your appointment with the documents your office or consulate requires.[3]
Apostilles and legalization
What it is for. A Venezuelan public document must be legalized or apostilled to be valid abroad; the apostille is the simplified procedure among countries in the 1961 Hague Convention. According to the Foreign Ministry (MPPRE), neither legalization nor the apostille expires.[6]
It is done through the Electronic Legalization and Apostille System (SLAE). You create an account in 3 steps: verify your ID number and give an email address, open the link sent to that address and set a password, and complete your profile. Then you choose an office and request an appointment, which arrives by email. Registration days depend on the last digit of your ID: Monday 0 and 1, Tuesday 2 and 3, Wednesday 4 and 5, Thursday 6 and 7, Friday 8 and 9, Saturday 0 to 4 and Sunday 5 to 9.[6][7]
SAREN documents are online only. Since June 11, 2026, legalization and apostille of 153 types of documents issued by SAREN, the registry and notary service, are handled fully online at tramites.saren.gob.ve, with no in-person service; all other documents remain in person.[8]
If you cannot go. The document holder can send a trusted person to the appointment with a notarized power of attorney, granted before SAREN, at a Venezuelan embassy or consulate, or before another country's authorities with its apostille.[6]
Consulates
Where to find yours. The Foreign Ministry publishes the list of Venezuelan embassies by country; from there you reach each mission's page, with its procedures and contacts.[9]
United States. On September 14, 2026, it was reported that the State Department authorized the accreditation of Venezuelan officials to reactivate the consulates, but there is still no appointment calendar or public opening, and passport issuance and renewal remain suspended.[10]
Chile, Peru and the Dominican Republic. Between July 24 and August 2, 2026, all three agreed to reactivate consular services with Venezuela first, with no dates for reopening embassies. On September 27, 2026, it was reported that the Dominican Republic's Consulate General in Caracas would reopen on October 1 and that Venezuelans now apply there for Dominican visas; the mission that handled them outside Venezuela only completes files registered by September 30. On October 15, 2026, it was reported that Chile is partially reopening its consulates in Caracas and Puerto Ordaz from October 19, starting with passport delivery to Chileans living in Venezuela, and that Venezuela's consulate in Santiago is still not providing services. Before going to a mission, check its page to confirm it is open.[11][20][21]
Sending money home
How it works. The sender pays the fee in the country of origin and the family receives bolívars in its account. Banesco explains that it settles remittances at the retail (“menudeo”) rate the BCV authorizes for the day, which differs from the official rate the BCV posts on its website.[12][17]
What changed in 2026. On April 14, 2026, OFAC General License 57 authorized the BCV, Banco de Venezuela, Banco Digital de los Trabajadores and Banco del Tesoro to deal with U.S. banks, including services for sending and receiving remittances.[16]
Ways to send money, according to each provider
Fees and rates change daily: check the provider's page before sending. Figures checked on October 19, 2026; we do not endorse any of them.
BanesConecta (Banesco)[12]
- How the family receives it
- With an international Visa or Mastercard, to a Banesco account in bolívars.
- Published fee
- 4% of the amount, paid by the sender. Maximum $500 per transfer, $1,000 a day, $4,000 a month and $8,500 a year.
- Published delivery time
- Online, except during maintenance, according to Banesco.
MoneyGram, Ria and Wally (through Banesco)[12]
- How the family receives it
- From the provider's website, app or agent, to a Banesco account in bolívars.
- Published fee
- The recipient pays nothing; the provider charges the sender a fee that is not on Banesco's page.
- Published delivery time
- Same business day (MoneyGram) or online (Ria and Wally), according to Banesco.
Western Union (ZOOM in Venezuela)[13][14]
- How the family receives it
- Cash pickup at more than 601 agent locations; ZOOM has been its authorized agent in Venezuela since 1992.
- Published fee
- Only in its online estimator.
- Published delivery time
- Only in its online estimator.
Remitly[15]
- How the family receives it
- Deposit to an account at 20 Venezuelan banks, including Banesco, Mercantil and Provincial.
- Published fee
- No fee and a promotional rate on a new customer's first transfer (the rate applies to the first $1,000); after that, shown when you get a quote.
- Published delivery time
- Shown when you get a quote.
Watch out for scams
Fixers who sell appointments. Booking an appointment with SAIME is 100% free: no one outside the agency is authorized to charge to speed up a slot.[5]
Emails posing as SAIME. On September 24, 2026, SAIME flagged 2 Gmail addresses using its name. Its information channels are its official social media accounts, and payments are made at its windows or in bolívars through the banks it names.[4]
Charges for apostilles. Electronic legalization and apostille are completely free; the Foreign Ministry warns against being scammed by a fixer.[6]
Payments to third-party accounts. The embassy in Colombia asks applicants not to make passport transfers or deposits through collection networks.[3]
Official channels
Reader poll, not scientific
Guide sources
- 1.SAIME, Pasaporte habilitado.
- 2.El Diario, Saime eliminó la emisión de la prórroga del pasaporte: lo que se sabe (Mar 14, 2025).
- 3.Embajada de Venezuela en Colombia, Cita de pasaporte para adultos.
- 4.El Diario, El Saime denunció correos electrónicos falsos y recordó cuáles son sus canales oficiales (Sep 24, 2026).
- 5.Confirmado, El Saime alerta sobre falsos gestores y recuerda que la solicitud de citas es gratuita (Jun 19, 2026).
- 6.Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (MPPRE), La Legalización y La Apostilla de la Haya.
- 7.Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (MPPRE), Servicio de apostillas.
- 8.Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (MPPRE), Legalización y apostilla de 153 documentos emitidos por el SAREN pasan a modalidad 100% digital (Jun 11, 2026).
- 9.Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (MPPRE), Embajadas.
- 10.El Nacional, Estados Unidos autoriza acreditar funcionarios venezolanos para reactivar sedes consulares (Sep 14, 2026).
- 11.Efecto Cocuyo, Chile, Perú y República Dominicana reactivan consulados en Venezuela, pero con cautela (Aug 4, 2026).
- 12.Banesco, Remesas Internacionales (updated Sep 22, 2026).
- 13.Western Union, Send Money to Venezuela from the US.
- 14.ZOOM, Remesas (updated Jun 12, 2026).
- 15.Remitly, Send money to Venezuela from the United States.
- 16.Banca y Negocios, #Atentos: OFAC levanta las sanciones al Banco Central de Venezuela y a bancos públicos (Apr 14, 2026).
- 17.Banco Central de Venezuela, Portal del BCV: tipo de cambio oficial.
- 18.El Nacional, Pasaporte habilitado en Caracas: conozca el monto y cómo obtenerlo el mismo día de su cita en el Saime (Sep 17, 2026).
- 19.El Nacional, Saime advirtió que no se podrá viajar con pasaportes deteriorados aunque estén vigentes (Oct 3, 2026).
- 20.El Nacional, Consulado de República Dominicana en Caracas reabrirá el 1 de octubre (Sep 27, 2026).
- 21.Efecto Cocuyo, Chile anuncia reapertura de sus consulados en Caracas y Puerto Ordaz el 19 de octubre (Oct 15, 2026).
- 22.R4V (ACNUR y OIM), Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela: World Figures (updated Aug 20, 2026).
- 23.Natural Earth, Admin 0 – Countries, 1:110m y 1:50m (dominio público).